Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-01-16-Speech-2-183"
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"en.20010116.10.2-183"2
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"Mr President, first of all, I should like to congratulate Mr Neil Parish on the fact that he has produced a report which is based on the farmers’ reality, the reality in rural areas, and not on the view from Brussels. This in itself constitutes a valuable contribution to agricultural policy.
But if we now examine the situation, we could ask ourselves whether there are any young people left out there who are mad enough to become farmers in the European Union. What we need is people who want to take up the challenge of producing an outstanding achievement, five-legged sheep as it were, but not obtained through genetic modification.
They seem to be fighting a losing battle, if we consider the adversities which young farmers face, as well as the achievements they are expected to deliver. To quote just one example – and I am just considering my own country for a moment – dairy farming is a sector where absolutely everything is being scrutinised, from the blade of grass right up to the moment that the milk hits the supermarkets. I cannot help drawing a comparison with arable farmers and horticulturalists who have been required to keep tabs on the implications of their actions on the environment and consumer front for a long time, and do so with great enthusiasm. At the same time, we have to say that in many European countries the requirements for animal welfare are among the world’s most stringent.
So whoever wants to become a farmer in Europe must outstrip their counterparts elsewhere in the world. They need to give the landscape and cultural conditions due consideration. They must apply the strictest consumer conditions, supply a wide range of products, both regionally and in terms of quality, make animal welfare a top priority and be responsible for the product, even once it has left the farm. This is what we call social enterprising as a top-level sport. It requires entrepreneurship, a love of nature and the environment, social orientation and perseverance. For this reason alone, it would be desirable if a specific policy were set up for young farmers which is focused on the future. Some of the focal points could include a premium scheme linked to quality, landscape and environmental protection, but also the introduction of an eco-tax in other economic sectors, not payable by the farmers but by the consumers, to finance those extra requirements which farmers need to fulfil, and to reinforce the market position of farmers and consumers.
What strikes me in the European Union’s competition policy as a whole, is that although it is enjoying a great deal of attention, in the food sector, for example, the consumers, the supermarkets that is, are gradually gaining a monopoly position, and that at the same time sales from farms, the small-scale dimension, are still fragmented. In that sense, it would be desirable if both Commissioners Monti and Bolkestein were more critical in their assessment of this area in terms of competition.
Mr President, nobody can survive for one day without food; it is life requirement number one. This requires motivated producers. This means that food does not just stand for market forces, but also for public health, landscape and nature. In short, if we realise this, then we will know that, in future, young farmers will need to be five-legged sheep, and in that sense, deserve more support, more political support than they are receiving at the moment."@en1
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