Brussels, 19/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 19 June in Strasbourg, the European Parliament made an urgent appeal for additional financial support to ovine and caprine meat producers so that they can develop a “vibrant, self-sufficient, market-led and consumer-oriented sheep and goat sector in the EU”. By adopting (with a few amendments) the report of Liam Aylward (UEN, Ireland) on the future of the ovine and caprine sectors in Europe, the EP is calling for the introduction of new kinds of support for producers (including a per head bonus to keep ovines in ecologically sensitive areas), more funds for implementation of the electronic identification system, and the creation of a European logo for reviving consumption (see detail of report in EUROPE 9671).
The EP is calling on the Commission to improve its ability to respond to animal diseases as serious as outbreak of bluetongue by means of a new EU animal health strategy, research funding, compensation for losses, advances on payments, etc. It is also calling on its negotiating team in the debates at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to “reduce the scale of the proposed tariff cuts on sheepmeat and to ensure that the option of sensitive product status for sheepmeat products is available to the EU. The Commission is also instructed to “reassess existing import quota management regimes to ensure that EU-produced lamb is not exposed to unfair competition. (L.C./Transl. R.H.)