Farming News - Copa-Cogeca urges farm ministers to support second E.Coli compensation package
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Copa-Cogeca urges farm ministers to support second E.Coli compensation package
29 June 2011
Ahead of the EU Farm Ministers meeting, EU farmers’ federation Copa-Cogeca has urged Ministers to agree on a second package of measures to support EU fruit and vegetable producers and cooperatives hit by the ecoli crisis, warning losses are insurmountable and major action is required. A letter has also been sent to EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos calling for further aid.
In the letter, Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen stressed that producers and agricooperatives have not only been hit by a huge drop in prices and sales of this produce, with losses reaching 400 million euros per week, but the entire image of the sector has been tarnished. This will take months to recover. The organisation said much of the damage was caused as a result of Germany communicating unconfirmed analysis results, claiming Spanish cucumbers were the source of the outbreak, which turned out to be completely wrong and had dramatic repercussions for Spanish producers.
Copa-Cogeca claims the conditions for lifting the Russian embargo on EU vegetable exports, which includes putting in place a certification system based on national monitoring programmes, will also raise costs considerably for operators. Pesonen said the conditions are “totally unacceptable” given that the type of products exported to Russia were not infected in the first place and called for a second course of exceptional temporary support measures, on top of the rescue package worth 210 million euros, with additional funds to help the sector recover and to ensure producers are 100% compensated for their losses. In a statement, he said, “If other products have been affected outside the ones identified in the rescue package and producers can prove this, they should also be compensated.”
Mr Pesonen stressed the need for quick and decisive action, “Copa-Cogeca is calling for promotional measures to be activated immediately, before autumn, as it is currently the height of the season for fruit and vegetables and it is vital to act now to restore consumer confidence. If the EU does not act now, losses will be devastating, causing more growers to go out of business.”
29 June 2011
Ahead of the EU Farm Ministers meeting, EU farmers’ federation Copa-Cogeca has urged Ministers to agree on a second package of measures to support EU fruit and vegetable producers and cooperatives hit by the ecoli crisis, warning losses are insurmountable and major action is required. A letter has also been sent to EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos calling for further aid.
In the letter, Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen stressed that producers and agricooperatives have not only been hit by a huge drop in prices and sales of this produce, with losses reaching 400 million euros per week, but the entire image of the sector has been tarnished. This will take months to recover. The organisation said much of the damage was caused as a result of Germany communicating unconfirmed analysis results, claiming Spanish cucumbers were the source of the outbreak, which turned out to be completely wrong and had dramatic repercussions for Spanish producers.
Copa-Cogeca claims the conditions for lifting the Russian embargo on EU vegetable exports, which includes putting in place a certification system based on national monitoring programmes, will also raise costs considerably for operators. Pesonen said the conditions are “totally unacceptable” given that the type of products exported to Russia were not infected in the first place and called for a second course of exceptional temporary support measures, on top of the rescue package worth 210 million euros, with additional funds to help the sector recover and to ensure producers are 100% compensated for their losses. In a statement, he said, “If other products have been affected outside the ones identified in the rescue package and producers can prove this, they should also be compensated.”
Mr Pesonen stressed the need for quick and decisive action, “Copa-Cogeca is calling for promotional measures to be activated immediately, before autumn, as it is currently the height of the season for fruit and vegetables and it is vital to act now to restore consumer confidence. If the EU does not act now, losses will be devastating, causing more growers to go out of business.”
Copa-Cogeca urges farm ministers to support second E.Coli compensation package