Towards an ambitious European policy for agricultural quality schemes

NAT-V/011
Adopted

Towards an ambitious European policy for agricultural quality schemes

 Adoption: 12/05/2011
 Theme: Agriculture, Maritime and Consumer policies
Commission: Commission for Natural Resources (NAT-V)
To call for quality policy to be one of the key strands of the CAP after 2013 by proposing new tools to strengthen, promote and support the development of quality schemes.
Le 6 décembre 2013, la commission a publié son rapport au parlement européen et au conseil sur l’opportunité d’établir un système d’étiquetage applicable à l’agriculture locale et à la vente directe qui mentionne les recommandations formulées par le Comité des Régions . Dans son rapport, la Commission a fourni des éléments factuels en vue de faciliter le débat devant déterminer s’il convient de créer une nouvelle étiquette européenne et portant également sur les questions plus vastes de l’agriculture locale et de la vente directe. L’acte délégué de la Commission européenne, publié en décembre 2013 et en cours de discussion, conforte la reconnaissance aux produits de montagne et apporte des précisions quant à la mise œuvre du règlement relatif aux systèmes de qualité applicables aux produits agricoles . Concernant la possibilité des gestions des volumes, les conclusions de la conférence "The EU Dairy sector: Developing beyond 2015'" mentionnent certaines pistes à explorer et notamment les mesures de régulations obligatoires de la production en cas de crise. Ces conclusions ont été transmises au Conseil et au Parlement et seront une contribution importante au rapport sur le marché laitier et le fonctionnement du paquet lait que la Commission devra soumettre au Parlement et au conseil avant juin 2014.
THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS - considers that the quality of the EU's agricultural products is one of the main added values of the CAP and one of the EU's key assets on international markets; considers, therefore, that quality policy must form one of the key strands of the CAP after 2013 and calls for the appropriate tools under the future CAP to consolidate, promote and support the development of quality schemes; - believes that it is essential to maintain a balanced distribution of economic activity throughout the European Union by means of differentiated development models; the least favoured rural areas can maintain agricultural production through differentiation on the markets, making use of existing quality schemes, which must be strengthened and developed; this differentiated approach on agricultural markets is particularly relevant for mountain products and for local products likely to be promoted under low-food-mile systems; - considers that the protection of the term 'Products of mountain farming' would make a lasting contribution to economic development, land-use planning and environmental protection; - stresses that the development of local food systems requires the creation of a distinctive European sign and the development of tools under the second pillar of the CAP in order to encourage producers to adopt this approach and therefore calls on the Commission to make proposals to complement the regulation regarding the Union's policy on the quality of agricultural products in this regard; - believes that the economic success and sustainability of agricultural products promoted under specific quality schemes is inextricably linked to supply management; - recommends, in line with its previously-adopted opinions, that GMOs be excluded from the specifications for official quality signs; - calls for the international protection of geographical indications to be consolidated.
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