The European Commission (EC) will act “at the right time” in relation to pigmeat issues, including the introduction of the already-announced private storage scheme for the sector.
This is the pledge made by EC farm commissioner, Phil Hogan (pictured above), in his address in Paris today to the French Senate. In addition to outlining the actions being taken by the EC in support of farmers across all sectors, his conclusion on pigmeat was that there are still “many factors at play”.
“On the whole, the market for pigmeat remains under pressure, not least because of the Russian embargo,” he said. “I will come back to our reaction to the import ban by Russia, but as regards pigmeat we are willing to act in the market at the right time, with a new private storage scheme which will be extended for the first time to fresh lard.
“This will be an important intervention in the marketplace for the direct benefit of pigmeat producers.”
He went on to say, picking up on his commitment to address the subject of the Russian ban, that he was fully aware of the concerns in this matter, adding that he had shared such concerns “from the start”.
“This is why the Commission moved with speed and authority in 2014 to support European farmers in the wake of the Russia ban, including fruit, vegetable, dairy and pigmeat producers, and opted to renew these measures in August of this year,” he said.
“I am also committed to opening other third country markets, and will personally lead trade missions to that effect in the coming months.
“I am a market-orientated commissioner for agriculture, acting in line with the policy agreed and the legislation approved in 2013 by the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. So please rest assured that I am using all instruments at our disposal to counter the effects of such an unjustified and politically motivated measure.”