Brussels, 19/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - EU agriculture and fisheries ministers, meeting in Luxembourg on Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 June, will adopt a raft of conclusions, notably on the future of direct payments to farmers, and, over lunch, will once again discuss the situation on the dairy market. The Council is also expected to reach agreements on novel foods, including those from cloned animals, and on the welfare of animals at the moment of slaughter.
Agricultural issues, on novel foods and veterinary policy, will be discussed on Monday, from 11 o'clock, and Tuesday will be devoted to fisheries matters, including a debate on enhanced controls of fisheries activities.
Future of direct payments. Czech Agriculture Minister Jakub Šebesta, who will chair the Council, will present, for his EU counterparts, very brief conclusions on the future of direct payments (see EUROPE 9919). The draft text notes that discussions on this issue have begun “without prejudice to the new Financial Perspective for the period after 2013”. The text states that “any future direct payments scheme will need to be fair and legitimate, effective, simple to implement, sufficiently flexible, and easy to justify and explain”. The draft conclusion says that “alternatives to the historical reference periods will require to be considered”. One of the paragraphs would appear to say that there are only advantages with direct payments, an opinion not shared by all countries. If one or more countries oppose the text, it will be treated, not as Council conclusions, but as Presidency conclusions.
Quality policy. The Council is expected to adopt conclusions on the agricultural products quality policy. The draft communication welcomes the Commission communication on this issue, but is sceptical of some of the ideas from Agricultural Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel. The draft text says that the Council is open to improvement, clarification, innovation and simplification of the system. These will have to be part of a “joint European approach”, however. The European Commission proposes a two-speed approach, leaving it up to member states to manage official descriptions and designations nationally when they are small in economic terms. Member states are not against harmonising the current three registers of designations, for wines, spirits, and agricultural and food products, but these registers should remain separate. Member states reject the Commission idea of abolishing Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (TSG). The Council says that this term added value and should be improved not removed. Member states are also critical of the reserved terms in marketing standards (“corn-fed”, “reared in the open air”, etc.) which the Commission wants to develop.
Areas with natural handicaps. The Council will adopt conclusions on the Commission communication “Towards a better targeting of the aid to farmers in areas with natural handicaps”. The Commission invites member states to carry out simulations on delimiting of Less Favoured Areas (LFAs) using the methodology set out in the Communication and to provide the Commission with maps reflecting the results of these simulations. The draft conclusions serve the purpose of recording member states' agreement that they will carry out the simulations requested by the Commission, without prejudice to their final position on the future LFA scheme.
Novel foods. Member states are expected to reach, without debate, a political agreement on the draft regulation on novel foods, the main issue of which is putting in place a legal framework that will allow meat from cloned animals and their offspring to be marketed.
Slaughtering of animals. The Council is expected to reach political agreement on a proposal improving animal welfare at the time of slaughter.
Plant protection products. The Council will seek a political agreement on seven proposals to determine whether certain active substances in plant protection products should be put on a positive list.
Aquaculture. The Council will adopt conclusions on the development of Community aquaculture (see EUROPE 9919). Ministers are expected to say that fresh impetus has to be given to the sector.
CFP Control system. The Council will hold a policy debate on a proposal to overhaul the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) control system (see EUROPE 9888). Some sections of the proposal are problematic, including: - minimum and maximum administrative sanctions (ranging from €5,000 to €300,000 under the proposal) and the penalty points system; - enhancing the powers of Commission inspectors; - date from which regulation will be applied (the Commission proposes 1 January 2010). (L.C./transl.rt)