The European Coordination Via Campesina expresses its solidarity with the mobilization of the farmers on September 5 in Limoges (France) at the occasion of the European conference on the ovine production organized by the French Minister for agriculture Michel Barnier.
The actual prices at sale that do not allow to cover the production costs as well as the increased deregulation of the markets prevent the European producers from obtaining a worthy income of their production.
The stockbreeders do not want another conference that does not consider the problems of income and production. They wish effective and rapid measures to face this ovine crisis of long duration which caused a dramatic reduction in the number of stockbreeders and ovine livestock in France and in other European countries.
The stockbreeders cannot wait: it is necessary as of now to allocate emergency aid to them and to revalorize the CAP aid to the sheep, to the height of the aid to the nursing cow. In the medium term, it is necessary to develop protection mechanisms at the borders so that the prices become an essential component of the income.
The ovine production creates farmers’ employment but also industrial and rural employment. It allows for the valorization of natural resources and prevents forest fires. Currently, the EU is in deficit of meat and imports from countries with other sanitary standards. A development of the ovine production and of the number of producers in Europe will have important social and energetical benefits.
We call the ministers to take initiatives in favour of the maintenance and development of the ovine production.
Contact:
Marit Jordal: +4738341080
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