Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen warned “Only this week, the Luxembourg Presidency announced that there was interest in the EU Council amongst delegations to look at an increase in the EU dairy intervention price but nothing has been done. It is crucial to raise it to put a floor in the market and stop the downward pressure on prices which have reached unbearably low levels. We are disappointed that there is no talk of export credit insurance for the EU beef, pork and milk markets which we have long called for.
The package includes very few measures to help manage the market or deal with the increasing volatility and short term problems. We regret the lack of measures in the EU pigmeat sector and the fact that there was little talks on the problems facing the EU beef sector. Prices are below production costs in many countries and farmers’ incomes half the average level, forcing some to shut. Action is vital to improve this drastic situation.
A new report by FAO also confirmed that farm prices are rock-bottom and in August world prices saw their biggest drop in 7 years. With over 6000 farmers from all across Europe showing their distress and demonstrating about the bad situation this should be a wake-up call for Ministers and the EU Commission that they must act.
We also urgently need targeted measures to help farmers in parts of Europe, in particular in Poland, who have been badly affected by drought mainly for spring crops, winter crops, fruit trees, strawberries, vegetables, and cattle production. There was much support from other Ministers on this but nothing has been done. Member States should be allowed to grant extra support. There are nevertheless some positive elements in the package. We welcome the fact that EU promotion schemes have been boosted and the Commission will speed up work to find new markets but this takes time.
We hope that the EU Farm Ministers would press for urgent actions on Tuesday in the Informal Agriculture Council in Luxembourg. No farmers No food No future.
