EU Promotion Policy to be revised as environmental pressures increase
A herd of Hereford cows graze on farmland outside Clonakilty, Co Cork. Picture: David Creedon.
Because of the Farm to Fork strategy and rising environmental pressure, the EU Promotion Policy will be revised to enhance its contribution to sustainability while maintaining its strong support for EU agriculture and food product competitiveness.
The EU Promotion Policy was created to ensure the competitiveness of EU agricultural products as stated in Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 1144/2014.
The EU agri-food sectors believe that it is absolutely possible for the Promotion Policy to remain a key tool to ensure the competitiveness of the EU agricultural and food products while also further contributing to enhancing sustainability.
However, it should be stressed that the promotion policy is first and foremost an agri-food competitiveness policy.
In addition, if the EU is to ensure that this policy’s contribution to sustainability is optimised while remaining a strong tool for competitiveness, the following needs to be taken into account:
- No products or sectors should be excluded: all farm, food and drink products can be part of balanced diets and contribute to sustainability;
- Excluding specific sectors or products would discourage their producers who have already invested a lot in enhancing the sustainability of their production from going even further;
- All sustainable agricultural practices should be equally supported in order to maximise the Promotion Policy contribution to sustainability. There are many sustainable practices - organic farming is only one of them.
The future EU Promotion Policy deserves an adequate budget.
Given the strategic importance of this policy for the agri-food sector, it is absolutely necessary to ensure that enough funding is made available in this context, aligned with market realities and realistic growth prospects.
This is even more important in the COVID-19 and post-Brexit context that society finds itself in.
Third countries have understood the importance of such policies and are strongly investing in their own promotion policies.
“We hope that the Commission will include these essential elements in the revision of this crucial EU policy to ensure a strong EU agriculture for a more sustainable food system,” a spokesperson added.
“The EU Promotion Policy is an essential tool for the EU agri-food sector, particularly in the context of Brexit and the COVID-19 crisis.
“If it is adequately designed, it can truly support the sector to maintain its competitiveness in an increasingly globalised environment while supporting a shift to a more sustainable food system.
“To ensure this objective, it is crucial to leave no one behind and support producers’ efforts toward more sustainability in an extremely competitive environment.”
