Chairman of Copa & Cogeca Fruit and Vegetable Working Party Philippe Appeltans said “The specific support scheme for producer organisations in this sector has been a great success. It helps to improve the functioning of the food supply chain and to combat unfair trading practices. Moreover, producers who join cooperatives are more resilient to market crises”.
Over 1 million farms in the EU produce nutritious fruit and vegetables generating a total turnover of 50 billion euros, which is21 % of the EU final agricultural value. This is an important sector for 500 million European citizens in terms of supplying them with healthy food, as well as for the development of rural areas, growth and jobs, with the sector accounting for 30 % of agricultural employment. It also plays an important role for the integration of migrants in terms of providing seasonal work.
Copa and Cogeca consequently urge the EU keep the specific definition and regime for fruit and vegetable producer organisations in the future CAP and to prolong the support scheme for this sector as it’s an efficient tool to help producers remain viable”, he concluded. The move comes during the debate on the future CAP. For details, see http://www.copa-cogeca.eu/Download.ashx?ID=1784082&fmt=pdf
