Brussels, 24/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - At last Friday's meeting of the Consumer Committee in Brussels, the Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler supported consumers' strong interest in the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). "Consumers want a sustainable agriculture that provides them with a choice of safe and nutritious food at reasonable prices; the kind of agriculture that respects the environment and makes an effective contribution to rural development", said Mr Fischler, adding that, "the Commission and consumers should pursue the same course and steer towards the same goals". This Consumer Committee meeting is part of a series of initiatives launched by Commissioners Franz Fischler and David Byrne (Health and Consumer Protection) to openly discuss the future of food policy.
The Consumer Committee raised the issue of consumer expectations and how the CAP can answer these, noting that consumers are more concerned than ever about the quality and safety of their food. Mr Fischler said that, "Even if zero risk does not exist, food safety remains the non-negotiable element of food quality". In terms of diversity, he added, "A discussion on which way of production is better, or whether organic food is preferable to conventional food, is pointless. Guided and protected by a labelling system that clearly shows the content of products, the choice of the products itself should be left to the consumer."
Mr Fischler further addressed the question of how to include these issues in the future CAP and how the CAP could meet the new demands of society. He underlined that the Agenda 2000 farm reform was already a very important step in the right direction. In addition, next year's review of Agenda 2000 would provide the opportunity to include in the policy some of the concerns about making agriculture more sustainable. "We should not let ourselves be brought to a standstill but rather look at the future of a CAP that can live up to consumers' expectations", Mr Fischler continued.