The European Union's Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers will hold a videoconference on 25 March at 2 p.m. to discuss ways to avoid food shortages due to restrictions put in place to combat the Coronavirus pandemic.
The European Commission is trying to make intra-Community trade in agricultural products as fluid as possible, but problems still persist (see EUROPE 12450/15).
The Croatian Presidency of the EU Council is therefore planning to organise a video conference on 25 March for EU Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers so that they can discuss the impact of the epidemic on the food sector.
The idea would be for ministers to share experiences and activities that they have undertaken, as well as to identify challenges and possible next steps, a diplomatic source said.
The aim would be to reassure EU citizens about the continued supply of food and fisheries products, as well as the smooth running of the production chain.
European Commissioners Janusz Wojciechowski (Agriculture) and Virginijus Sinkevicius (Environment, Oceans and Fisheries) are expected to take part in this videoconference of EU agriculture ministers.
On 16 March the Commission, in recommendations to Member States, made an appeal for avoiding traffic jams at the EU's internal borders and allowing the transport of goods despite controls put in place to combat the Coronavirus. The aim is to ease the flow of lorries carrying essential goods such as medicines and food and to enable European citizens to return home.
The agricultural organisations and cooperatives of the EU (Copa-Cogeca) and the European Council of Young Farmers (Ceja) wrote on 18 March to the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, requesting that “all measures that can safeguard and guarantee the functioning of agricultural activity and its cash flow be introduced in light of the Coronavirus pandemic (see EUROPE 12450/15).
Impact on the agricultural sector: Copa-Cogeca, which will participate in the videoconference, along with Switzerland, presented an assessment of the impact of the pandemic on the sector. This study shows that, while farmers continue to work at almost full capacity on farms, concerns are emerging about the capacity to collect, transfer, and process certain raw material commodities, such as milk and meat or fresh fruit and vegetables.
In addition, Copa-Cogeca is "very concerned" about increasing speculation on the price of raw materials "with the aim of provoking a cascading reduction in raw material prices". It calls for maximum vigilance against unfair trading practices. At the international level, agri-food supply is facing obstacles to the transit of goods as well as a sudden drop in demand. Finally, falling crude oil prices are leading to lower ethanol prices and lower demand for sugar.
To consult the study: https://bit.ly/2xbXocM (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)