On the basis of work carried out by a high-level group examining the long term future of the EU dairy sector, "we will have fairly concrete elements upon which to base a legislative package" of regulatory measures, Dacian Cioloş, the EU commissioner for agriculture and rural development, said yesterday (29 March).
Speaking to the press after a meeting of EU-27 farm ministers in Brussels, he said the dairy high-level group will present its report in June, after which the EU executive would be in a position to present a package of legislative measures by the end of the year.
Cioloş said the package will address issues such as the negotiating power of dairy producers and review market mechanisms to make them more efficient.
"We will also look at the whole issue of the contract system between the various players in the supply chain, as well as transparency," he added.
French Farm Minister Bruno Le Maire believes contractualisation at EU level between producers of agricultural commodities and industry offers a "way forward" for the agricultural sector as a whole, rather than milk alone (EurActiv 08/09/09).
Commissioner Cioloş said another area of work for the EU executive as far as the functioning of the food supply chain is concerned relates to competition law. His colleague in charge of industry, Antonio Tajani, will work on that and organise a forum on the food supply chain to steer the discussion on sector-specific measures and proposals, he said.
Functioning of the food supply chain
After their first exchange of views at a meeting in February, EU farm ministers agreed on four priorities to improve the functioning of the food supply chain in Europe (EurActiv 24/02/10).
Spanish Agriculture Minister Elena Espinosa said ministers "want to promote sustainable market relations" between the parties involved in the food supply chain and promote increased transparency in the food supply chain to improve competitiveness and tackle price instability.
Ministers also agreed to improve "the integration and competitiveness of the agro and food supply chain" across the EU 27 and to eliminate obstacles fragmenting the single market, she added.
