Coalition of Agriculture Groups Tells EU Ministers Regulations Must Be Smarter
12 May 2014 
A group of 11 agricultural organizations presented their joint vision, Food for Thought, to EU Ministers on may 6.
A coalition of 11 European organizations representing the food and agriculture industry announced their joint vision for EU policy recommendations in Athens, Greece at meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers.
In their presentation entitled “Food for Thought, A Vision for Unlocking the Potential of Agriculture and the Food Industry in the EU,” the coalition outlined the five key challenges the agri-food sector is facing. These include providing food security, ensuring food safety, creating jobs and economic growth, safeguarding the environment and future sustainability.
The joint vision recommends that legislators take a three-pronged approach to regulation that emphasizes fostering innovation, sustainability, and better and smarter policy-making. It calls for better enforcement of intellectual property rights, the establishment of a unit specifically devoted to agriculture productivity, resource-efficiency and competitiveness and the establishment of an official Food Knowledge and Innovation Community.
The group noted that changes in policymaking will be more important than ever with European Parliamentary elections being held at the end of the month and a new European Commission taking office later in 2014.
Contributors to Food for Thought were representatives from the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA), FoodDrinkEurope, the International Federation of Animal Health Europe (IFAH-Europe), Fertilisers Europe, the European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC), the European Seed Association (ESA), the European Association for Bio-Industries (EuropaBio), Copa-Cogeca, the European Liaison Committee for Agricultural and Agri-Food Trade (CELCAA), COCERAL and CEMA.
See the June issue of Farm Chemicals International to learn about European crop protection regulatory developments and ECPA’s new Director General Jean-Charles Bocquet.
Get The Newsletter Today!
