Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-09-06-Speech-1-088"
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"en.20100906.17.1-088"2
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"This report gives emphasis to a matter that is of great importance in the area of agriculture, which requires intervention coordinated at European level given that, from 1996 to the present day, the average price of food products has increased by 3.3% per annum, with the cost of agricultural products increasing by 3.6% and the prices paid to farmers increasing by only 2.1%. We are therefore faced with a situation of serious imbalances in bargaining power in the food distribution chain, which urgently needs correcting.
In accordance with the objectives set out by the common agricultural policy, farmers and the agri-food sector observe very exacting quality standards and maintain prices accessible to consumers when producing foodstuffs. Nevertheless, a very small number of powerful retailers impose their prices on 13.4 million farmers and 310 000 agro-industry companies throughout the European Union, almost without negotiation.
In this context, I advocate asking the European Commission to present legislative proposals to solve the problem, including changes to the European competition rules, that go further than the mere recommendations and strategies drawn up by the high-level group on the food distribution chain; to organise a huge information campaign for farmers across Europe about their rights; to ban abusive practices that are being felt especially in the sector of rapidly perishable products such as fruit and vegetables; and to promote support for farmers’ organisations so that they have greater critical mass and are better able to negotiate.
It would be useful to bracket farmers’ organisations and cooperatives with small and medium-sized enterprises so that they are able to benefit from special exemptions.
We recognise that the balance between full respect for the rules of free competition in a market economy that we advocate and the urgently required intervention that is being demanded from the European Commission has not always been easy, but we believe that it has generally been achieved, which is why we approve of and welcome this report."@en1
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