Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-25-Speech-3-469"
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"en.20091125.28.3-469"2
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"Madam President, when it comes to the issue of meat imports, we in Europe must nail down the principles which form our policy on this, and have a strong but fair system of regulation.
Those principles must be based on consumer safety and trust, protection of the environment and – vitally – a fair playing field for producers of meat. Currently, the system is operating in a way that is blatantly unfair for both farmers and consumers. We are forcing our farmers to go through a range of time-consuming and costly practices, only to allow them to be undercut by meat products from outside the EU, with Brazil being a prime example. There is huge evidence from the FVO in relation to this.
This situation is simply unsustainable. Farm practices in Brazil are, in many cases, simply not up to the standard that is known and acceptable to European consumers. If we are not careful, the incentive to produce high-quality, safe meat will disappear because we are allowing inferior quality products to undermine prices and farmers’ incomes. Also, naturally, owing to the way the food chain is integrated, once you have meat in the system it will disperse across a wide range of products and become untraceable. How is that fair to consumers in Europe?
Beef producers across Europe are getting it in the neck, and the situation cannot last for them or consumers. There is no faith that the new measures implemented recently are actually being taken stock of. There are many examples of claims of cattle being produced and put through farms that are approved, when they do not actually originate from those farms.
Commissioner, I am not advocating protectionism in any way, but it is time to act. We cannot stand idly by and let this practice continue. It is simply unfair. It is unfair for European consumers and it is unfair for producers in Europe, who are having to take on practices which, at the same time, are not being accepted, and are not practised, by producers in Brazil."@en1
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