Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-02-01-Speech-4-025"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20010201.3.4-025"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, within the space of a few weeks the BSE phenomenon has developed dramatically and is now a virtually universal problem in Europe. The situation has become alarming, given the fall in consumption and exports and the prospect of having to administer huge stocks of beef and veal. It is an extremely critical situation, since it has driven cattle breeders to the brink of ruin, while the amount allocated to the EU agricultural budget is almost bound to prove insufficient. In this context, Commissioner, the first imperative is that Member States show discipline and solidarity in implementing the adopted Community measures so as not to increase the size of the collective bill. Even though we shall have to await the February meeting of the Council, and probably other major European gatherings too, before all the consequences can be assessed, we can already highlight a few key issues.
To that end, let me point out the primacy of food safety and consumer protection, and the consequent need for tighter controls to lend credibility to the decisions that are taken as well as the need for a European food agency to be set up quickly.
Let me also emphasise the need to establish greater solidarity between the various sectors within the CAP in each Member State, particularly by applying the cross-sector rules enshrined in Agenda 2000. I might also mention Europe’s duty to comply with international provisions and to support the development of the production of vegetable proteins to replace meat and bone meal in animal feed.
Finally, may I stress the need to take on board all the lessons we have learned from the development of agriculture which has resulted from our successive common agricultural policies and from our international commitments. Has not our past development, rooted in a quest for maximum competitiveness and a larger share of the global market, gone too far in the direction of industrialisation and profit-seeking? For my part, I believe it has reached its limits and that we shall have to rethink it, particularly in the context of the WTO talks and the framing of a new CAP.
Be that as it may, how could agriculture be given the promise of a new dawn if BSE were to bring about the demise of its producers?
This, Commissioner, is precisely why I also plead for genuine, serious consideration of the expectations of livestock breeders and all the other players in the agricultural production process, who must receive help to ride out this crisis."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples