Parliamentary question - P-2743/2009Parliamentary question
P-2743/2009

Promoting beef consumption in Poland

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2743/09
by Czesław Adam Siekierski (PPE‑DE)
to the Commission

On 28 November 2008, the Polish Association of Beef Producers (PSPBM) drew up an application for backing for its information campaign, entitled ‘Beef and the Quality Meat Programme: What's What….’ It was subsequently sent to the European Commission on 15 February 2009 (project number PP‑3601/W/08) and is currently being considered by the departments responsible.

If it is approved by the Commission, I sincerely believe that the campaign devised by the PSPBM will make a significant contribution to restoring consumer confidence in beef. We in Poland have, unfortunately, seen a steady fall in beef consumption, from 18kg per person during the 1980s to less than 4kg today. One of the reasons for the drop in consumption and falling consumer confidence is BSE.

The Quality Meat Programme is the system of quality assurance drawn up and implemented by the PSPBM. It aims to guarantee beef products of the highest quality by eliminating GMOs from the food chain, adhering strictly to laws on animal welfare and proper storage of meat and observing correct standards in livestock farming, feed production, animal transportation, slaughtering and deboning. Introducing the system would produce a wide range of benefits:

For producers, it would mean greater added value and access to modern, effective production methods;

For consumers, it would mean eating more beef as part of a balanced diet, with the consequent health benefits;

For the catering industry, it would mean a wider variety of ingredients, an economic boost and raw materials better suited to automated cooking techniques;

For people involved in the meat trade, it would mean product traceability, accurate indications of origin and increased sales;

For processors, it would mean greater added value, a stable market, better raw materials, improved competitiveness and regular production levels;

For the environment, it would mean better conservation of the rural landscape through the provision of greater financial incentives for extensive grazing and reduced greenhouse gas emissions through a lowering of the age at which cattle can be slaughtered;

For the animals, it would mean greater welfare and greater attention to their health;

For society at large, it would mean an alternative source of income for farmers.

Taking these arguments into account, when can the PSPBM expect a response to its application?

OJ C 189, 13/07/2010