Brussels, 08/09/2004 (Agence Europe) - Two Dutch organisations for the protection of nature and animals attracted the attention of the agriculture ministers in a wholly original way at last weekend's informal agriculture and fisheries Council (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.8). The printed quotations from Dutch writer Koos van Zomeren onto table napkins used by the ministers meeting informally in Noordwijk, in the Netherlands. Mr van Zomeren's latest novel raises questions about the way animals should be treated.
"The Dutch Presidency wants to leave everything to 'the market', which is not acceptable!", said Arjan Berkhuysen, the spokesperson for Stichting Natuur en Milieu (a member of the European Environment Bureau), one of the two organisations in question, along with Dierenberscherming (a member of the Eurogroup for Animal Welfare).
These animal and nature protection organisations believe that the organic industry could help to resolve many problems, as long as the States give it more support. They refer to the example of organic chicken, which is three times more expensive than chicken produced in battery farms.