Ruud Tijssens said EU Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan needs to “work harder on boosting competiveness in the EU agri-food sector,” as this would lead to “more jobs and growth in rural areas”.

Tijssens hit out at the uncertainty surrounding EU legislation on genetically modified (GM) feed and added that more support was needed for research and innovation in the livestock sector, as well as tools to manage price volatility.

The FEFAC president also compared the European situation with that of the US, claiming that: “It is striking to see that less than 1% of the Common Agricultural Policy spending goes to insurance programmes.” This differs from America where “a much larger share of the US Farm Bill is devoted to such measures, helping US farmers to face market and weather turbulences”.

GM feed

Tijssens deemed European Commission proposals to allow EU member states to ban the use of GM food and feed as “bold and unworkable”.

He described the development as worrying and said his fears are backed up by the European Council, which expressed serious concerns over its compatibility with the rules of the World Trade Organisation.

Despite the majority of member states rejecting the plans, the president said that when put in a political context with the prospect of winning an election “this suddenly becomes debatable”.

“It is an easy soundbite for a politician to promise a non–GMO status and win votes,” Tijssens said. “It is much harder to deliver on this promise and remain competitive at a global level.”

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