EDA disappointed in European Parliament vote
“From a European dairy perspective, the report of MEP Herbert Dorfmann, presented in February 2018 was extremely well-balanced,” EDA’s secretary general Alexander Anton said.
“We see the value and the need of having the integrity of the common regulatory framework for the operation of markets throughout the EU protected.”
Concern over amendments
The EDA said the integrity of the European single market is central to the prosperity of the EU dairy industry. EU competition law, which is an important part of the legal framework for the EU market, must be protected, it added.
Amendments voted Wednesday, such as value-sharing mechanisms and milk reduction programs, would effectively change the policy context in which the EU dairy sector operates. Such changes will only slow down the adaptation of the sector, which is facing increasing competition from producers outside Europe, the EDA argued.
It said it would also jeopardize several CAP objectives of increasing productivity and competitiveness.
“We see other amendments relating to the Milk Market Observatory which could be counter-productive,” Anton added.
“This Observatory is seen today as an important body for the dairy sector, informing all stakeholders of the current dairy market situation. Furthering its role would go against its objective of an informative body and would only bring confusion to stakeholders.”
