MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on supporting the Italian dairy industry
24.6.2016
Mara Bizzotto
B8-0931/2016
Motion for a European Parliament resolution on supporting the Italian dairy industry
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Rule 133 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas Unimpresa Agricoltura recently confirmed that the very serious crisis in the Italian dairy industry, along with the unwarranted difference between the cost of milk production (40 cents per litre) and the amount producers receive from large industries (less than 30 cents per litre), has caused milk producers to slip into serious debt;
B. whereas in 2015, the Italian dairy industry lost 10 000 jobs on farms and another 7 000 in satellite industries (e.g. agricultural machinery, systems, construction of animal sheds, the animal feed sector), and that the number of animal sheds dropped from 200 000 in 1990 to 40 000 in 2015, i.e. by over 80%;
C. whereas farms need at least 10 years to consolidate production, meaning that any closures cause significant damage to the entire sector, and that the current crisis is posing a serious threat to one of the key sectors in Italian and European quality production;
Calls on the Commission to:
1. Set up a permanent round table between institutions, producers and representatives of the dairy industry to ensure that the requests of farmers are taken into account;
2. Allocate special funding to support the Italian dairy industry.