19 March 2010

2 minute read

The move came at a hearing of the High Level Expert Group set up by the EU Commission. Speaking at the hearing, Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen insisted “EU dairy farmers have to comply with some of the highest requirements in the world, such as good hygiene or environmental standards. By clearly distinguishing their products in the market place, they can reap the benefits of these stringent requirements”.

“Products must be clearly labelled to enable consumers to make informed choices about their purchases, thus bringing producers the added economic value for their produce. Current EU marketing standards and legislation designed to protect regional specialities from imitation products have also proved to be successful and must continue. EU actions to promote EU dairy products on the EU and world markets are also vital. The EU scheme which provides milk for school children is a traditional and effective promotion tool. It must carry on in the future and be further enhanced to encourage consumption. The scope of the scheme could be expanded to include more products and beneficiaries. For example, it could include milk which is used in daily meal preparation in school canteens”.

Henri Brichart, Chairman of Copa-Cogecas’ working party on milk and milk products, insisted “Research and innovation is also vital if the EU dairy sector is to remain competitive in the future. Further investment in this field is necessary. Measures which are available under EU rural development policy to stimulate innovation could be improved. A strong CAP, with a sufficiently large budget, is consequently essential if a vibrant EU dairy sector is to be maintained in the future”.

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