Charles Bourns: EU poultry sector in turmoil

The poultry sector, as the rest of the economy, is going through difficult times facing the aftermath of the Covid pandemic. This crisis was not caused by European agriculture, but it is ourresponsibility to maintain the investments already made and ensure our capacity to keep on following the EU standards of production.

Sun, 07 Jun, 2020 - 20:58

The poultry sector, as the rest of the economy, is going through difficult times facing the aftermath of the Covid pandemic. This crisis was not caused by European agriculture, but it is our responsibility to maintain the investments already made and ensure our capacity to keep on following the EU standards of production.

When it comes to poultry, most people simply don’t know that our sector is a traditionally free-market segment that always functioned under the most competitive terms: we are covered by EU CMO (common organisation of the markets) rules, but we never benefit from any aid coming from the EU. Therefore, we are a sector that has been capable — until now—of adapting to societal demands and scientific/technical developments whether we are speaking about animal health, welfare, or environmental issues.