Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-02-10-Speech-2-147"
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"en.20040210.7.2-147"2
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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to start by warmly thanking Mr Graefe zu Baringdorf for this report and also thanking the Members of your House for the initiative they have taken. The Commission welcomes this report, which we see as a good basis on which to prepare the Seventh Framework Programme for research and technological development, and as something of which it can make use.
As you are aware, the decoupled payments under the new common agricultural policy will enable farmers not only to become more competitive, but also to respond better to the market’s requirements. This is where research can also make an essential contribution to improvement, by helping to develop more efficient production processes, by means of diversification and by introducing new and competitive crops. It can also help enable farmers to fulfil the demands of what we term cross-compliance, and, above all, to provide a sound scientific basis for our understanding of good agricultural and environmental practice, that is, of what is meant by a healthy condition.
What the regions want and need is set out in the rural development programmes, in which local stakeholders, civil society and the scientific community must also be involved. That was one of the conclusions reached at last year’s conference in Salzburg.
Let me now briefly address some of the statements and recommendations made in the report. Although it is quite clear that the sustainability of agriculture must be one of the priorities of research policy, the content of the Sixth Framework Programme has already largely been laid down, and only minor changes can be made to the annual work programmes, so we have to devote a great deal of attention to preparations for the Seventh Framework Programme.
The Commission gives priority to research into alternative production methods and sources of income in rural areas, as well as to the endeavour to get away from the piecemeal approach in favour of research into the whole chain – in a sense, from the farm to the table. Issues of the safety and quality of food continue to play a very special part in this. It is also important that the public be involved in debates about research, and that the results should be evaluated. These considerations prompted the organisation of the conference ‘Science at the service of society’ on
14 and 15 October 2002, and a second conference on this subject will be held in February 2005.
Research into improved marker vaccines must be extended to include other diseases on list A, although budget limits must of course be adhered to. The same applies to research into medicines for minor species and into plant protection products for plants that are not widely cultivated. In both these areas there is the ever-worsening problem of dwindling interest on the part of private-sector researchers, it being apparent that profits will not be as high as they would be if large quantities of medicines or plant protection products were involved. This, I believe, is where the public sector has a contribution to make. I also share the view that social and environmental research into sustainable development in rural areas has to be stepped up, and that there is a particular need for research that is capable of supporting women in their roles in rural development – something that Mr Graefe zu Baringdorf mentioned earlier.
Although the subsidiarity principle must not be lost sight of, I do share the view that ‘on-farm’ research needs to be encouraged, with the accent on suitable farming methods and diversification. Prioritised under the heading of ‘Scientific Support to Policies’, research is already being done into the utilisation of agricultural raw materials. As its predecessors did, the current Framework Programme funds projects in the field of environmentally-friendly cultivation and related to low-cost farming methods, although it must be remembered in this context that, particularly when we are in the middle of a WTO negotiating round, there is also a need to produce research material relevant to international issues and, in particular, also to issues relating to developing countries.
I would not wish to conclude this speech without mentioning the fact that we must not simply ignore research into biotechnology, for it is another area in which we can expect results of potential use to us in the agricultural sphere, provided that sufficiently intensive research is carried out.
Overall, the Commission acknowledges the importance of Parliament’s report and also the need for a communication on the future direction, structure and promotion of agricultural research in Europe, which it will also produce."@en1
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