The european commissioner Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Union, Janusz Wojciechowski, has once again come out in defense of the quality of Spanish meat, following statements by the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Alberto Garzón, in the English newspaper Guardian in which he questioned the quality of the meat produced by intensive farms. Wojciechowski, who had already made a similar statement earlier in the week in an interview with the EFE Agency, has reiterated that “as a commissioner and as a former food safety auditor of the European Union”, he can assure that “there is no reason at all to say that Spanish meat has less quality”. “It follows the same production standards as the rest of the food produced in the European Union,” he insisted.
The representative of the European Commission in matters of agriculture and livestock is in visit in Spain. This Thursday he visited the island of La Palma to see first-hand the volcano effect on agriculture, livestock and fishing, to whom he promised “all the possible resources of the EC to help recovery”, and this Friday he met with the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, and representatives of agricultural organizations and cooperatives . At the end of these meetings Wojciechowski and Planas addressed the press and the commissioner again defended the quality of Spanish meat, but also reiterated that there is a problem with the macro-farms and it extends to the entire European Union.
“The size of farms is a topic of discussion throughout the European Union. The CAP reform what it proposes is look for alternatives for this greater domain of large farms. What we do is support animal welfare, encourage organic farming, promote the use of permanent pastures, forms of encourage small farmers so that they do not have to resort to intensive farming”, explained Wojciechowski. “In Spain, the average number of livestock farms is 23 hectares, but most are smaller. Two thirds do not exceed 10 hectares and the 80% does not exceed 20 hectares. So we have to have the tools at our disposal so that the smaller farmers don’t have to disappear, like the redistributive payments“, has added.
Precisely, in this line they have been directed from the Coordinator of Organizations of Farmers and Ranchers (COAG), who has asked the Government and the European Union to put a brake “on the process of uberization of field and the implementation of macro-farms” that “threatens the social and professional model of agriculture and livestock, the majority in Europe, as indicated in a statement. “If the new model of business oligopolies is imposed, Spain is moving towards an agriculture without farmers & rdquor ;, has affirmed its general secretary, Miguel Padilla.
PP political campaign
For his part, Minister Luis Planas described the debate surrounding the quality of Spanish meat as a political campaign orchestrated by the Popular Party to win votes in the castile and leon elections. “I regret that some only talk about livestock and agriculture when there is an electoral campaign. The balance of the PP in livestock and agriculture is two photography poses, that is all the interest, and it contrasts with the more than 500 meetings that I have had as minister with the sector (…) Why create this controversy now? Because there are some regional elections Yet the PP address is interested in creating this conflict,” Planas assured.
Planas has recognized that He has not spoken with Minister Garzón after his statements in the British newspaper. “Neither he has called me, nor have I called him”, he said when asked about the communication between the two, but he also added that “the world does not turn on this issue” and has ruled out that these “inaccurate statements” have Dyed no negative effect on sales, as confirmed by the different Spanish commercial offices abroad. “What worries me most is the profound ignorance about the reality of this sector (…) but this controversy will pass in a few days and we will continue working for the future”, he added.