The European Commission’s proposals to strengthen the role of farmers in the food supply chain have been broadly welcomed by EU farming organisations, which are however calling for stronger measures to combat unfair trading practices (see EUROPE 13542/6).
For the EU’s agricultural organisations and cooperatives (Copa-Cogeca), the proposal on unfair commercial practices represents “a step in the right direction”, but it is essential to go further. “Farmers can no longer bear the burden of selling their produce below the cost of production. The list of unfair trading practices must be updated to reflect the realities of today’s markets.” Copa-Cogeca also believes that anonymous complaints should be allowed and that effective mechanisms should be guaranteed not only at national level, but also for cross-border transactions. “Robust and dissuasive sanctions must be applied in cases of rule violations to deter infringements and restore fairness in the supply chain”, argues Copa-Cogeca.
With regard to the Common Market Organisation (CMO), Copa-Cogeca believes that strengthening producer organisations and preserving the specific relationship between farmers and their cooperatives will be essential to achieving the objectives.
According to the European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA), the CMO proposal contains some interesting measures for young farmers: strengthening cooperation between farmers and support for new generations to participate in it, compulsory written contracts with renegotiation options, and integration of socio-economic objectives into sustainability agreements. Additional attention is paid to crisis management measures. As regards the fight against unfair commercial practices, the Commission has chosen to focus on cross-border cooperation between national enforcement bodies. “(...) variations between national transpositions, the lack of insurance on the anonymity of complainants, as well as the inclusion of selling below costs into the grey list of UTPs remain necessary debates for the future,” according to the CEJA.
A mouse? The French government wanted to obtain the power to impose rules on food pricing for products sold in France on European central purchasing bodies. “I’m already dubious about the effectiveness of these rules in France, but obtaining a kind of extraterritorial right within the European market seemed to me to be highly uncertain from a legal point of view! The Commission has just confirmed that the proposal relates solely to coordination between the national authorities responsible for applying the Unfair Trading Practices Directive. The ‘European Egalim’ gives birth to a mouse”, said Éric Sargiacomo MEP (S&D, French). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)