Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-06-18-Speech-3-440"
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"en.20080618.30.3-440"2
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".
It is well-known that sheep and goat farming is extremely important, particularly in less favoured and mountain areas, as it helps to keep people on the land, naturally upkeep less fertile areas, and preserve landscapes and sensitive ecosystems. It also helps to prevent forest fires, for example in my country.
Having said this, production in the European Union is not meeting demand and the number of animals is constantly decreasing. It is therefore essential to adopt measures that will help to improve producer incomes and increase the production of meat, milk, cheese and other products in order to encourage young farmers into the sector and to support family-based small and medium-sized holdings.
Urgent action is needed through a range of support measures, mainly financial, bearing in mind the high cost of production, the epizootics which frequently affect these animals and the paucity of technical support in various areas, particularly medical and veterinary support.
We must look at the huge gap between the low prices paid to producers by intermediaries and large supermarkets and the very high prices paid by the end consumer. This means that the Commission and Member States must give absolute priority to this problem of the transparency of prices in the sector.
However, in particular, we must encourage the formation of associations, guarantee a movement towards fair prices for meat, milk and cheese produced on a small scale and establish local markets, bringing producers and consumers closer together.
To stop the decline in sheep and goat meat production seen in the European Union since 2003 when the common agricultural policy was reformed and the Single Payment Scheme was introduced, with subsidies no longer being linked to production, the new review must change this situation by adopting the necessary measures. These must include extraordinary support for introducing the electronic identification system which, as has already been said, must only be voluntary, at least in this phase, so as not to overburden producers.
I must also stress the importance of guaranteeing an additional payment for producers of rare native, traditional and regional breeds of sheep and goats. This type of production must be increased in mountain and other specific areas in order to preserve biological diversity in agriculture and keep these animals in sensitive areas.
Finally, I want to reaffirm the need to support, through a range of measures, the production of traditional cheeses from the milk of these animals. We must keep alive the artisanal processes that have survived to date and that form part of our cultural heritage and we must guarantee that shepherds and other producers of meat and milk from sheep and goats have the option of continuing their cheese production and selling this directly to consumers at local markets.
I must thank the rapporteur for his report."@en1
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