Challenges. Discussion, polemic and even divergences regarding the crisis in the milk sector combine, in my opinion, positive elements in the perspective of the next Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) review. They indicate that agricultural issues now constitute global European challenges. The milk debate not only focuses on producers' income but also explicitly highlights questions regarding regional balance, environmental protection, food quality and the nature and fairness of international trade, as well as the risks of world food shortages. I remember the time when farming was only of a limited interest to European leaders at the very highest levels. The Agriculture Council and the European Parliament agriculture committee were activity involved in the issue, but behind closed doors. They dealt with everything and CAP expenditure escaped Parliament's budgetary remit. The Agriculture Council elaborated documents that were sometime of great value that ministers for foreign affairs sent out, without reading them, to the European Council, which simply put them on the in-tray pile.
The CAP was, to a certain extent, a victim of its own original sin. It had been created in an attempt to balance out the advantages of the common market. Germany was considered, a priori, as the big winner in the industrial arena and France claimed compensation in the agricultural domain. The debates that went beyond agricultural interests were, above all, those regarding the budget. Agricultural spending was “obligatory” and escaped, as such, normal budgetary procedures (the Lisbon treaty will remove this anomaly) but the EP will finally have its decisive say in the matter.
CAP safeguarded what was essential. The CAP's original anomalies initially influenced its content and led to a number of aberrations such as the outrageous accumulation of butter stocks, the distillation of millions of hectolitres of wine, the destruction of citrus and other fruit and sometimes excessive subsidies for certain exports to third countries. At the same time, however, the CAP safeguarded what was essential: productive capacity, Europe's food self-sufficiency (we have begun to understand how essential this really is), food traditions, the landscape (partly so, at least) and regional balance.
Excesses have largely been corrected and excessive protection at borders has been reduced and the international situation in the meantime has been turned on its head. The world now needs Europe's agricultural production (and that of the US, Canada and Australia etc.) to tackle the risks of famine. Developing countries are learning that monoculture for export destroys them and they have to make food production a priority. The Europeans are becoming increasingly demanding with regard to product quality and environmental protection is now becoming a major concern for all. In other words: Europeans understand that farming is not a secondary sector to economic activity and its preservation and improvement are essential.
Lessons of the milk crisis. It is in this context that the debate on the milk crisis is located. There is no simple “European” solution because the interests of member states are partly divergent, as is the question of accountability. A few aspects, however, have become clearer: a) the short circuits that occur, from the place where milk is produced (where prices paid to dairy farmers are low) to the final purchaser; b) inefficient controls and insufficient indications on the origin of basic products, which create environmental abuse and impairment of final product quality on an enormous scale; c) dangers which result from this for consumers and who are subject to health risks; d) a requirement for the different aspects of rural development to be taken into consideration (regional balance, biodiversity, culture etc.) depend, above all, on the preservation of farming.
I subsequently come back to my starting point: discussions and reflections about the milk crisis precede the general debate about the CAP review. Other developments, such as the withdrawal of the project on rosé wine, due to the spirited level of response, confirm that the milk question is not an isolated case. A number of major outlines are being drawn up (see the comments made by Jean-Luc Demarty, summarised in this column: EUROPE 9937). According to initial indication, only four member states remain opposed to or have misgivings about maintaining a strong and ambitious CAP. Both the powers that be and the public must understand that this is a debate that goes far beyond the interests of any given professional category. (F.R./trans/rh)