07.07.2010

Press invitation: Great rally „For the Freedom of Farmers“

 

Milk producers from many European countries demonstrating outside the Council of the European Union building in Brussels on 12 July.

 

Dear Media Representative,

we have to break  the chains. Tightening them even further is no solution. Current plans to reform the dairy market, which will be discussed by the European Council of Ministers of Agriculture on 12 July, however, will leave milk producers gasping for breath. „That is why milk producers from many European countries will be demonstrating for their freedom outside the EU-Council building when the European Ministers of Agriculture meet in Brussels.“ says Romuald Schaber, president of the European Milk Board (EMB).  EMB has, in co-operation with the European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC), called for a demonstration. Furthermore representatives of development aid and environmental organisations supporting the cause of milk producers are expected to participate.

Dear Media Representative, we would like to invite you to the European milk producers’ rally  at 12am on 12 July at the Schuman Roundabout in Brussels.

Fitting outfits – strong symbolic acts

Producers are enslaved by the economic conditions. Milk producers from EMB and ECVC member states like France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Luxemburg, Belgium and Austria will paint a clear picture of the conditions on the dairy market with fitting outfits and symbolic acts and will thus demonstrate against the recommendations of the EU High Level Group on Milk (HLGM). The current unfair relations between producers and dairies and retail trade respectively would not be improved by these proposals, but exarberated instead.  

„If the HLGM’s current reform plans are implemented, milk producers will become prisoners of the dairies. HLGH proposals such as contractualisation are not suitable to improve the situation of milk producers. The contrary is the case, they worsen the situation even further” says Romuald Schaber emphasising that protests are necessary. „There are other proposals for solutions that would ensure a fair milk production for producers and consumers worldwide. EMB has presented EU policy-makers with such a concept. These proposals have to be taken into account for a reform of the milk market. We will make this clear on 12 July in Brussels” continues Schaber.

Contacts:

Romuald Schaber (DE):              0049/1603524703

Sieta van Keimpema (EN / NL): 0031/612168000

Willem Smeenk (FR / NL / DE): 0033/686436156

 

Background

EMB and ECVC represent well over 100,000 milk producers in Europe. In 2009 European milk producers protested ardently for fair conditions in the milk market and this subsequently led to the EU Commission setting up the High Level Group on Milk (HLGM) by the. The HLGM was supposed to assess measures to weather the crisis in the milk market. The final report of the HLGM was published on 15 June  2010 and contains no tangible proposals that would improve the tense situation on the dairy market.