Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-07-09-Speech-3-466"
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"en.20080709.37.3-466"2
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"If you look at the proposal on the Health Check, it actually contains a number of actions to the benefit of the sheep and goat sector. First of all, we clearly state that it will be possible to maintain a coupled payment for the sheep sector because we are aware of the fact that it is a vulnerable sector. It is desperately important that we maintain some production in those regions where, if sheep production disappears, probably nothing will be left, so a coupled payment could be a solution.
I have to say, regarding the new Article 68, that it is a voluntary possibility for Member States to use and to top-slice up to 10% of the direct payment, and then, according to the decisions by the Member States, to transfer some of that money into the sheep or goat sector. The possibility of coupling the payment is valid both for suckler cows and for sheep and goats.
I am not sure if I understood the next question completely, but if you look at the budget – the overall budget for agriculture agreed by Heads of State in 2002 – this budget was fixed but adjusted with an inflation rate of just 1%. The honourable Member is right that we have an inflation rate higher than 1%, especially these days when we have high oil prices and high food prices so, yes, you can say the value of the entitlements is not completely following the value of other products. But this was a decision that was taken by the Heads of State, and therefore the present situation, especially in some sectors where we see an increase in prices diverging from what we have seen throughout the last 30 years, namely that prices are now starting to increase, is a sound signal for those that are going to make a living out of it.
I would say to Mr Gklavakis that we have had lots of discussions, and I always enjoy discussing this with him. I think he can go back to his constituency saying that he is fighting like a lion to maintain the coupled payment.
Tobacco production is not sustainable in all areas, but I think that, with the earmarked rural development money for the tobacco sector, it can also mean that those that want to maintain or to stay in business can modernise their tobacco production and maybe at the end of the day have a tobacco production that can be economically viable, because the quality of the tobacco will increase. I think that you have to face reality – the fact that this is not going to be re-opened – and then try to find the best possible solutions."@en1
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