Brussels, 10/04/2001 (Agence Europe) - During the final press conference of the informal Council of Farm Ministers meeting held in Ostersund, Sweden, Commissioner Franz Fischler stressed the link between the quality of foodstuffs and farm policy. He made an initial assessment of the 1999 reform, stating that farmers reacted to market signals. The amount of farm aid was adapted to the cost structures of holdings; there was a reduction of aid by 20% and funds were released for rural development measures. The mountains of butter and cereals have gone and there was a balance, until November, 2000, on the beef market. The annual consumption of fodder grain in Europe increased by 25 million tonnes in relation to the start of the 1990s. There was also a fall in the consumption of fertilizers and plant health products. He pointed out that holdings that lacked a solid economic base could not be sustainable. Farmers need adequate income and structural adjustments must be done in a socially fair way.
Mr. Fischler asserted that most of the ministers who took part in the debate recalled that the aims of Agenda 2000 (competitive farming, production methods guaranteeing food safety, diversity in the functions of farming, etc.) are still on the table and there is no need to revise them. On the other hand, the question of what measures are the best ones to attain these goals is still unanswered, as is the one concerning the pace of reforms. That is precisely the task of the mid-term review that has been handed to the Commission, he explained. Next year, on the basis of a detailed analysis, we will explain whether the working hypotheses of 1999 are still applicable or whether they need to be revised. Next, we will explain the market trends in Europe and in the world and evaluate whether the instruments of Agenda 2000 are effective enough to attain the objectives that we have set. I think our flight plan is clear, he said, this year we will be starting our evaluation and our preparatory work is already underway in the Commission's services and we will in due time submit the mid-term review for next year.
He concluded that these days, consumers and their expectations should be taken as the basic foundation of any investigation into what does on in the food processing industry and agriculture itself. This should go back upstream as far as farm suppliers, he added.