Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-10-05-Speech-2-055"

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"en.19991005.3.2-055"2
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"Madam President, Mr President of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, eating and drinking have a high status in the lifestyles of Europeans. The clear trend is for consumers to desire and demand high-quality food. It is essential that our farmers should produce fresh and natural food. European food must correspond to the demands which consumers are increasingly placing on it, and quite rightly too. Consumers want food which is safe and healthy and which has been produced and processed in ways that are friendly to the environment and to animals. In the end, health is important to all of us, ladies and gentlemen. I should like to point out here that over recent years, indeed decades, Austria has pursued another path in agricultural policy. I must say that it has proved worthwhile. Over 10% of farmers in Austria, in other words 20,000 businesses, engage in organic farming. In view of increasing competition and further concentration in the market, the future of the foodstuffs industry lies in the specific promotion and development of quality products and services. That is one reason why we cannot, and should not, afford scandals such as the BSE and dioxin affairs, irrespective of whether they were triggered by carelessness, avarice or whatever. The image of us all, of farmers and producers, is damaged by such events, and this has consequences. Not only does it lead to uncertainty for the European consumer, but it also damages our foreign trade. The strength of Europe and that of European agriculture lie in their good reputation. I would therefore vigorously urge us to go in more for trademarks and symbols of quality. With our guaranteed production methods, we can really only win. I would also urge that Europe should not fence off or close its markets, but pursue purposeful agricultural and food policies which are in keeping with the conditions and also the needs to be found in Europe. The European model for agriculture, as decided at the European Summit in Berlin, must be given priority in the WTO negotiations. I would also call for it to be at last stipulated that all feedingstuffs should be labelled. We as farmers can only produce high-quality products if we can also be certain that the animal feed we also have to buy is also in order. Labelling is one way to achieve that goal. For the consumer, however, this means that quality has its price and that food, including meat, should not be used, as it has been to date, as a lure in supermarkets."@en1
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