Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-05-15-Speech-2-185"
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"en.20010515.8.2-185"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, European cattle farmers are being dealt heavy blows. The huge drop in the consumption of beef and veal as a result of the BSE crisis has put the price of meat under heavy pressure, and consumption and exports have fallen even further in the wake of the foot and mouth crisis. It is evident that the sector needs help. However, the contingency plan suggested by the Commission appears to be a plan which will only restrict the production of beef and veal in the long term. Commissioner, changing a common organisation of the market to have a long-term effect is something which we would term a reform, rather than a contingency plan.
Fortunately, the rapporteur, Mr Sturdy has included a number of amendments in his report which could serve as a contingency plan, namely by encouraging cattle breeders to have bulls slaughtered while they are still calves. The measure to restrict animal premiums per cattle farm to a maximum of 90 animals, provided that the number of livestock units is reduced from 2 to 1.8 per hectare, will cut down production in due course. The fact is, however, that, in this way, cattle farmers are not only affected by the existing crisis, they are also being hit financially by the Commission.
I therefore also support the amendments which propose increasing the premium for animals in proportion to the reduction in the number of livestock units, so that the financial incentive to produce more is actually being taken away from farmers.
Abolishing the intervention ceiling, a purchase scheme to which the Member States contribute, will enable the Commission to exercise the highest possible level of influence on the market price. It keeps the costly safety net principle, which is funded 100% from the EU budget, at bay for the time being.
Unlike Mr Sturdy, I am in favour of storing, rather than destroying, the meat purchased. I would remind this Parliament of the foot and mouth resolution which it adopted in April and which urged that healthy animals should not be destroyed.
Agriculture is all about what we received from God in Creation. It transcends economic interests and is all about ethics and responsible stewardship."@en1
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