EU agricultural committee votes on CAP

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) measures are of great importance to the functioning of the dairy chain and for the whole dairy industry present in all EU member states. EDA regrets the direction taken by the European Parliament Committee on Agriculture in the vote on MEP Herbert Dorfmann’s report.

The European Dairy Association has been closely following the discussions across Europe and in Brussels on the Future of Food and Farming. The European Parliament COMAGRI has voted the draft own-initiative report of MEP Herbert Dorfmann.

“From a European dairy perspective, the report of MEP Herbert Dorfmann, presented in February 2018 was extremely well-balanced,” says EDA’s secretary general Alexander Anton. “We see the value and the need of having the integrity of the common regulatory framework for the operation of markets throughout the EU protected.”

The integrity of the European single market is central to the prosperity of the EU dairy industry. EU competition law, which is an important part of the legal framework for the EU market, must be protected.

Amendments voted, such as value-sharing mechanisms and milk reduction programmes, would effectively change the policy context in which the EU dairy sector operates. Such changes will only slow down the adaptation of the sector, which is facing increasing competition from producers outside Europe. It would also jeopardise several CAP objectives of increasing productivity and competitiveness.

“We see other amendments relating to the Milk Market Observatory which could be counter- productive”, adds Anton, “this observatory is seen today as an important body for the dairy sector, informing all stakeholders of the current dairy market situation. Furthering its role would go against its objective of an informative body and would only bring confusion to stakeholders.”

For EDA, any future CAP should continue its evolution towards a greater market orientation of the agricultural policy. A proper functioning of the internal market is essential for the future of food, dairy and farming at both supply and outlet levels.

In this context, a progressive CAP should support and enhance the development and innovative capacities of the sector. Only by innovation at milk production and processing level the EU dairy industry is able to keep and strengthen its worldwide competitive position.

Enhancing the dairy sector’s  competitiveness on the global markets also ensures the future sustainability of EU milk production.

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