Ahead of the crucial EU Council on Agriculture next Monday, Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament said they will support farmers and pass a strong message to Commissioner Phil Hogan when they discuss with him in Strasbourg next Tuesday.
Paolo de Castro, S&D spokesperson on Agriculture, today said:
"European farmers are facing intolerable price volatility, and we join their call on the Commission to come forward with serious proposals to tackle it after Monday’s meetings in Brussels.
"We will hold an extraordinary meeting of the Parliament’s Agriculture Committee on Tuesday, supporting the views of leaders of farmer organisations who will travel to Brussels on Monday to speak to their ministers. We will pass the message to Phil Hogan, the Commissioner responsible for Agriculture and Rural Development.
"The world becomes more fragile day by day and we must safeguard our food production, our food producers, and their jobs across the diverse landscapes of Europe. This is not a short-term issue and we, as decision makers, have a big responsibility to take the long view and put in place new measures for the long term."
“Farmer organisations are desperate for long-term thinking and investment possibilities, in livestock sectors just as much as in dairy, where more certainty in market development is essential. More emphasis is needed on promotion and securing new markets for products and this is why today we voted to add financing for this in the EU 2016 budget. Better management of production – especially for milk - as voted in an Initiative Report before the summer, must still be considered as a an option."
“We also have a very strong stand against unfair trading practices, which still prevail in the food chain to the detriment of farmers and primary food producers. So we will push for a strong opinion from the Agriculture committee when we vote on the Report on unfair trading practices in the food supply chain in the coming weeks.”
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