Julien Denormandie, the French Minister for Agriculture, presented a declaration on Monday 21 September in Brussels, supported by 15 of his counterparts, aimed at developing plant proteins and reducing the risks associated with excessive dependence on imports from third countries (see EUROPE 12562/6).
He called on the European Commission to increase the flexibility for paying coupled support to develop legumes. “The areas aided must not be capped and mixtures of legumes and grasses must be eligible for this type of aid”, the French minister stressed.
Finland said that a wide range of plant sources existed and that coupled support was essential in this respect.
Increased production of plant proteins was supported by Belgium (coupled support, research, etc.) Greece also wants more promotional measures for the plant protein sector. Hungary has advocated incentives for quality and GMO-free crops.
Denmark highlighted the importance of EU self-sufficiency in pulses and the importance of the bio-economy (green biomass). Coupled support should be gradually reduced, the Danish Minister said.
Nutrition labelling. At the EU Council, Italy and the Czech Republic presented a document, supported by Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Latvia and Romania, calling for front of pack nutrition labelling, promoted by the European Commission as part of the ‘farm to fork’ strategy, to remain voluntary. It should not, in their view, be applied to products with a PDO (protected designation of origin) or protected geographical indication (PGI) or traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG), nor products consisting of a single ingredient such as olive oil. These States also want nutritional values to be calculated on the basis of the recommended daily intake, rather than a threshold of 100 g or 100 ml of product consumed. They do not want “foods usually eaten in small amounts” to be penalised.
Pig sector. The Czech Republic has expressed concern about the situation on the pig meat market due to the effects of the outbreaks of African swine fever.
Laying hens. The Czech Republic requested the European Commission to analyse the current situation regarding the economic impacts on the market in the context of the ban on battery cages and to submit a legislative proposal banning the production of eggs from enriched cage farms in the European Union. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)