The EU agriculture ministers will meet in Brussels on Monday 27 May to discuss the current crisis in the agricultural sector and the EU’s response to the concerns expressed by farmers.
Under the presidency of David Clarinval, the Belgian Minister for Agriculture, who is presiding over the work of this Council, the ministers will discuss two aspects: the responses already provided and those currently envisaged to support farmers and the sector, and the future of crisis management tools (see EUROPE 13408/20).
In addition, the Council will hold an exchange of views on the latest developments and most pertinent issues concerning EU agricultural markets, particularly in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
At the meeting of the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) on Tuesday 21 May, the European Commission indicated that markets were tending to stabilise, including EU-Ukraine agricultural trade. The EU Agri-food Chain Observatory will hold its first meeting on 17 July.
The delegations spoke in particular of the negative impact of unfavourable weather conditions on crops, the reduction in profitability (wine, fruit and vegetables) and the need to redirect imports from Ukraine towards their traditional markets.
With regard to Ukraine, the Commission is said to be on the point of adopting an implementing act to clarify the method of controlling imports of Ukrainian products and the way in which the ‘safeguard clauses’ and the ‘emergency brake’ will be implemented. In some sectors, “we are getting close to the quantitative limit”, the Commission reportedly noted, citing sugar as an example.
Other items on the Agriculture Council’s agenda include: - the need to put animal welfare at the heart of the next European Commission’s agenda (a point raised by the Slovenian delegation); - regulations favourable to innovation in the agri-food sector (Danish delegation); - labelling the country of origin of foodstuffs (German delegation); - large carnivores (Austrian delegation); - the difficult situation of fruit producers (Polish delegation - https://aeur.eu/f/cbd ); - the use of neonicotinoid substances for seed treatment (Romanian delegation); - the effects of the drought in Cyprus (Cypriot delegation); - the question of the dual quality of foodstuffs (Slovak delegation). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)