Meeting ahead of today’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council, progressives discussed the issues faced by European farmers coping with high production input costs and citizens coping with high food prices.
Chairing the PES ministerial meeting, Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Rasmus Prehn, said:
“With inflation rising due to the war in Ukraine, the main concern for many people remains affordability. This situation concerns farmers’ ability to purchase fertilisers, feed and to pay their energy bills, while food affordability is becoming a growing issue for our citizens, in particular low-income households.
“Ensuring that the most vulnerable people are protected and that food of good quality is affordable for all citizens is a priority for socialists and democrats. We have to support our farmers while not undermining the long-term objectives of creating a more resilient and sustainable food system.
“In the long-run, it is clear that food security and food sustainability go hand in hand.”
The Ministers also discuss the revision of the regulation on geographical indications, an initiative planned under one of the Green Deal flagship initiatives, the Farm to Fork Strategy.
Concerning the Commission report on the application of EU health and environmental standards on imported agricultural and agri-food products, Ministers also reflected on the importance of a global approach to tackling issues such as animal health and welfare, climate change, biodiversity loss and antimicrobial resistance, emphasising that new EU measures should be in full compliance with the WTO-rules.
The meeting was attended by:
- Rasmus Prehn, Chair, Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Denmark
- Ivan Ivanov, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Bulgaria
- Claude Haagen, Minister of Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development, Luxembourg
- Maria do Ceu Antunes, Minister of Agriculture and Food, Portugal
- Luis Planas Puchades, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Spain
