Copa and Cogeca welcomed today European Parliaments vote on the EU fruit and vegetable regime which stresses that producer organisations like cooperatives must continue to be the cornerstone of the regime and support must be stepped up.
The non-legislative resolution by MEP Nuna Melo (EPP, PT) calls on the EU Commission to increase support to help and fruit and vegetable producers join forces in producer organisations, like cooperatives, and also to stamp out unfair and abusive practices in the food chain. The pressure exerted on producers by large retail chains are one of the key obstacles to growers earning a decent income, it states.
Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen stressed “We have long been calling for this. Producers organisations like cooperatives enable producers to better market their produce and get a higher price for it. Producers must be encouraged to join them in order to improve their positioning in the food chain. Rules need to be less complex, red tape cut and the legal framework regarding controls and penalties more predictable under the new CAP without touching the basic policy decisions of the 2013 reform before 2020. Training and exchanges of good practices should also be promoted where the level of producer organisations is low in a member state.
He continued “Producer Organisations have a strong role to play to enhance growers positioning on the market. Incentives must be provided to promote the mergers of Producer Organisations (POs), AOPs and Transnational POs. Marketing standards also play an important role to ensure the quality of the products and the transparency of the markets for farmers and consumers and they must not be scrapped under the simplification agenda. They must remain in place. We are also pressing to the Commission to come forward with a legislative approach which should address anonymous complaints, definition of sanctions and adequate enforcement of the regulation. Combined with a code of good practices this legislation should ensure a better functioning of the food chain.
The move comes after Parliaments vote today in plenary session on a report by MEP Nuna Melo from Portugal on implementation of provisions concerning producer organisations, operational funds and operational programmes in the EU fruit and vegetable sector since the 2007 reform.
