Effective market instruments indispensable:
EU monitoring agency as solution for milk market after 2015
In Germany European dairy farmers present study of a new instrument for flexible supply management in the EU milk markets.
(Hamburg, 27 November 2013) The milk producers of the European Milk Board (EMB), the European umbrella organisation of dairy farmers’ associations in Europe, ended their two-day members’ meeting in Hamburg today. The major issue was the dairy farms’ income situation, which is as unsatisfactory as ever because milk prices still do not cover costs. A new academic study of the effectiveness of a monitoring agency in the European dairy sector was presented to specialists and the general public. Afterwards the expert opinion was submitted to the German federal government.
The new study was drawn up by BAR (Office for Agricultural and Regional Development) in Kassel and had previously been presented only in Brussels on 24 September at the European Commission’s major conference on the future of the EU dairy sector after 2015. According to this expert opinion, the monitoring agency could result in flexible adjustment of the volume of milk produced to demand, restoring the balance in the market and stabilising milk prices on an average cost-covering level. This would ensure sustainable milk production and supply throughout the EU.
At the Milk Conference in Brussels in September, the EU Commissioner for Agriculture Dacian Ciolos spontaneously announced the setting up of a monitoring agency for the EU milk markets. “With its proposal for a market monitoring agency, the European Commission has taken a big step towards the EMB’s position. If this monitoring agency is now furnished with the requisite powers in practice, this can only be of benefit to the German and European farmers. The feasibility has already been proven in theory by the new study on the monitoring agency”, said the President of the EMB, Romuald Schaber.
At this year’s Members Meeting the EMB milk producers reinforced their commitment to carry on championing the introduction of the general market conditions required. Only in this way could fair, cost-covering milk prices in the EU be achieved. In addition it was necessary to strengthen the pooling of the milk producers in order to achieve a market position on an equal footing with the processors.
Contacts:
EMB President Romuald Schaber (DE): +49 (0)160 3524703
EMB Vice President Sieta van Keimpema (EN, NL, DE): +31 (0)6 12168000
Member of the EMB Executive Committee Erwin Schöpges (DE, FR): +32 (0)497 904547
