Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-17-Speech-5-035"
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"en.20000317.4.5-035"2
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"Mr President, I am participating in this discussion in order to support the report by my colleague, María Izquierdo, whose proposals, like those of the Commission, seem to me to be beneficial and of interest.
Here we are dealing with traditional crops farmed by people who devote themselves to these crops from generation to generation, and who have contributed to the formation of a large part of the countryside and cuisine of substantial regions of Europe, which still interest us and which we should maintain.
I am therefore asking for the support of Parliament for the Commission's proposals and the improvements which, by way of amendment, are contained in María Izquierdo's report.
Grain legumes are a traditional crop in certain areas of southern Europe, including Spain and, more specifically, Castilla-La Mancha, the region I come from, which contains one third of the total area dedicated to these crops in Spain.
Our concern is therefore to avoid damaging the aid system for this sector of agriculture and, more specifically, for the production of chickpeas, lentils and vetches.
Chickpeas and lentils are two essential products in Spanish gastronomic culture and in our diet, the Mediterranean diet, which is now so highly thought of by scientists, which includes dried pulses in our traditional recipes.
The purchase of dried pulses in Spain has been increasing by up to 5% annually. In my country, the consumption of these is 6.5 kg per head annually and anyone who knows how these products are cooked can vouch for the fact that this is a very substantial amount.
Religious customs, for example, mean that we do not eat meat during Lent and due to the wiliness and common sense of our compatriots, meat has been replaced by other dishes – delicious dishes, of course – such as our lentil and spinach stew.
We are talking about uses that have been consolidated throughout history and are now consumed throughout the year, including by non-believers and those who do not practise a religion, and that have left an almost infinitely varied series of main courses based on dried pulses, which undoubtedly increase the consumption figures.
Another sector which requires this type of product is livestock farming. At times like this, when we are seeing fraudulently-fattened livestock and the use of unauthorised products, it becomes essential for the market to provide reasonably-priced, good quality natural feedingstuffs, such as some of those that this regulation concerns, and specifically vetches.
Finally, we are talking about Community protection for a crop which last year, in my region, provided an honest living for around 17 000 families. Moreover, this is a sector in which, fortunately, there has not been a proliferation of bounty-hunters who move into agriculture in order to receive grants from the Union."@en1
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