Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-02-13-Speech-1-107"
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"en.20060213.11.1-107"2
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"Mr President, animal welfare is undoubtedly a noble cause; we subscribe to it and we also pay tribute to the work of the rapporteur, Mr Berman. I will simply add that the farmers’ welfare is also a noble cause and, in our view, a high-priority cause. This sector is already seriously threatened by non-European competition. I heard one of my fellow Members say a short while ago that there had been no farm closures, but that is incorrect because this is already a widespread phenomenon across the European territory. I will simply mention my own region – Brittany – which represents 35% of the French production of broiler chickens and which, above all, accounts for 18 000 jobs, 11 000 of which are in the agricultural and food industries. This is a region in which farms are currently being closed.
Clearly, if the current – and already very serious – distortions of competition increase, then we will witness a massive influx of products from third countries, coupled with a fall in our exports. Of course, it is all very well being told ‘produce high-quality goods’, but we know that adapting and restructuring are very risky, and in any case require a great deal of time.
A great deal of work has been done on this matter, but there are nevertheless some real shortcomings in the justifications of this text. I will mention the thresholds, which seem to give rise to a virtue contest, with the thresholds being set at the lowest levels possible; next, the assessment indicators of the ‘breeding contests’; and lastly, and above all, the impact study of the repercussions in terms of the elimination of farms and jobs in the sector.
To conclude, I should like to pose a question to Commissioner Kiprianou. Commissioner, in the current context of the threat of avian influenza, which is approaching Europe, or even already in Europe, how should one go about tackling the paradox between, on the one hand, high European standards in respect of animal welfare and, on the other, the necessary national measures for keeping poultry indoors? We should be grateful to receive your reply."@en1
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