On Friday 28 January, in a letter to Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski, the Chair of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, Norbert Lins (EPP, Germany), called for “immediate initiatives aimed at alleviating the negative situation and anticipating serious disturbances in the pig meat sector”.
The letter highlights that “the increasing cost of inputs, electricity and veterinary services, the excess of supply because of the drop in Chinese demand, and the negative impact of African swine fever on exports, have squeezed profit margins to critically low levels” in this sector.
“Furthermore, the outbreak of African swine fever in Italy earlier this month is very negative news. The situation could possibly become even worse if the export of Italian pork products, especially cured hams on third-country markets, collapses”, adds Mr Lins.
Furthermore, the Agriculture Committee Chairman warns that continued inaction would lead to an increased concentration of pork production in the EU, with negative environmental and climate effects.
Mr Lins is pushing for: - strong support to the sector via promotional activities, aimed at opening new market opportunities; - market intervention at EU level.
The Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) will discuss possible measures on Monday 31 January (see EUROPE 12878/16). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)