November 18, 2015
Dear Ministers,
As the Agriculture and Fisheries Council of the EU is set to meet this November 16 in Brussels, European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC) would like to, once more, bring to your attention, our deep concern over the situation of the European dairy sector in this serious and unprecedented crisis which will destroy the economy in many rural areas. Among other things, this is caused by a loosening of market regulations, of which the removal of EU milk quotas stands out.
After the new measures package was released by the Council and the Commission following the meeting held last September 7, the situation of the dairy sector is still critical all over Europe due to the low milk prices that the producers are faced with. The industry’s pressure for low prices on the one hand, and European distribution on the other, is leading towards the disappearance of the model of production which best fulfils the needs of the European citizens in regards to food quality and safety, animal welfare, environmental protection, and maintaining the countryside.
As such, we continue to consider it necessary for the next Agriculture and Fisheries Council to recognize the catastrophic situation, which the sector is going through, at a European level and, therefore, to assume a firm commitment regarding the development and implementation of new public market regulation tools which would help to ensure a sustainable production model and a proper remuneration for the farmers (i.e. milk price should cover production costs), as well as to safeguard the numerous dairy producers and, their varied sustainable milk production models across Europe.
These measures should be urgently adopted if there is a real will, from the side of European governments and the Commission, to maintain milk production in all the EU’s territories.
In the hopes that our suggestions will be taken into account, please receive our best regards.
Yours faithfully,
Genevieve Savigny, member of the ECVC Coordination Committee
Jose Miguel Pacheco Gonçalves, member of the ECVC Coordination Committee
European Coordination Via Campesina
Rue de la Sablonnière 18, 1000 Brussels (BE)
T: +32 (0)2 21 73 112
F:+32 (0)2 21 84 509
