Recovering Costs for Higher Welfare Standards
EU - At a major Conference held by the EU Commission and Danish Presidency yesterday to launch the new EU Animal Welfare Action Plan, Copa-Cogeca highlighted the need for farmers to be able to recover from the market their additional costs from having high EU animal welfare standards and to make consumers aware of this.Speaking at the conference, Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen insisted, "We
believe opportunities exist for a more market orientated animal welfare. But it is essential
for farmers to be able to recover their additional costs from the market. This requires
consumers being aware of their responsibilities and being willing to pay for additional
welfare measures. EU farmers knowledge and efforts to ensure a high level of animal
welfare must be recognized. More objective and effective communication is need to promote
the EU model of agriculture."
Per Olsen, Chairman of the EU animal health and welfare working party meanwhile
underlined the need for coherent EU policies which enable farms and businesses to remain
economically viable whilst responding effectively to consumers' needs and wishes together
with the new challenges such as growing demand for food, limited natural resources, the
effects of climate change, the emergence and spread of new diseases and free market
competition across EU Member States and non-EU countries. Copa-Cogeca calls on the EU
Commission to develop the new strategy on animal welfare in a broader and more coherent
EU policy framework which includes environmental, climate change, competition and trade
policies.