The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development adopted the report by Eric ANDRIEU (ALDE, FR) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products, (EU) No 1151/2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs, (EU) No 251/2014 on the definition, description, presentation, labelling and the protection of geographical indications of aromatised wine products, (EU) No 228/2013 laying down specific measures for agriculture in the outermost regions of the Union and (EU) No 229/2013 laying down specific measures for agriculture in favour of the smaller Aegean islands.
The committee recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission's proposal as follows.
Scope
This Regulation shall define the public standards, market transparency rules and crisis management tools that will allow public authorities, in particular the Commission, to ensure the surveillance, management and regulation of agricultural markets.
Specific objectives
The common organisation of the markets in agricultural products shall contribute to the achievement of the following specific objectives:
- participate in the stabilisation of agricultural markets and enhance their transparency;
- promote the proper functioning of the agri-food supply chain and ensure a fair income for agricultural producers;
- improve the position of producers in the value chain and promote the concentration of agricultural supply;
- contribute to the improvement of economic conditions for the production and marketing of agricultural products and strengthen the quality of European agricultural production.
Extending supply management and volume reduction scheme to all sectors
The current scheme, which grants aid to dairy farmers who voluntarily produce less in times of severe market imbalances in an effort to stabilise prices, should be extended to all sectors. If the situation does not improve, the Commission shall be tasked with imposing a levy on all producers who increase their deliveries.
Members also propose extending current rules, which allow time-limited regulation of supply of geographically protected cheeses, hams and wines, to all other products that benefit from protected geographical indication (PGI) or protected designation of origin (PDO).
More specifically, the list of products that can be protected as PDO or PGI shall be expanded with products that are finding an increasing demand from Union consumers, such as beeswax, which is finding an ever wider application in the food and cosmetics industry.
EU Observatory of agricultural markets
In order to improve transparency within the agri-food supply chain, to illuminate the choices of economic operators and all public authorities and to facilitate the identification and recording of market developments, the Commission shall establish an EU observatory of agricultural markets.
It shall cover, as a minimum, the following agricultural sectors: (i) cereals; (ii) sugar, sugar beet and sugar cane; (iii) olive oil; (iv) fruit and vegetables; (v) wine; (vi) milk and milk products; (vii) beef and veal; (viii) pigmeat; (ix) sheepmeat and goatmeat; (x) poultrymeat.
The Observatory shall collect statistical data on production, supply, prices, profits, imports and exports, and issue early market disturbance warnings.
Early warning mechanism for market disturbances and alert thresholds
The Observatory shall set up an early warning mechanism and alert thresholds and shall notify the European Parliament and the Council where the relevant alert threshold is exceeded, of threats of market disturbances caused, in particular, by significant price rises or falls on internal or external markets or by other events or circumstances having similar effects.
Members also want to widen the market safety net by allowing public intervention (a market management tool used when prices drop beyond a certain level) for new products, such as white sugar, sheep meat, pig meat and chicken.
Vine planting
The scheme of authorisations for vine plantings established in this Chapter shall apply from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2050, with a review to be undertaken by the Commission every ten years and for the first time on 1 January 2023 to evaluate the operation of the scheme and, if appropriate, make proposals to improve its effectiveness.