This is a subscriber-only article
There will be no more delays to the publication or adoption of the European Farm to Fork strategy by the European Commission, its vice president Frans Timmermans has categorically stated.
The strategy will be published later this month on 20 May. It will set out the Commission’s plans to make agriculture a global leader in sustainable production as part of a wider plan to make the EU carbon neutral by 2050.
Despite calls from several MEPs on Thursday morning to delay the strategy in light of the coronavirus crisis, Timmermans said the European green deal would be central to the bloc’s recovery plan.
“We will support the transition of the EU food chain to become a global standard for sustainability,” he said, “and I think the quicker you do the transition, the less costly it is, the less painful it is.”
Price of food
The Dutch politician said the crisis was an opportunity for agriculture as citizens re-evaluated their lifestyles and diets.
“I believe that one of the Achilles heels of the way we consume food and foodstuff is that we've gotten used to everything being very, very cheap.
"I honestly believe that if there is a re-evaluation and health gets bigger priority, then the willingness to pay bit more for better foodstuffs might increase,” he said.
Independent MEP Luke Ming Flanagan raised concerns that any increase in the price of food would not make its way back to the farmer.
“What can be done to guarantee that if the price of food is increased, that this margin goes to the primary producer,” he asked.
“The bigger problem that we have is the profit margins that the processors and supermarkets are making."
Timmermans disagreed, saying he was not sure if there were huge profits anywhere along the supply chain.
He did agree that a balance had to be struck between increasing the price of food and ensuring it was still affordable for the most vulnerable in society.
CAP
Along with increasing the returns from the market, Timmermans said there was a need to review the CAP and how its budget was spent. Analysis being undertaken into the CAP on what works well and where funds should be concentrated will be published alongside the Farm to Fork strategy.
He said along with targeting supports to climate and biodiversity action through eco-schemes, direct income support payments had to go to farmers and not huge landowners. This was a point raised by Fine Gael MEP Mairead McGuinness also who said funds had to go to active farmers.
SHARING OPTIONS: