Acta literal de los debates

Lunes 6 de julio de 2015 - Estrasburgo

14. Revisión de la aplicación del «Paquete lácteo» (debate)

  Przewodniczący. – Kolejnym punktem porządku dnia jest sprawozdanie z inicjatywy własnej sporządzone przez Jamesa Nicholsona w imieniu Komisji Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi w sprawie perspektyw przemysłu mleczarskiego UE – przegląd wdrożenia pakietu mlecznego (2014/2146(INI) – A8-0187/2015).

  James Nicholson, rapporteur.– Mr President, I would like to begin by thanking my shadow rapporteurs for their constructive input throughout this whole process. They say that a week is a long time in politics, but certainly I have to say that a year has been an extremely long time for dairy farmers over this last 12 months.

Since last year, global supply has continued to outstrip global demand. We have seen the Chinese pull back from the market; we have seen the Russian embargo, and we have seen prices continue to tumble. We need only look at last week’s global dairy trade auction to see that volatility is wreaking havoc in the dairy market. The auction’s 5.9% decrease is the eighth decrease in a row and marked the lowest average price since 2009. Fact. The continuing fall in prices can no longer be dismissed as a blip. All the indications point to a dairy sector in crisis.

I have repeatedly said that the Commission has failed to recognise the scale of the problem, despite assurances that were given in 2009. Commissioner Hogan may finally be starting to grasp it. In a recent interview on the BBC, he said he hoped the second half of 2015 would produce some evidence that we are coming out of this crisis. So I hope he will address that tonight and admit that there is a crisis in the industry. I hope that this is a long overdue recognition of what dairy farmers have been saying for some time. Is the Commissioner prepared to clarify his remarks and acknowledge that the sector is in crisis? In any case, Rabobank’s most recent report has made the Commissioner’s prediction look very optimistic, forecasting a recovery in the first half of 2016 at the earliest.

Commissioner, dairy farmers cannot wait that long. Dairy farmers cannot wait until next year to see things turn. The Commission must act now. One measure that could make a real difference to dairy farmers in the short term would be a review of the current market intervention threshold. My report calls for a realistic safety net that accurately reflects production costs and market prices.

In my own constituency, processers are paying an average base price of 20 pence per litre, with the average cost of production in Northern Ireland around 26.5 pence per litre. It does not match up. With the intervention rate so low, prices have fallen below the cost of production, and that is not unique to my area alone. We need to put a flow in the market to ensure no further decline arises.

Another short-term major sector is the Russian ban. Mr Putin has now extended that embargo for another year in response to the latest round of EU sanctions. The onus is on the Commission to stand behind dairy farmers who continue to suffer the consequences of political decisions beyond their control. The Russian ban has emphasised the pitfalls in relying too heavily on one trading partner. Diversifying export markets is crucially important to the countries like my own, and we need to ensure that we diversify the markets and expand the markets that are already there.

The Commission has made good progress in sourcing new outlets for our own quality European produce, but there is always scope to improve that. We also cannot ignore the longer-term challenges in the dairy sector. We need to look at imbalances in the supply chain between producer, processor and retailer, as well as own—brand labelling and the use of liquid milk as a loss leader by large supermarkets. We need to look at the possibilities of futures-market and fixed-term contracts, as more predictability would allow producers more flexibility. While these are major issues, I believe the single greatest challenge facing the dairy sector is volatility. Unfortunately, it is here to stay.

  Phil Hogan, Member of the Commission.– Mr President, I am very pleased to have the opportunity to participate in this evening’s debate. I welcome the fact that this is a full debate which reflects the importance of the European milk sector. It is a critical element of the EU agricultural sector, which is in itself a key driver of jobs and growth, contributing significantly to the Commission’s jobs and growth agenda.

I want to convey my particular thanks to the rapporteur, Mr Nicholson, who has used his long experience in the sector to draft a report that is a very useful contribution to the debate that has surrounded the long-awaited and historic expiry of milk quotas just three months ago. But as he has said, this particular issue is not confined to that period of time. I read the report with interest, and I share most of the report’s assessment of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead of the sector.

Before commenting on some of the specifics of the report, I would like to say something about the current market situation. Perhaps not surprisingly, maybe even inevitably, there has been some price volatility following the end of quotas. This volatility, which has been contributed to by a global oversupply of milk, has led to downward pressure on milk prices, with the effects being felt most acutely in some Member States more than others.

The EU average price in May was 30.48 cents per kilo. In absolute terms, and if applied consistently across the EU, this would represent a reasonable return for most farmers. However, I acknowledge that the variation in prices paid to farmers in different Member States can be quite significant. I am concerned about these developments, and I therefore instructed my services to assess the market situation more closely in terms of the Member States that have a very low price presently.

In the Union, in 2014, we produced 4.5% more milk than in the previous year, while the other main world suppliers increased their output in the area of 2%. In 2015, and in spite of the limited reduction in deliveries during the first quarter, we are already on par with last year, and projections indicate that, in spite of moderate prices, we will end the year with an overall increase of 0.9%. Outlets have to be found for these quantities of milk.

While we have some challenges to face, we are fortunate that we can count on a complete toolkit of measures available to the CAP to address these challenges, thanks to the work on the CAP reform by Paolo de Castro, Michel Dantin, Jim Nicholson and others. These are available, and these measures include the safety net tools, including the public buying-in of butter and skimmed milk powder as well as private storage aid schemes; the possibility to intervene in exceptional circumstances, as in the case of the Russian import ban; direct payments to support farmers’ income, including coupled support up to 13% of the national envelope; rural development policy, which allows farmers to finance investments, be better trained or receive compensation for being located in areas of natural constraint; the possibility to implement risk management tools; the milk package, which is yet to be fully exploited, and which can strengthen the integration of the producers in the supply chain; and the strengthening of the Milk Market Observatory Board, with more timely meetings and more time data available now, providing signals in the marketplace on a monthly basis.

Dairy farmers can also benefit from the quality policy and from research and innovation, which are particularly relevant for producers oriented to niche products. We have more money in the promotion policy budget to accompany dairy operators in their search for new customers, and the identification of new markets is a personal priority for me.

I have heard some suggestions recently that the Commission is doing very little to support dairy farmers. Any objective analysis of this matter certainly does not stand up to scrutiny. Let me illustrate the reality: the safety net measures – intervention in private storage, both for butter and skimmed milk powder – have been available to EU operators since last summer. By its rapid action, the Commission has provided economic actors with certainty and security. Special targeted support, for a total amount of EUR 40 million, was granted to dairy farmers from those Member States most directly hit by the Russian ban – the Baltic States and Finland in particular. After beef and veal, dairy is the second—largest recipient of voluntary coupled support, with 20% of the total amount, amounting to EUR 820 million in 19 Member States.

As regards the Milk Package, which I said earlier has yet to achieve its full potential, we should not underestimate the huge progress that has been made. 13 Member States have provided for compulsory contracts. The number of recognised producer organisations is growing. What is more relevant is their impact on jointly-negotiated volumes of milk deliveries. In Germany and the Czech Republic, more than one-third of deliveries are negotiated by these organisations. In France, this figure is some 17%, and in Spain – 12%. Other Member States are following this welcome trend. The Commission recently approved 41 new programmes to promote agricultural products in the EU and in third country markets, worth EUR 130 million over three years. Some EUR 24 million are devoted to specific programmes on dairying. School milk schemes: last school year, 19 million children participated, with more than 300 000 tonnes of milk and milk products distributed for a total EU expenditure of EUR 66 million.

As I mentioned, they have strengthened the role of the Milk Market Observatory. The economic board meets on a regular basis so that all actors can benefit from more timely and complete market information than ever. Some voices claim that increasing intervention prices is the solution. It is one of the options that are certainly mentioned in Mr Nicholson's report. In my view, this could be counterproductive, because this product has to be put out on the market in the future, and it is apparent that farmers and economic operators follow market signals.

Let me also be very clear about proposals to increase intervention prices. This would do nothing but delay the inevitable – a necessary adjustment – and make it even more painful in the future, in our view. And as we move towards a market-orientated policy, which is the policy agreed by the legislators, such a move would give the wrong signal. There is a need to change our mindset. The goal is not to produce as much as we can, but as much as we can find a market for. While I accept that there is a short-term difficulty (being experienced in the milk sector – and I hope my words will not come back to haunt me, Mr Nicholson, in relation to that statement), I believe that we should concentrate our energy on helping the European dairy sector reap the full benefit of the long-term positive prospects in terms of world consumption.

This is a sector with enormous potential. There is an increased global demand of 2% and an increased middle class in the Far East. We must all work together to ensure that we get our main share of this particular market and achieve our full potential.

  Petri Sarvamaa, rapporteur for the opinion of the Committee on Budgetary Control.– Mr President, first of all let me salute the rapporteur for this very extensive report. There is hardly anything that is not mentioned, and it is very balanced. But I will not use my sixty seconds just for that.

The most important thing that we have to understand is that we are not just talking about the price of milk or counting who gets how much – we are not counting milk drops. We are talking about a whole culture, and the disadvantaged regions in Europe deserve special attention. This has been pointed out in the report as well. In the Committee on Budgetary Control report that I drafted, I pointed out that that the price evolution does not actually seem to be homogeneous across Member States, and that the evolution of milk prices in real terms and its causes could have been strongly highlighted originally. This is something that we really have to pay attention to.

  Gabriel Mato, en nombre del Grupo PPE.– Señor Presidente, señor Comisario, intervengo en nombre de la diputada Esther Herranz para resaltar algo que ustedes saben bien. El sector productor de leche vive momentos muy duros y de gran nerviosismo ante la caída que se está observando en los precios del mercado. A la abolición del régimen de cuotas el pasado mes de abril se ha sumado recientemente el anuncio de Rusia de prolongar el embargo contra las exportaciones europeas de leche y otros productos agrícolas. El sector ya viene arrastrando, desde hace años, dificultades para hacer frente a los costes de producción y a la creciente volatilidad de los precios. Ahora, la situación es de una gran incertidumbre y por ello necesita contar con el apoyo de las instituciones europeas.

Creo que la Comisión Europea y los Estados miembros deberían escuchar las reclamaciones que hace el Parlamento en el informe que vamos a votar esta semana, en el que se ha intentado buscar soluciones de futuro. La Unión Europea debería dotarse de instrumentos más adecuados y operativos que los que ofrece la actual organización común de mercados para abordar los problemas del sector. Para empezar, la actual red de seguridad debería ser mejorada, ya que es totalmente inoperante. Debería haber una actualización de los precios de intervención que tenga en cuenta la realidad del mercado.

Por otra parte, es necesario poner en marcha un verdadero sistema de alerta de crisis acompañado de los instrumentos de gestión necesarios para evitar el hundimiento de los precios que perciben los ganaderos. De nada sirve tener un observatorio de prensa europeo si este no se utiliza en tiempo real para alertar de la llegada de situaciones críticas. Para hacer un uso eficiente de ese observatorio sería necesario definir niveles de crisis, de acuerdo con los indicadores establecidos para toda la Unión Europea, entre los que debería figurar la pérdida de márgenes económicos por parte de las explotaciones lecheras.

Me parece, además, que las organizaciones de productores deberían ser dotadas de un mayor poder de negociación frente a los eslabones de la cadena alimentaria para reducir el nivel de gran desamparo en el que se encuentran, en muchas ocasiones, los ganaderos. En muchos países, como el mío, el mercado se encuentra dominado por la leche cruda, por lo que es necesario, asimismo, incentivar la mejora del valor añadido de la producción y las medidas de innovación. Hay que arbitrar medidas para impedir el uso de la leche como producto de reclamo por parte de establecimientos comerciales. El sector lácteo es de gran...

(El Presidente retira la palabra al orador)

VORSITZ: RAINER WIELAND
Vizepräsident

  Ricardo Serrão Santos, em nome do Grupo S&D.– Senhor Comissário, caro Colega Relator, há mais de um ano que os preços do setor do leite estão em queda livre, e as medidas atuais não permitem incentivar a necessária renovação geracional e o investimento. É verdade que queremos um setor competitivo e capaz de se orientar para a exportação, mas não ao custo do abandono da produção. É necessário criar condições para a resiliência da atividade leiteira no mercado interno para que os preços compensem os custos de produção e para promover a coesão territorial. Para tal é necessário averiguar o comportamento da indústria e da grande distribuição na cadeia de valor e as consequências para os preços pagos aos produtores.

Apelo também ao empenho da Comissão para desenvolver instrumentos para a gestão da oferta, e outros, que protejam contra reduções bruscas de rendimento. No curto prazo, apelo a uma abordagem específica para as regiões menos competitivas e produtoras de leite, como os Açores, nomeadamente na identificação de perturbações de mercado.

  Richard Ashworth, on behalf of the ECR Group.– Mr President, the end of milk quotas heralds a new era for the dairy industry. It is an era of great opportunity, but it will not be without its problems. Our rapporteur is right that the best way to help the industry is to create an environment in which the industry is best able to help itself.

Immediately, we have to deal with the consequences of the Russian trade ban but, as is so often the case, this coincides with other factors, such as a very steep downturn in the global dairy market. Market volatility will remain a constant threat but, by encouraging and empowering farmers to cooperate, we can help them access opportunities. By strengthening the role of the European Milk Market Observatory, we can help the industry be better informed. By ensuring transparency in the food chain, we can help farmers to get a fair return from the market.

Finally, we must be there to help the industry ride out the storm from the unpredictable and the unavoidable. Threats such as trade embargoes, volatility, extreme climate and the ever-present risk of disease will always be there. If we want to build a sustainable and competitive sector, we must be there to support them in times of difficulty.

  Ulrike Müller, im Namen der ALDE-Fraktion.– Herr Präsident, Herr Kommissar! Es war richtig, das Milchpaket zu bewerten und diesbezüglich kritisch zu hinterfragen, was funktioniert und was verbessert werden muss.

Innerhalb der EU-Länder wurde dieses Paket sehr unterschiedlich umgesetzt, und viele nutzten die Möglichkeiten nicht, Erzeugerorganisationen zu gründen und Milcherzeuger zu bündeln. Auch während der Quotenregelung waren unterschiedliche Milchauszahlungspreise von acht bis zehn Cent innerhalb der 28 Mitgliedstaaten normal. Der Milchpreis war nie einheitlich, die Molkereistruktur und die unterschiedlichen Produktionspaletten hätten dies auch niemals erlaubt.

Jetzt, nach Ende der Milchquote, ist die Situation am Milchmarkt sehr schwierig. Es herrscht große Unsicherheit bei den Landwirten, nicht zuletzt auch weil das Russlandembargo eine politische Entscheidung war. Wir dürfen die Landwirte hier nicht im Regen stehen lassen.

Mir persönlich waren in diesem Bericht drei Dinge besonders wichtig: eine schnelle Datenerfassung aus den Mitgliedstaaten, um den Markt zeitnah beobachten zu können und schneller Maßnahmen zu ergreifen, ein besonderer Schutz der benachteiligten Berggebiete – hier ist die Bedeutung der Milchwirtschaft für den ländlichen Raum und die Kulturlandschaft sehr hoch –, und als Drittes, die Mittel der Superabgabe – in diesem letzten Jahr sind es 900 Millionen Euro – zweckgebunden im Milchbereich zu verwenden.

Die derzeitige Situation im Milchsektor zeigt deutlich, dass ein wirksames Sicherheitsnetz unumgänglich ist, um die landwirtschaftlichen Familienbetriebe zu erhalten. Die möglichen Marktmaßnahmen reichen nicht aus. Eventuell ist neben der privaten Lagerhaltung auch eine moderate Anhebung des Interventionspreises nötig. Darüber hinaus stellen die einkommenswirksamen Direktzahlungen der ersten Säule auch in Zukunft eine wichtige Ergänzung. Große Sorge bereitet mir die Ungleichheit in der Versorgungskette. Alle Mitgliedstaaten sind hier aufgerufen, die Möglichkeit der Bündelung zu unterstützen.

Ein herzlicher Dank an den Berichterstatter, dessen Worten ich mich gerne anschließe.

(Die Rednerin ist damit einverstanden, eine Frage nach dem Verfahren der „blauen Karte“ gemäß Artikel 162 Absatz 8 der Geschäftsordnung zu beantworten.)

  Tibor Szanyi (S&D), „kékkártyás kérdés”.– Azt szeretném megkérdezni Képviselő Asszonytól, hogy a sok fölsorolt intézkedés mellett vajon tudná-e támogatni azt, hogy kötelező legyen a termelők és a feldolgozók közötti szerződéskötés, mert a piaci bizonytalanságok nagy része szerintem abból is fakad, hogy jelenleg a tagországok csak a felében működik ez a kötelező szerződési rendszer.

  Ulrike Müller (ALDE), Antwort auf eine Frage nach dem Verfahren der „blauen Karte“.– Herr Kollege! Selbstverständlich unterstütze ich jede Art von Verträgen zwischen Milcherzeugern, zwischen Marktpartnern und zwischen Molkereien. Das wird in Deutschland ständig gemacht. Wir haben inzwischen wirklich hervorragende Molkereistrukturen, die den Landwirten dann auch Preise zusichern.

  Matt Carthy, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group.– Mr President, I get a sense that the consensus that had developed around the entirely positive prospects that the post-quota regime was going to bring about has abated somewhat. I believe that the caution that has now been expressed and the acceptance of the need to introduce a crisis-proof mechanism to protect farmers in what is likely to become an increasingly volatile market are very important.

I want to commend Mr Nicholson for his work, but I would have preferred Parliament’s report to have been more adventurous in issues that would address price volatility, particularly around the issue of an intervention price. An intervention price is a strong tool to balance a volatile market, but the intervention price has to reflect the cost of production. Otherwise, by the time we reach it – unfortunately for many small and medium farmers – their livelihood is gone.

I believe that the instruments have to sufficiently address the risks to farmers. Without the introduction of these safety nets, as outlined, we are seeing a bleak future for many of our dairy farmers.

  Maria Heubuch, im Namen der Verts/ALE-Fraktion.– Herr Präsident! Herzlichen Dank auch an Herrn Nicholson. Er hat bestimmt sein Bestes getan, diese unterschiedlichen Meinungen in diesem Bericht unter ein Dach zu bringen.

Es sind auch einige Elemente drin, die richtig und wichtig sind. Aber ich kann trotzdem nicht für diesen Bericht sprechen, weil die Gesamtausrichtung dieses Berichtes falsch ist. Er setzt weiter auf eine Exportstrategie, und er baut zu stark auf internationale Märkte. Die Probleme, die wir damit haben, haben Sie gerade vorher selber geschildert, Herr Nicholson. Er baut weiter auf Rationalisierung und auf Industrialisierung. Das sind Entwicklungen, die ich für sehr gefährlich halte. Noch mehr Tausende Kuhställe sind gesellschaftlich einfach nicht akzeptiert. Es besteht in diesem Bericht auch überhaupt keine Balance zwischen tierischer Produktion und Pflanzenproduktion, und es fehlt völlig der Aspekt des Tierwohls.

Wir müssen die Milch wieder aufs Grünland bringen. Wir müssen die Milch in Regionen bringen, wo Milchproduktion vernünftig ist, und genau das hat der Bericht nicht in ausreichendem Maß aufgenommen.

Wir sind jetzt wieder am Beginn einer Krise. In Spanien wurden jetzt wieder 20 000 Liter Milch auf die Äcker versprüht. In Frankreich mobilisieren die Milchbauern sich schon wieder. In Spanien geht es darum, den Preis auf achtzehn Cent abzusenken. Das ist eine Situation, die ist nicht tragbar. Bei uns in Deutschland fragt der Deutsche Bauernverband wieder nach Liquiditätshilfen. Also wir schreien nach Geld vom Staat, obwohl wir andere Instrumente hätten. An dem Punkt war das Parlament schon weiter. Herr Nicholson, Sie haben selber gesagt, wir sollten die Milch nicht produzieren, die wir nicht verkaufen können. Dann müssen wir über das Angebotssteuerung wieder nachdenken, und darum möchte ich Sie nachträglich bitten.

  John Stuart Agnew, on behalf of the EFDD Group.– Mr President, Jim Nicholson’s report gives a good overview of the present situation, as one might expect. What is absent is a clear strategy for the industry to ride out the current market pressures. Action is called for on symptoms without always a clear understanding of causes. The report highlights that the CAP has failed in its intended social outcome to keep farmers viable regardless of their size. However, this is not a reason to start market interventions with consequent trade distortions. Calls for a cost-of-production formula assume that there is a single magical figure. In reality, cost of land to rent or for mortgage, repayment on loans for farm buildings and equipment, proportion of unpaid family labour, access to cheap by-products for feed, the impact of nitrate-vulnerable zones (NVZs) and other regulations make a single cost-of-production figure quite impossible. And of course, some producers concentrate on low-cost milk but have to accept lower prices, and some vice versa. If we want to keep farmers on the land for purely social reasons, then Pillar 2 is more appropriate.

Current market pressures are affecting large farmers just as much as smaller colleagues, but the rush to expand, post-quota, is not always based on objective business planning. Despite these low prices, agricultural lenders tell me that they have plenty of requests from clients to fund dairy expansion. I would urge dairy farmers to look at the pig, poultry and egg sectors, because that is their future. In other words, a tightly-knit supply chain, intense communication from start to finish, and a willingness to adapt to consumer preferences, labelling of country of origin and persuading retailers to commit ...

(The President cut off the speaker)

  Philippe Loiseau, au nom du groupe ENF.– Monsieur le Président, la fin des quotas laitiers entraîne la concentration des exploitations, des pertes d'emplois et la destruction des territoires ruraux. En 30 ans, le nombre d'exploitations laitières a été divisé par cinq et 20 % des vaches laitières sont localisées dans des exploitations de plus de 100 vaches. Un agriculteur sur trois risque donc de disparaître dans les années qui viennent. Une agriculture sans paysan, les survivants étant obligés d'obéir aux lois de la productivité du libre-échange, c'est ce que nous dénonçons depuis 30 ans.

Nos agriculteurs doivent aussi subir les conséquences de votre vassalisation diplomatique avec l'embargo russe, sans parler des conséquences de votre traité transatlantique sur le secteur laitier. Votre texte accentue donc la mise sous tutelle des producteurs vis-à-vis des banques et des capitaux privés. Depuis la réforme de la PAC 92, les agriculteurs ont été livrés pieds et poings liés aux lois du marché.

Nous l'avons vu encore, dernièrement, en France notamment où la colère des producteurs vis-à-vis de la grande distribution se manifeste avec de plus en plus de désespoir. Votre projet est suicidaire. Ce sont les marchés à terme qui tuent les agriculteurs et vous voulez appuyer sur ce mécanisme. Profiter également de la volatilité des prix pour accroître la compétitivité, comme vous le demandez dans votre projet, c'est avoir la volonté de sacrifier les exploitations les moins rentables sur l'autel du libre-échange. Les plus petites exploitations pourraient d'ailleurs se concentrer sur le marché intérieur, favorisant ainsi les circuits de proximité et l'indépendance alimentaire, notamment dans les zones défavorisées, ce qui serait aussi un moyen de préserver l'équilibre territorial, car la désertification menace les territoires ruraux.

Je voudrais juste finir, Monsieur le Président, pour vous dire que je suis scandalisé par les propos de M. ...

(Le Président retire la parole à l'orateur)

  Diane Dodds (NI). – Mr President, I welcome this review of the milk package and offer my thanks to Jim Nicholson for his work on it. However, the immediate crisis facing the dairy industry in Northern Ireland is one of continuously low farm gate prices. In April 2014, dairy farmers in my constituency were receiving 28p per litre. In May 2015, they were receiving 21p per litre – a 23% fall in prices. The EU average has fallen by around 19% in the same time.

Commissioner, you must confront the short-term reality facing the dairy industry. Farmers are constantly producing milk below the cost of production. If you do not take steps, the long-term outlook will include far fewer farmers and reduced production capacity. Yes, Commissioner, it is true that intervention has been opened, but I am disappointed to hear your negative view of reviewing intervention prices – prices that were set years ago with no relation to current...

(The President cut off the speaker)

  Albert Deß (PPE). – Herr Präsident, Herr Kommissar! Die Milcherzeugung ist für viele Landwirte eine der wichtigsten Einnahmequellen in unserer Europäischen Union. Die aktuelle Preisentwicklung gibt Anlass zur Sorge. Meine Genossenschaftsmolkerei zahlt zwar für Juni noch über 31 Cent aus und für Biomilch über 49 Cent, aber was in den nächsten Monaten ansteht, das erfüllt mich mit großer Sorge.

Der Handel wird Preise einfordern, die die Milchbauern an den Rand ihrer Existenz bringen. Herr Kommissar, wir bräuchten hier härtere Maßnahmen. Das konnten wir im Rahmen des Milchpakets nicht beschließen. Wenn jetzt der Milchpreis ganz unten ist, dann fordert der Handel Preisbindung für ein ganzes Jahr. Wenn auf diesem niedrigeren Niveau abgeschlossen wird, der Markt sich aber wieder besser entwickelt, sind wir ein Jahr lang gebunden, an den Handel zu diesem niedrigen Preis zu liefern.

Ich würde hier vorschlagen, dass Preisabschlüsse höchstens für ein halbes Jahr getätigt werden dürfen. Das würde bedeuten, dass man auch bei besseren Zeiten wieder mit dabei ist und nicht ein ganzes Jahr zum niedrigsten Preis liefern muss.

Der Bericht erwähnt – und dafür bin ich sehr dankbar – die besondere Situation der Milcherzeuger in den benachteiligten Gebieten, in den Berggebieten, auf den Inseln und in den äußersten Randlagen. Hier sind auch flankierende Maßnahmen notwendig, die über die zweite Säule geschehen müssen.

Herr Kommissar, Sie haben auch die Situation nach dem Russland-Boykott angesprochen. Aber die Kommission – da sind Sie nicht verantwortlich, da waren Sie noch nicht im Amt – hat viel zu spät reagiert, um hier den betroffenen Landwirten im Baltikum und in Finnland zu helfen.

Wenn solche Situationen eintreten, ist schnelles Handeln erforderlich, und man darf nicht warten, bis das Kind in den Brunnen gefallen ist. Deshalb wird uns das Thema Milch weiterbeschäftigen, und wir werden auch noch andere Maßnahmen ergreifen müssen, damit wir die Situation für die Milcherzeuger stabilisieren können.

  Clara Eugenia Aguilera García (S&D). – Señor Presidente, señor Comisario, yo creo que hemos coincidido en el análisis de los problemas actuales la mayoría de los diputados. Básicamente, quiero destacar el problema de la volatilidad de los precios. Antes se ha referido una diputada a España —yo soy de España—: lo que están ofreciendo en mi país a los productores de leche son 16 céntimos de euro. Si eso es justicia, no sé dónde quedaremos.

Por tanto, destaco la volatilidad de los precios, las crisis permanentes que les impiden crecer, invertir y marcar un futuro y los problemas de funcionamiento del mercado único lácteo europeo. La red de seguridad es absolutamente ineficaz, pero quisiera hablarles del paquete lácteo. En mi país se llevó a cabo con contratos obligatorios de un año y con esa obligatoriedad. Ahora se están haciendo contratos de tres y seis meses y se están incumpliendo. La situación es lamentable, y este fin de semana por una compra de 20 euros me han ofrecido, me han regalado...

(El Presidente interrumpe a la oradora)

  Beata Gosiewska (ECR). – Panie Przewodniczący! Ja chciałam podziękować panu sprawozdawcy za to sprawozdanie, za zajęcie się tak niezmiernie ważnym problemem. Zaproponowany co prawda przez Komisję pakiet mleczny i zawarte w nim mechanizmy to biurokracja, a nie realna pomoc. W wielu krajach Unii Europejskiej w tym w moim kraju, w Polsce, propozycje dotyczące organizacji producenckich nie sprawdziły się. Tymczasem kondycja gospodarstw mleczarskich stale się pogarsza ze względu na rosyjskie embargo, zmienność cen oraz brak równowagi w łańcuchu dostaw. My tutaj dzisiaj dyskutujemy o wsparciu dla producentów mleka, a tymczasem Unia Europejska przyczyniła się do degradacji polskich producentów, nakładając zbyt niskie kwoty mleczne, czego efektem są ogromne kary niszczące wielu producentów w Polsce.

Apeluję do Komisji o jak najszybsze przedstawienie propozycji legislacyjnej spraw...

Przewodniczący odebrał mówczyni głos.

  Jan Huitema (ALDE). – De invoering van het melkquotum in 1984 kwam als een reactie op het landbouwbeleid, dat de melkprijs kunstmatig hoog hield. Er ontstond overproductie en het beleid met opkoop- en exportsubsidies werd veel te duur. De politiek durfde het echter niet aan om de prijsondersteuning drastisch aan te passen en ging dus over op volumebeheersing.

Het landbouwbeleid is marktgerichter geworden. De melkprijs werd de laatste zeven jaar bepaald door vraag en aanbod. Volumebeheersing door Brussel was vanaf toen onnodig. Het is goed dat het melkquotum is afgeschaft. Melkveehouders aan de andere kant van de wereld vertelden mij dat het Europese melkquotum het beste is wat hun is overkomen. De melkprijs staat op dit moment onder druk door een ongelukkige samenloop van omstandigheden: vraaguitval in China, de Russische boycot en een harde landing van het melkquotum.

Maar om gelijk van een melkcrisis te spreken vind ik overdreven. 2013-2014 was een recordjaar voor de melkveehouderij en de langetermijnvooruitzichten op de zuivelmarkt zijn rooskleurig. De oproep voor een nieuw systeem van volumebeheersing of een verhoging van de interventieprijzen kan ik niet steunen. We raken dan weer de connectie met de wereldmarkt kwijt. Dat maakt ons minder concurrerend. Bovendien zullen de directe betalingen verlaagd moeten worden, wat ik niet kan uitleggen aan andere agrarische sectoren. Het gemeenschappelijk landbouwbeleid heeft al hulpmiddelen om boeren te ondersteunen. Maak het niet te ingewikkeld en geef boeren de ruimte om te kunnen concurreren op de wereldmarkt.

  Lidia Senra Rodríguez (GUE/NGL). – Señor Presidente, el próximo día 17 en mi país, en Galicia, habrá una manifestación importante de productores y productoras de leche para exigir soluciones a esta crisis, que tiene responsables: el Consejo, la Comisión y todos aquellos diputados y diputadas que, en su día, aprobaron la liberalización del sector, el abandono de la política lechera pública y el «paquete lácteo». El «paquete lácteo» que no está dando ninguna respuesta. Las soluciones que proponen hoy aquí, tanto el Comisario como el informe del señor Nicholson, no son solución a esta crisis.

Tenemos que volver a una política lechera pública que tenga como base la regulación de la producción y del mercado, que tenga como base precios mínimos que cubran los costes y el trabajo de producción, que priorice el mercado interno y que se base en un modelo de producción ligado a la tierra y a los pastos. Es la única forma de salir de esta crisis.

  Martin Häusling (Verts/ALE). – Herr Präsident, Herr Kommissar! Ich war eben ein klein wenig entsetzt, weil Sie immer noch nicht von einer Krise reden, sondern von Preisschwankungen auf dem Markt. Was sollen denn die 650 000 Milchbauern davon halten, wenn ihre Preise um 30 % zurückgehen? Preisschwankungen? Ich glaube, Sie sind fern von jeder Realität. Wir sind in einer richtigen Krise, und die hat mit der Liberalisierungspolitik der letzten Jahre zu tun. Das müssten Sie endlich einmal anerkennen.

Sie haben nicht den Mut oder Sie wollen es auch nicht, dass man wieder darüber nachdenkt, auch Marktregeln einzuführen. Was am Ende bleibt in dieser Politik, ist, dass wir wieder Exporterstattungen zahlen – der Steuerzahler finanziert den Export. Warum scheuen Sie eigentlich eine Diskussion, doch mal wieder darüber nachzudenken, wirklich eine Angebotsregulierung vorzunehmen?

Ich glaube, die Stärkung der Milcherzeuger gegenüber Molkereien und gegenüber dem Handel ist wirklich ein Instrument, das noch nicht gelungen ist. Da gibt es immer noch viel zu wenig Rechte für die Milchbauern, und wir haben eine kritische Situation von allen Milchbauern in den Bergregionen. Da müssen Sie endlich auch Nothilfen ins Auge fassen, da können wir nicht noch abwarten.

  Edouard Ferrand (ENF). – Monsieur le Président, Mesdames et Messieurs, 31 ans après leur création, les quotas laitiers ont été supprimés au 1er avril dernier. La situation est urgente et je crois que ce rapport tombe à point nommé. Certes, il est timide, mais, en même temps, il est juste. Timide parce que les propositions mériteraient justement d'être plus fortes pour soutenir le lait en Europe.

Prenons l'exemple de la viticulture. Aujourd'hui, je pense que nous pouvons appliquer au secteur laitier ce qui s'est passé avec la viticulture. La régulation des droits de plantation a été gagnée par les viticulteurs. Ce que nous avons réussi pour les viticulteurs en faveur des droits de plantation, pourquoi en serait-il autrement pour le lait? Le démantèlement des quotas laitiers au profit du "paquet lait" est insuffisant.

Le Parlement a privilégié les intérêts de multinationales du lait plutôt que la défense des petits producteurs. Je pense qu'il est urgent, aujourd'hui, d'essayer de prendre modèle sur la viticulture pour travailler sur le secteur du lait.

  Czesław Adam Siekierski (PPE). – Sytuacja na rynku mleka jest wyjątkowo dynamiczna. Były regulacje, były kwoty, były kryzysy. Teraz mamy jeszcze embargo. Co robić? Kiedy i jak interweniować? Wczesna interwencja daje złe przesłanie, złą informację dla rolników, dla rynku. Zbyt późna interwencja oznacza duże koszty, przynosi rolnikom straty i podważa ich zaufanie do wspólnej polityki rolnej. Nie możemy dopuścić do poważnego kryzysu, dlatego trzeba sięgnąć po stare, sprawdzone instrumenty. Myślę, że to nie jest sprzeczne z wolnym rynkiem. Instrumenty te to podwyższenie poziomu cen interwencyjnych na masło i mleko w proszku, dopłaty do przechowywania wybranych gatunków sera, dopłaty wywozowe, a może nawet bezpośrednie finansowanie rolników, producentów mleka, jeśli ta sytuacja okaże się tak trudna, jak się zapowiada.

Wreszcie musimy działać na rzecz spożycia mleka w naszych krajach. Nie tylko obserwować i wspierać eksport – co jest ważne – ale także wspierać spożycie w kraju.

Wreszcie należy przyjrzeć się problemom gwarancji, ubezpieczeń – to są te nowe instrumenty finansowe, które będą wspierały rynek.

  Eric Andrieu (S&D). – Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Commissaire, les éleveurs laitiers européens vivent une nouvelle crise, qui se traduit par un accroissement de l'instabilité des marchés et par une plus grande volatilité des prix. Cette politique du laissez-faire favorise aussi la concentration de la production et pénalise les exploitations agricoles situées dans les régions les plus fragiles.

J'entends votre optimisme, Monsieur le Commissaire, mais je ne peux le partager. Je pense qu'il faut agir, et agir rapidement.

Je demande à la Commission de présenter des outils de régulation permettant de contrôler l'offre et de gérer les crises à travers des filets de sécurité réactifs et efficaces. J'insiste pour que la production laitière soit préservée sur tous les territoires, grâce au soutien du développement rural et à un rééquilibrage des aides du premier pilier.

Enfin, j'appelle à un perfectionnement de l'actuel "paquet lait" en renforçant le pouvoir de négociation des organisations de producteurs, en rendant les contrats obligatoires dans toute l'Union, en y intégrant des clauses contraignantes pour les acheteurs et en les étendant à la distribution.

  Jørn Dohrmann (ECR). – Hr. formand! Tak til hr. Nicholson for betænkningen om udsigterne for EU's mejerisektor og landbrugssektorens muligheder. Mælkesektoren beskæftiger mange folk, både direkte og indirekte. Den økonomiske hverdag har ændret sig med store prisudsving og kapitalomkostninger. Det er vigtigt at fremtidssikre vores mælkeproducenter. I den forbindelse står vi over for nogle udfordringer, hvad angår det russiske importforbud, men også, hvad angår de politiske beslutninger og beslutningstagere - hvad der bliver pålagt landmændene. Det er landmændene, der betaler prisen. Hr. Nicholsons forslag kan være med til at kaste lys over de forskellige udfordringer, vi står overfor, men også over, om EU-lovgivningen er gearet til at sikre mælkeproducenterne fremadrettet. Derfor vil rammevilkår være noget af det, vi også skal diskutere fremover.

  Ivan Jakovčić (ALDE). – Gospodine predsjedniče, ono što je definitivno zajednička karakteristika tržišta mlijeka u Europskoj uniji je očita kriza. Očita velika proizvodnja mlijeka, veća nego što je to tržišna potreba.

Međutim, lijek za ovo stanje na tržištu mlijeka u EU-u nije u svakoj zemlji jednak. Uvjeren sam da se mogu naći različiti lijekovi kako bismo razriješili ovo stanje. Govoreći i dolazeći iz Hrvatske čija je proizvodnja mlijeka također u krizi, uvjeren sam da kada bi se proizvođači mlijeka jako stimulirali u smislu prerade mlijeka u viši stupanj proizvoda te kada bi to bila politika EU-a, Hrvatske i logalnih regionalnih vlasti, kao što sam to svojedobno pokušavao raditi u Istri, onda možemo doći do rezultata.

Na kraju krajeva, u nekim drugim zemljama možda se može napraviti nešto slično kao što je na području ribarstva, destimulirati proizvodnju mlijeka, odnosno stimulirati da se prenamjeni proizvodnja u nešto drugo.

  Miguel Viegas (GUE/NGL). – Como é reconhecido, o pacote do leite falhou na sua tentativa de trazer melhorias na posição dos produtores de leite no mercado. Mesmo com contratos integrados em organizações, os produtores de leite são incapazes de negociar um preço aceitável para o seu produto com a indústria. Por outro lado, e sem nenhum mecanismo alternativo de regulação da oferta, este pacote mostra-se incapaz de poder dar resposta à instabilidade dos preços, cada vez maior e de caráter imprevisível.

Pensamos que a gestão da oferta e a fixação de preços não podem ser feitas apenas numa lógica mercantil. Propomos assim, a partir do Observatório Europeu do Leite, em articulação com as autoridades nacionais, a introdução de critérios de sustentabilidade que tenham em conta os custos de produção e a viabilidade económica e financeira das explorações.

  Alyn Smith (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, there is a sense of déjà vu in this debate. Grizzled old lags like myself and, perhaps, Mr Nicholson remember the debates with Mrs Fischer Boel as Commissioner a number of years ago.

Colleagues, there is a structural problem in the European milk market, and as long as our farmers remain price takers, the sector will lurch from crisis to crisis.

Commissioner Hogan, I very much appreciated your robust defence of the range of tools available to the Member States to intervene in their own markets and rebalance them in favour of primary producers, and I was very much struck by your phrase that the milk package has yet to achieve its potential. I absolutely do agree with you, so perhaps a bit of impetus from the Commission in naming and shaming those States that have not taken advantage of compulsory contracts, local processing, producer organisations, local labelling, school milk schemes, would help us have some clarity domestically on the fact that the solution to our milk crisis is very often closer to home.

Could I suggest that if you are looking to be naming and shaming, then you start with the United Kingdom, because there are plenty of Scottish farmers who are suffering, as we do not have the tools to rebalance the market in Scotland ourselves, but London does.

  Elisabeth Köstinger (PPE). – Sehr geehrter Herr Präsident, Herr Kommissar! Vielen Dank für die Möglichkeit dieser Aussprache heute und vor allem unserem Berichterstatter Jim Nicholson für seinen Bericht. Ich glaube, er hat hier wirklich hervorragende Arbeit geleistet, weil der Milchsektor ein sehr sensibler Bereich ist, der auch sehr unterschiedlich ist in Europa. Wir hier sind aufgefordert, das auch zu berücksichtigen.

Ich möchte ganz kurz die Aufmerksamkeit auf jene Landwirte lenken, die in Europa in benachteiligten Gebieten und im Berggebiet produzieren, die unter sehr großen Erschwernissen Milchproduktion liefern und leisten, und dies nicht als Museumslandwirte, sondern als sehr produzierende Betriebe, die hochwertigste Produkte auf den Markt bringen – wie Bergkäse, Bergjoghurt und Sonstiges. Wir brauchen hier spezifische Maßnahmen und Unterstützung. Es wird in diesen Gebieten nicht anders funktionieren und nicht anders gehen, sondern eben nur mit spezifischen Maßnahmen.

Und ich glaube, Europa darf hier nicht wegsehen. Wir brauchen diese hochqualitativen Produkte, und wir brauchen vor allem auch die Leistungen der Bauern in diesen Gebieten, die wirklich flächendeckende Milchproduktion in Europa auch gewährleisten. Und auch hier noch einmal meine Forderung – und wir haben das in einigen Aussprachen auch besprochen: Die Einnahmen der Superabgabe, die wirklich aus dem Sektor kommen, sollen doch bitte wieder zweckgebunden in den Sektor zurückfließen. Das wäre vor allem für Investitionen und dergleichen eine riesengroße Erleichterung, würde den europäischen Steuerzahler nichts kosten, weil das ja aus der Überproduktion kommt und es sich um Strafzahlungen der Landwirte handelt. In dem Fall wäre es wirklich gerechtfertigt, die Zahlungen auch wieder zurückzuliefern.

  Jean-Paul Denanot (S&D). – Monsieur le Président, la Commission nous explique que les agriculteurs européens sont désormais suffisamment solides et armés pour affronter la concurrence internationale, partir à la conquête de nouveaux marchés et supporter une volatilité des prix, qui serait d'ailleurs contenue on ne sait par quel miracle.

Élu d'une région rurale, je m'inquiète. Je crains une concentration territoriale de l'offre au détriment des petites exploitations dans les zones fragiles. J'ai pu l'indiquer ici même, il y a cinq ans, au moment du projet de suppression des quotas laitiers. Malheureusement, ce qui était prévu arrive aujourd'hui. Une régulation est nécessaire pour les productions qui ont un prix trop volatil. Il me semble aujourd'hui nécessaire de faire ce travail.

Je m'inquiète aussi des conséquences sur l'élevage bovin à viande, des effets collatéraux que pourraient avoir sur cet élevage de trop grandes difficultés dans le secteur laitier.

Monsieur le Commissaire, je pense qu'il faut travailler davantage et préparer une nouvelle organisation de producteurs.

  Zbigniew Kuźmiuk (ECR). – Panie Komisarzu! Sektor mleczny w moim kraju, w Polsce, jest w wyraźnym kryzysie na skutek rosyjskiego embarga, a także zniesienia limitów produkcji mleka. Ceny skupu tego surowca spadły już o około 20%, natomiast rolnicy są jednocześnie obciążeni karami za przekroczenie limitów produkcyjnych: w tym roku 150 mln euro, w poprzednim 50 mln euro. Mimo decyzji Komisji o rozłożeniu tych płatności na trzy lata będą to poważne obciążenia dla polskich producentów mleka, stanowiące blisko 70% obecnej ceny litra mleka w skupie. W związku z tym jeszcze raz proszę Pana Komisarza o zainteresowanie się sytuacją gospodarstw mleczarskich w moim kraju, ponieważ Polska jako jedyny sąsiad Rosji nie skorzystała z pakietu mlecznego skierowanego tylko do krajów nadbałtyckich i Finlandii.

PRÉSIDENCE DE MME Sylvie GUILLAUME
Vice-présidente

  Hannu Takkula (ALDE). – Arvoisa puhemies, ensinnäkin haluan kiittää mietinnön laatijaa James Nicholsonia. Hän nostaa tässä mietinnössä esille erittäin tärkeitä asioita. Me kaikki, jotka olemme seuranneet parlamentin toimintaa pitemmän aikaa, tiedämme, että James Nicholson tuntee tämän alan. Uskon, että myös komissaari Hogan kuuntelee Nicholsonin mielipiteitä maatalous- ja maitosektorista. Mielestäni myös budjettivaliokunnan lausunto Petri Sarvamaan johdolla oli erittäin linjakas. On erittäin tärkeätä, että maitomarkkinoita seurataan ja analysoidaan tarkasti parlamentissa.

Meille suomalaisille on tärkeää, että mietinnössä on nostettu erityisesti esille syrjäiset ja epäsuotuiset alueet. Nämä alueet kärsivät maidon hintalaskusta ensimmäisenä, sillä kiintiöiden poistuminen johtaa tuotannon kasvuun ja sitä kautta usein myös hintatason alentumiseen. Mikäli taas hintataso muodostuu alhaiseksi, maidon tuotannon kannattavuus heikkenee erityisesti epäsuotuisilla alueilla, koska tuotantokustannukset ovat korkeammat kuin luonnonolosuhteiltaan paremmilla alueilla. Olen myös tyytyväinen siihen, että mietinnössä painotetaan osuuskuntia ja niiden roolia.

  Luke Ming Flanagan (GUE/NGL). – Madam President, thank you very much, and congratulations to MEP Nicholson on his report. I will not be voting in favour of it. I am sure you are all aware of the story about the emperor’s new clothes and how it took a little boy to point out that actually the emperor was not wearing any clothes: he was stark naked. Well, we now have a situation here whereby we are told, let us say, for example, in Mr Nicholson’s territory, that it will cost you 26 cents per litre to produce milk and all you will get is 20 cents in return. So what are we going to do about it? Well what we are going to do is this: we are going to give loans to farmers who already cannot cover their costs to make up for this.

It is fairly obvious what is going to happen down the line. You are going to have problems because they will not be able to pay back these loans. Also, the concept that additional Pillar 2 funds should be used to support the dairy sector will have a negative knock-on effect. As national governments use this government support to protect a previously unprofitable sector, it is obviously going to affect them too. I will be voting against.

  Marijana Petir (PPE). – Gospođo predsjednice, gospodine povjereniče, pozdravljam ovo izvješće zastupnika Nicholsona koje neuvijeno govori o gorućim problemima u sektoru mljekarstva. Taj je sektor najosjetljiviji sektor u poljoprivredi, stoga zaslužuje posebnu pažnju. Proizvođači mlijeka osobito su ranjivi na razlike u prihodima i rizike koje tržište donosi, a zahtjevi za većom konkurentnošću proizvoda prelamaju se upravo preko njihovih leđa. Proizvođači imaju visoke troškove proizvodnje energenata tržišta i cijene su nestabilne. U konačnici troškovi proizvodnje često premašuju prodajne cijene mlijeka što mala obiteljska gospodarstva vodi u propast. Ako tome dodamo još i nepoštenu trgovačku praksu i ruski embargo s kojim su suočeni proizvođači mlijeka onda je jasno da je potrebno poduzeti ciljane mjere i donijeti krizni program.

Pozivam Komisiju da donese krizni program jer će bez njega proizvođači mlijeka biti u još lošijem položaju te će otkupljivači mlijeka i velike korporacije dobiti veću moć. Zato naglašavam potrebu da se otkupljivače mlijeka obaveže na sklapanje dugoročnijih ugovora o integriranom lancu opskrbe, terminskih ugovora i ugovora o fiksnoj marži, kako bi se omogućilo fiksiranje cijene mlijeka koja odgovara stvarnim troškovima proizvodnje na utvrđeni vremenski rok. To je važno jer u mnogim područjima s otežanom proizvodnjom, brdsko planinskim i otočnim područjima, proizvodnja mlijeka jedini je generator prihoda i zapošljavanja obitelji te je nastavak proizvodnje mlijeka važan kako bi se izbjeglo napuštanje zemlje i kako bi mladi mogli ostati živjeti na selu.

  Maria Noichl (S&D). – Sehr geehrter Herr Kommissar, sehr geehrter Herr Präsident! Wir wussten alle vor dem Ende der Milchquote, wohin die Reise geht. Herr Kommissar, Sie wussten es, Herr Nicholson, Sie wussten es. Die Preise fallen. Wir haben teilweise minus 30 Prozent im Gegensatz zum Vorjahr, und die Tendenz geht weiter. Wir haben es nicht nur mit einer Unsicherheit in der Landwirtschaft zu tun, sondern mit einer Krise, und das muss hier auch deutlich benannt werden.

Die Lösungen, Herr Nicholson, fehlen, und es fehlt auch die Strategie. Ihr Bericht ist wirklich ein Ausdruck von Hilflosigkeit. Sie deuten an den Horizont, dort wäre das gelobte Land: Überproduktion, mehr Exporte, neue Märkte erschließen, mehr Wettbewerb, mehr weichen und mehr wachsen und weichen. Das ist Ihr Horizont, dorthin deuten Sie – ohne geeignete Regulierungsmechanismen, ohne geeignete Interventionsmechanismen für die Milcherzeuger und ohne eine wirkliche Strategie.

Aber Sie tun das mit dem Wissen, dass die Krise täglich Höfe in Europa kostet. Diese Krise kostet, wenn wir wieder in den Export gehen, auch Höfe in den Ländern des Südens.

  Daniel Dalton (ECR). – Madam President, I would also like to thank the rapporteur for an excellent report, which I think was particularly well researched, particularly in the beginning. Times are tough for dairy farmers. They face extra costs, notably with regard to access to feed, and the decisions they make are often long term as it is not easy to turn on and off production. Many farmers in my region are struggling with TB as well. It is a tough industry to work in and they face volatile times.

But quotas and supply management are not the answer. We cannot hold back the whole of the EU just because of a few small farms in the mountains or in islands. However, we do need to make sure that farmers remain on the land in all parts of the EU. I think this is down to the Member States. They have the tools in the CAP. In Pillar 1 they have coupled payments, LFA payments and redistributive payments, and they also have rural development programmes. I think the key is rural development programmes for the future, and that the Commission should be more proactive in helping Member States design such schemes and, if necessary, change the rural development rules.

  Stefan Eck (GUE/NGL). – Herr Präsident! Danke, Herr Kommissar! Durch das Auslaufen der Milchquote wird die Intensivtierhaltung in diesem Bereich weiter zunehmen. Dies wird zu einem dramatischen Niedergang von bäuerlichen Kleinbetrieben in der gesamten Union führen. Die haben keine Chance gegen die automatisierte Massentierhaltung. Kurz gesagt: Ohne Quote wird es keine Marktstabilisierung geben, die Krise wird weitergehen.

Und wie kann es sein, dass man sich für den Wegfall der Milchquote und damit für eine Mehrproduktion aussprechen kann, obwohl es mittlerweile die Spatzen von den Dächern pfeifen: Milch ist ein Produkt, das uns Menschen krank macht. Reden Sie einmal mit Ernährungswissenschaftlern! Milch ist für die Umwelt extrem schädlich, und, nebenbei bemerkt, die Milchproduktion ist eine inakzeptable Tierquälerei. Haben Sie den Mut endlich für einen ethisch ambitionierten Ansatz: weniger Milch von Turbokühen, weniger milchbedingte Krankheiten, weniger Umwelt- und Grundwasserbelastung durch Gülle und durch Futtermittelanbau in riesigen Monokulturen und mehr Tierschutz!

  Annie Schreijer-Pierik (PPE). – Voorzitter, dank aan onze rapporteur. In Nederland staat de melkprijs momenteel op 30 cent per kilo. De werkelijke kostprijs in het gezinsbedrijf is minstens 40 cent per kilo melk. De zuivelproductie is als gevolg van de daling van de vraag naar zuivel vanuit China en de Russische boycot ook in Nederland niet langer kostendekkend. De sector staat onder druk. Vorig jaar waarschuwde ik al voor de mogelijke risico's die het einde van het melkquotum met zich mee zou kunnen brengen voor onze familie- en gezinsbedrijven.

Omdat de zuivelsector een onzekere toekomst tegemoet gaat, moeten we kijken welke instrumenten we kunnen inzetten als de huidige situatie langer aanhoudt. Dit geldt ook voor andere sectoren. Een eerlijke boterham voor boer en boerin aan de keukentafel en het behoud van de zuivelsector in Europa zijn van groot belang. De melkveehouderij vervult een onmisbare rol voor ons platteland, onze voedselzekerheid, de economie, het toerisme en agrarisch natuurbeheer in Nederland en in Europa. Dit mag geld kosten, maar daarbij moeten we opletten dat we geen overhaaste maatregelen nemen die de markt verstoren.

(De voorzitter ontneemt de spreker het woord.)

De Europese Commissie biedt eindelijk ruimte voor het sluiten van de kringloop, waarvan ook het innovatieve mineralenconcentraat een onmisbaar deel uitmaakt. Dit is essentieel voor het behoud van de vitale agrarische sector in Nederland en in Europa, zeker voor de melkveehouderij, want mestafzet is in Nederland de grootste kostenpost. Commissaris, hier zal u stappen kunnen zetten zonder kosten.

  Nicola Caputo (S&D). – Signor Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, i produttori di latte europei operano in uno scenario in cui crisi economica, calo dei consumi interni ed embargo russo stanno creando una situazione insostenibile e l'incremento della produzione di latte a livello europeo, in seguito alla cessazione del regime delle quote, non può che avere gravi ripercussioni sul prezzo che crolla e sui margini dei produttori che si riducono sempre più. Servono quindi nuovi strumenti di gestione dell'offerta, non assimilabili a quelli preesistenti, per contrastare l'estrema volatilità dei prezzi.

Il nuovo modello di garanzia per l'agricoltura, presentato dalla Banca europea per gli investimenti (BEI) lo scorso marzo, potrebbe essere utilizzato dagli Stati membri per creare nuovi strumenti finanziari e facilitare l'accesso al credito per i produttori del settore lattiero-caseario. L'intervento della BEI per gestire la fine del regime delle quote latte potrebbe essere un passo importante: il supporto finanziario della BEI, in sinergia con i programmi di sviluppo rurale, consentirebbe al comparto lattiero-caseario di ottenere un effetto moltiplicatore in termini di crescita e di reddito.

E tra i tanti problemi c'è anche qualche luce. Mi riferisco all'incremento della domanda mondiale di latte e formaggi, che è in crescita sui mercati europei: si stanno aprendo nuovi mercati ed è quindi essenziale incentivare l'export per garantire il futuro e tutelare il reddito degli allevatori europei.

  Sofia Ribeiro (PPE). – Senhora Presidente, Senhor Comissário Phil Hogan, estamos de novo a debater a situação do setor do leite a nível europeu e todos nós reconhecemos que o leite tem crises cíclicas. No entanto, esta não é uma crise normal, pois não só não se perspetiva a sua resolução como o seu impacto está a ser mais forte do que era esperado.

Também temos todos a certeza de que o Observatório do Mercado do Leite tem de ter mecanismos de gestão de crises, sendo que para tal necessita de trabalhar com dados constantemente atualizados, o que nem sempre tem acontecido.

Esta situação extremamente negativa atravessa o setor em toda a Europa, é verdade, mas revela-se com uma especial incidência nos Açores, uma região ultraperiférica europeia, cuja produção de leite representa 46 % da economia regional, na qual os seus produtores olham para nós a pedir-nos ajuda, dada a situação aflitiva que atravessam. Estamos a falar de uma quebra entre 9 a 14 cêntimos no preço do litro de leite, o que equivale a dizer uma perda estimada, até ao momento, de cerca de 20 milhões de euros. É uma quebra muito acentuada que se torna urgente mitigar.

Senhor Comissário, todos nós estamos bem conscientes da importância deste setor para os Açores e da situação extremamente difícil que atravessa neste cenário de liberalização do mercado do leite. Já o ouvi reconhecer as nossas dificuldades, e esta Casa também as reconheceu ao votar positivamente muitas das minhas propostas que pretendem proteger o setor, presentes neste relatório. Neste sentido peço-lhe ajuda, em nome dos produtores dos Açores, para que possamos manter a tradicional produção de leite na nossa região, com todos os benefícios sociais e familiares, ambientais, económicos e outros. Conto com a sua ajuda para pôr rapidamente em prática duas das minhas propostas aprovadas na Comissão da Agricultura – estou a terminar –, como criar um mecanismo para os Açores, de transição para o fim das quotas, e aumentar o POSEI.

  Laurențiu Rebega (S&D) – Doamnă președintă, domnule comisar, doresc să subliniez încă o dată faptul că, de-a lungul timpului, a devenit din ce în ce mai evident că prețul la lapte și veniturile agricultorilor nu au fost susținute și stabilizate destul de eficient.

Sunt de acord cu raportorul că punerea aplicare a măsurilor introduse de Pachetul lapte este neuniformă în statele membre și sunt foarte îngrijorat pentru micii producători. De exemplu, eliminarea cotelor va duce în România, conform estimărilor, la iminenta dispariție a aproximativ 800 000 de mici producători locali. Cred că politica Uniunii Europene privind producția de lactate a micilor producători ar trebui să fie sprijinită pentru a împiedica abandonul acesteia și, de aceea, reamintesc câteva dintre amenințările cu care se confruntă sectorul: închiderea pieței cu Rusia, invazia pe anumite piețe a produselor mai ieftine, provenite din unele țări din Uniunea Europeană, concurența neloială și fraudele alimentare pe lanțul agroalimentar, pe filiera laptelui, disparități sociale mari în mediul rural, lipsa alternanței în privința locurilor de muncă din zona rurală.

Comisia Europeană trebuie să consolideze stabilizarea pieței cu amănuntul pentru a reglementa obținerea de profituri de către micii producători și susținerea consolidării asociațiilor micilor producători, în special în estul Europei. Sper, domnul comisar, că aveți în vedere acest lucru.

  Michel Dantin (PPE). – Madame la Présidente, je voudrais tout d'abord remercier notre collègue Nicholson pour son nouveau travail sur le lait, trois ans après le rapport qui a préparé le "paquet lait".

Monsieur le Commissaire, lorsque nous avons conçu ce "paquet lait", bien peu voulaient des contrats, encore moins des contrats longs. Il a fallu se battre pour inscrire ces contrats dans les textes européens.

Je vois qu'aujourd'hui, sous l'effet de la crise, les choses ont un peu évolué. Il faut sans doute consolider ces outils et donner un cadre qui ait une vraie visibilité tant aux producteurs qu'aux autres acteurs de la filière laitière.

Quand le prix du lait était satisfaisant pour les producteurs, on nous disait qu'il ne fallait pas faire de contrats, que c'était bien mieux comme cela; les industriels eux-mêmes ne voulaient pas de contrats. Aujourd'hui, le ton change, les industriels constatent eux aussi qu'il vaudrait mieux qu'ils aient des volumes garantis dans le temps. Je crois que cette politique doit être poursuivie, mais nous devons en même temps rappeler que le lait est un outil de la politique d'aménagement du territoire.

L'observatoire que nous avons mis en place nous donne des éléments importants. Il doit être complété sur le volet des charges. Je rappelle que dans l'OCM, nous avons désormais introduit un critère qui permet à la Commission d'intervenir lorsque les charges des producteurs atteignent un prix qui n'est plus en rapport avec le prix du marché. Il y a sans doute là une voie à explorer.

Vous nous avez dit, Monsieur le Commissaire, dans une précédente intervention, que la Commission avait engagé une action sur le plan des exportations pour contrecarrer le problème russe. Je pense qu'il faut effectivement poursuivre dans cette voie. Les industriels nous disent qu'ils ont besoin d'aide pour conquérir de nouveaux marchés et quand je parle des industriels, je pense aussi aux coopératives. Il faut que la Commission remplisse complètement, à leurs côtés, ce rôle de VRP, pour les aider à vendre, non seulement du lait et de la poudre de lait, mais également des fromages, des produits transformés et des produits à haute valeur ajoutée.

  Daniel Buda (PPE). – Doamnă președintă, sectorul laptelui este unul dintre cele mai vulnerabile sectoare din agricultură. Îl felicit pe domnul comisar Phil Hogan pentru activitatea domniei sale dar, în același timp, consider că este nevoie să existe o preocupare mai energică din partea Comisiei, astfel încât să fie identificate mijloacele cele mai eficiente în vederea protejării acestui sector.

Dispariția cotelor de lapte accentuează în mod grav și inacceptabil dezechilibrele între fermierii mari și fermierii mici, astfel încât existența acestora din urmă este serios pusă în pericol. Embargoul impus de Rusia pentru produsele lactate și nu numai este de natură să provoace mutații ale pieței, generând dezechilibre și în țările care nu avut raporturi comerciale directe cu acestea. Astfel, în unele țări, printre care și România, prețul laptelui a ajuns la zece eurocenți pe litru, mult sub prețul de cost, micii fermieri fiind în pragul unui faliment iminent.

Ținând cont de volatilitatea prețului, Comisia trebuie să introducă deîndată în programul său de lucru măsuri privind consolidarea și protejarea acestui sector la nivel european, iar găsirea de noi piețe cum ar fi cea oferită de TTIP, precum și dezvoltarea celor existente, trebuie să fie o preocupare majoră.

De asemenea, trebuie create mecanisme, inclusiv facilități fiscale, prin care să se stimuleze înființarea asociațiilor și organizațiilor de producători capabile să proceseze lapte în produse finite, iar mai departe să-și creeze propriile lanțuri de desfacere pe care să le administreze. Abia atunci vom putea vorbi de securitate în sectorul laptelui.

Interventions à la demande

  Michaela Šojdrová (PPE). – Paní předsedající, odvětví mléka je klíčovým odvětvím zemědělsko-potravinářské produkce a Česká republika není výjimkou. Toto odvětví má ale také velký potenciál pro zaměstnanost, jak již zde bylo řečeno. Má ale dnes velké problémy a my se tím musíme zabývat.

Je zřejmé, že také pan komisař hledá pozitivní řešení a zdůraznil důležitost tržního mechanismu. Já s ním souhlasím, ale zároveň musíme vnímat to, že producenti mléka mají složité podmínky, náročné ekologické a hygienické požadavky, čelí dopadům ruského embarga, velmi rozkolísanému trhu a nízkým výkupním cenám mléka.

Proto souhlasím s výzvou Evropského parlamentu, který požaduje to, aby Evropská komise přišla s novými nástroji, které pomohou stabilizovat situaci na trhu s mlékem a zvýší atraktivitu produkce mléka. Nová opatření by měla směřovat k posílení organizací producentů a posílení jejich konkurenceschopnosti.

  Doru-Claudian Frunzulică (S&D). – Madam President, dairy farmers continue to be hard hit by the combination of the ending of the milk quota regime and the effects of the Russian embargo. I congratulate my colleagues from the S&D Group who put emphasis on the situation of the primary producers and particularly those operating on a smaller scale on family farms or from more remote areas.

The risks of further concentration of milk production in more competitive areas is still a lurking threat for such farms, and the report now contains a set of proposals and demands which could form a minimum set of safeguards. I am confident that the S&D Group Agriculture Committee members will remain in close contact, and if the situation deteriorates we will ring the alarm bells again in the future to ensure primary dairy production is safeguarded.

Finally, I believe it is important to strengthen the Milk Market Observatory to give producers more timely access to accurate market information.

  Νότης Μαριάς ( ECR).– Κυρία Πρόεδρε, η κοινή γεωργική πολιτική οφείλει να στοχεύει στην ισόρροπη εδαφική ανάπτυξη από οικονομικής και κοινωνικής απόψεως. Αυτό σημαίνει ότι η κτηνοτροφία πρέπει να συνεχίσει να είναι παραγωγική και βιώσιμη, ιδίως στις απομακρυσμένες και ορεινές περιοχές.

Στην Ελλάδα ιδίως έχει χτυπηθεί η παραγωγή γαλακτοκομικών προϊόντων στα νησιά του Αιγαίου. Επιπλέον, οι νησιωτικές και ορεινές περιοχές έχουν αυξημένο κόστος παραγωγής, συλλογής και εμπορίας του γάλακτος και των γαλακτοκομικών προϊόντων. Ειδική μέριμνα πρέπει να δοθεί για το ζωικό κεφάλαιο. Επίσης τα προϊόντα ΠΟΠ πρέπει να τύχουν πραγματικής προστασίας και ιδίως η ελληνική φέτα που αντιμετωπίζει αθέμιτο ανταγωνισμό, τόσο στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση όσο και σε τρίτες χώρες όπως είναι o Καναδάς. Επιπλέον, ο γαλακτοκομικός τομέας έχει υποστεί τεράστια οικονομική ζημιά λόγω του ρωσικού εμπάργκο.

Τέλος, η τρόικα με την πολιτική της στην Ελλάδα διαλύει τον πρωτογενή τομέα, αυξάνει το κόστος παραγωγής και των εφοδίων. Πήρε όμως η τρόικα την απάντηση που της αρμόζει με το μαζικό όχι των κτηνοτρόφων στο χθεσινό δημοψήφισμα.

  Bronis Ropė (Verts/ALE). – Iš tikrųjų džiaugiuosi, kad šiandien svarstomas šis klausimas ir dėkoju kolegai Jamesui Nicholsonui už parengtą darbą, bet noriu pasakyti, kad, deja, ši problema tik didėja ir aštrėja. Tai – kaimui labai svarbus klausimas. Ir noriu pasakyti, kad perdirbėjai jau tiek savivaliauja, kad ,pavyzdžiui, praeitą savaitę Lietuvoje už dvylika euro centų nesutiko supirkti viso pieno ir ūkininkai buvo priversti dalį pieno išpilti į mėšlides. Tai yra visiškai netoleruotini dalykai. Ir manau, kad jeigu nenorime reguliuoti Europos mastu, tai turime, kuo greičiau suteikti galimybę valstybėms narėms tai padaryti. Ir toms valstybėms, kur pieno supirkimo kainos yra ženkliai mažesnės už Europos vidurkį, turime kuo greičiau suteikti paramą, kitaip investuoti didžiuliai Europos pinigai paprasčiausiai prapuls. Tai kam mes tada investuojam, jei paskui nesudarome sąlygų tas investicijas apsaugoti.

  Stanislav Polčák (PPE). – Paní předsedající, v jedné minutě je asi těžko možno obsáhnout veškeré aspekty zkoumaného problému, tj. pádu cen mléka. Já bych si dovolil upozornit pouze na jeden aspekt.

Je nesmyslné tlačit na trh, pokud ovšem trh správně funguje. Pokud nefunguje, tak si myslím, že je zapotřebí jistého zásahu. Já bych si dovolil předestřít, že reakce na úrovni Evropské unie by se měla týkat úpravy intervenční ceny mléka a mimořádného zavedení vývozních náhrad za účelem nalezení novým odbytišť pro přebytečné mléko na evropském trhu. Samozřejmě jedná se o kumulaci efektu, kdy ruské embargo vytlačuje právě mléko z tohoto trhu a tento přebytek by právě měl být řešen nalezením odpovídajících nových trhů. To si myslím, že by byl hlavní úkol Komise, a proto doufám, že pan komisař se této problematice bude věnovat i nadále.

  Ruža Tomašić (ECR). – Gospođo predsjednice, ukidanje mliječnih kvota dočekano je s velikom rezervom i vidljivom zabrinutošću kod velikog broja malih proizvođača zato što se boje da će ovakav potez dovesti do pada konkurentnosti njihove proizvodnje u odnosu na velike proizvodne strukture u mliječnoj industriji. Dijelim tu njihovu zabrinutost, ali ne zato što sustav kvota smatram posebno dobrim, već zato što držim da nismo učinili ni približno dovoljno kako bismo malim proizvođačima osigurali jednake uvjete na tržištu.

Izvjestitelj ide u dobrom smjeru sa svojom preporukom o poticanju kratkih lanaca opskrbe i davanju prednosti lokalnoj proizvodnji, posebno kad je riječ o otočnim i najudaljenijim regijama.Također, smatram vrlo važnim da države članice svojim malim proizvođačima mlijeka pruže maksimalnu potporu u njihovom informiranju i educiranju radi boljeg korištenja novca iz europskih fondova.

  Franc Bogovič (PPE). – Čestitke kolegu Nicholsonu za odlično poročilo. Vidi se, da je dober poznavalec tega področja in je opozoril praktično na vse probleme pred katerimi se nahajamo v trenutku, ko smo na eni strani ukinili kvote, na drugi strani pa je Evropa bila deležna tudi ruskega embarga na uvoz hrane.

Na nekaterih območjih so ti problemi še toliko večji, kajti pridelovalni pogoji so zaradi majhnih kmetij, zaradi težkih pogojev obdelovanja na hribovskih kmetijah, toliko težji in lastna cena je višja, pritisk na ceno pa iz dneva v dan večji.

Zato je tudi v poročilu dobro nakazano tisto področje, ki govori o boljšem povezovanju kmetov, iskanju novih trgov in seveda tudi iskanju kvalitetnih produktov, s katerimi se bodo lahko tudi v lokalni oskrbi, oskrbi turističnih kompleksov, dosegle boljše cene, in – predvsem za kmetije s težjimi pogoji – tudi primeren dohodek.

  Mairead McGuinness (PPE). – Madam President, just a few points in relation to the actual report itself. I would be concerned about the conflict between paragraphs 22 and 24, and I hope that the vote will clarify the situation. The one thing that producers want – well two things – are good prices, which they are not getting at the moment – we all accept that – and policy certainty. We have therefore told producers that quotas are gone, and they are working and planning on that basis.

On the price side, all I would say to the Commission is: do not do what happened the last time and intervene too late. Let us be very clear on that. We need to do more on the retail side within the European Union. Fresh milk is disregarded by retailers; it is sold at a low price, and that needs to be looked at. I look at that in my report, and I know that the Commissioner has an interest in that as well.

Finally, I do not think it is an issue about large and small producers, because large producers are more at risk in times of price volatility. I think we need to look at the future for all dairy farmers.

(Fin des interventions à la demande)

  Phil Hogan, Member of the Commission.– Madam President, I want to again thank Mr Nicholson as rapporteur of this report and to thank all the contributors to this debate. I want to acknowledge that there are challenges arising from changes in policy, but also that in the market place there is considerable volatility, and that has been acknowledged by me and indeed other speakers in this debate. So we are as one in terms of acknowledging that there are challenges in that area at the moment.

But there are many tools that I have outlined in my contribution earlier, that have been used to cushion incomes for dairy producers. And one of the ones I mentioned was the voluntary coupled support, where EUR 820 million has been spent, and is being spent over the next few years, in helping dairy producers in 19 Member States. I will give you some examples in terms of how it is impacting farmers in some Member States: this turns into EUR 74 a cow in the mountainous areas of France that Mr Andrieu mentioned, up to EUR 530 a cow in Finland, EUR 300 a cow in Hungary, EUR 114 a cow in mountainous areas in Spain, EUR 250 per cow in Romania, EUR 65 a cow in Croatia and EUR 145 a cow in the Azores under the POSEI scheme, in addition to whatever the regional government wishes to give under the rural development programme. I give those as examples of where policies are being put in place to cushion the incomes of dairy producers, which has often been ignored: the contribution and the choices that you as legislators have given to Member States and regional governments in order to do that.

Market intervention thresholds always come up but, as I mentioned in my contribution, the product that goes into intervention has to be put on the market at some place in the future. It is interesting at the moment that skimmed-milk powder is not going into intervention, and it would be interesting to analyse the reasons why.

I am very conscious of the Russian ban and its impact on agricultural exports from dairy, and I am looking into how we can actually assist producers and, in taking account of some of the measures that have been made already, how we can roll those over in the future. I hope to be in a position to come back to those particular measures for farmers and for people in sectors other than dairy in the future.

New markets are very important. In fact, butter products have achieved a buoyancy in 2015: up 8% in the first quarter, while skimmed milk powder has gone up 17%. Other products, like cheese, have gone down. So there are certainly some measures where the glass is half full. There is certainly a need for more promotion, and the budget has been increased in order to find third-country markets.

In terms of volatility, there is a structural issue (I think Mr Smith is quite correct about that) in some Member States, particularly in the United Kingdom. I think that we need to look at ways in which we can assist in the establishment of better contractual relations between farmers and the industry and how some coops – in fact in some Member States – are establishing a lock-in price over a period of time at a very reasonable price.

There are structural problems, I agree. At the European Investment Bank, in spite of what my friend Mr Flanagan said, it is not a compulsory option to take out a loan, but there are opportunities for people to get access to finance whether they are young farmers or whether they are people who want to expand. The food chain continues to be a source of concern, and we are watching carefully what is happening in the United Kingdom and Spain in order to give us some experience, and we look forward to the report of Ms McGuinness later this year, which will give us more information and explanation about what action we can take in order to improve the situation for the producer here.

Super-levy instalments are the only policy vehicle at my disposal, because it was agreed by legislators back in 2003, confirmed in 2008 and again in 2013, that we were going to have a super levy. Farmers produced more milk in 2014 knowing that they were going to have to pay a super levy. The Council of Agricultural Ministers could not reach an agreement on a soft landing in relation to the super levy payments, so I did what I could, which was to apply a three-yearly interest-free instalment arrangement for the payment of that money. I will do what I can to maintain as much of that money as possible in the agricultural sphere.

These are important issues that have been raised here this evening. I can certainly say, in the context of the Russian ban, new markets and volatility of the food chain, that we are making considerable efforts to implement measures that will meet the concerns you have expressed. There are direct support provisions which have not been mentioned too loudly here tonight, but I am bringing to your attention the fact that a considerable amount of expenditure – EUR 820 million – is cushioning farmers, even though the price of the product is reducing. I again want to thank the speakers – the rapporteur in particular – and the shadow rapporteurs for their input, and it has produced sufficient information for me to be able to take cogniscence of measures that can perhaps be taken in future on many of the areas that have been mentioned in the report.

  James Nicholson, rapporteur.– Madam President, can I first of all take the opportunity to thank everyone who participated in the debate. I think what it has proved here tonight is that there are many problems facing the dairy sector throughout the European Union. They may differ in different regions, and there may be different problems, but certainly the problems are there. There is not much doubt about that. I would also like to thank the Parliament services for ensuring that we had a full debate on this report tonight. That has proven to be very worthwhile as well.

I am totally in agreement with many of the things that were said. The report covered wide issues, and none more than the needs of people in mountainous areas and peripheral areas. I tried to address that, and it is not an easy problem. It is a very serious problem, and it is more difficult for those who actually live in those areas.

I have to be honest, Commissioner: I think that the Milk Market Observatory is not fit for purpose as it stands. You are going to have to do more, and you are going to have to do it more quickly. I would hope that, by autumn, you will come to the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) with proposals as to what you are going to do there. Now is not a time to be following in Europe – we should be leading in Europe. I also believe that the money collected in the super levy should be kept within the industry and should not be taken by any other parts of the industry or given to any other parts of the Commission.

Everybody speaks about volatility, but nobody has really got the right idea about how we actually deal with it or how we handle it. It is a very difficult subject. I would like to echo what Mairead McGuinness said: do not leave it too late. Mariann Fischer Boel promised us in the AGRI Committee, when she was in your position, that never ever again would dairy farmers have to wait so long for support. Do not leave it too late.

Commissioner, I fear your honeymoon period is coming to an end. I noticed in my local agricultural press at the weekend that my local minister said that you and your staff were living in ivory towers in Brussels. I would not say that about you, because I know you are a much cleverer man. You will take on board the many things that have been said about the Commission here tonight. However, we do need the Commission to take action, to take these views on board, and to do something in the name of the dairy farmers who are suffering hardship at this present moment in time.

  La Présidente. – Le débat est clos.

Le vote aura lieu mardi 7 juillet 2015 à 13 heures.

Déclarations écrites (article 162)

  Ангел Джамбазки (ECR), в писмена форма.– Уважаеми колеги, докладът относно перспективите за млекопреработвателната промишленост на ЕС е изключително важен за страни като България, където млекопреработвателната индустрия предоставя много работни места най-вече в най-слабо развитите региони на страната. Изрично искам да благодаря на докладчика Никълсън, с когото имах възможност да обсъдя проблемите на българските млекопроизводители и преработватели, както и позицията на българското правителство по това досие. Радвам се, че вследствие на проведените разговори и преговори по досието, в предложението е отделено специално внимание на въздействието от руското ембарго, както и подпомагането на най-засегнатите страни като България. Втората основна теза в предложението е, че трябва да се запазят досегашните решения относно квотите, за да се избегне по-нататъшна нестабилност на пазара. Премахването на квотите крие опасност от допълнителна концентрация на производството на мляко в полза на най-големите млекодобивни стопанства и е в ущърб на най-малките, като производителите от България. Подкрепям изцяло работата на г-н Никълсън и му пожелавам успех в бъдещите преговори.

  Viorica Dăncilă (S&D), în scris.– Contextul actual de pe piața laptelui după expirarea cotelor necesită acordarea unei atenții deosebite producătorilor de lapte, care se confruntă cu o nouă stare de fapt. Volatilitatea prețurilor este un aspect esențial care trebuie luat în considerare, având în vedere experiențele de până acum, dar și concurența tot mai mare de pe piața laptelui. Producătorii ar trebui să poată prefigura niște marje de preț pentru a-și putea elabora o strategie de piață adaptată la cerințele reale ale pieței.

Consider că este necesară o revizuire a prețului de referință la produsele supuse intervenției, astfel încât măsurile adoptate până în prezent de Comisie să fie eficiente și mai atractive. Cred că Observatorul pieței laptelui ar putea fi îmbunătățit prin echiparea acestuia cu un set de indicatori pentru o mai bună monitorizare a pieței. Acești indicatori ar trebui să ofere informații cu privire la marjele de preț și să includă atât statul membru, cât și dimensiunea regională, fără a crește povara administrativă. Totuși, această transparență ar trebui să protejeze interesele diverselor entități de pe filiera laptelui.

  Norbert Erdős (PPE), írásban.– A tejkvóta áprilisi megszűnését követően a tejtermelők még inkább ki vannak téve a tejárak világpiaci ingadozásának és a nemzetközi élelmiszerláncok sok esetben a termelőket megkárosító kereskedelmi gyakorlatának. Az Európai Uniónak ezért kiemelten szükséges foglalkoznia a tejtermelők érdekeinek a védelmével és a tejágazat megerősítésével. James Nicholson északír képviselőtársam egy termelőközpontú jelentést tett le az asztalra. Egyetértek vele abban, hogy a Tejcsomagnak a termelői szervezetekre épülő politikája és a termelők tárgyalási alkupozíciójának a megerősítése az az út, melyen tovább kell lépnünk. Külön erőfeszítéseket kell tenni továbbá a hátrányos helyzetű területeken és a hegyvidékeken gazdálkodó tejtermelők védelmében. A tejtermelési illeték által elvont összegeket pedig az agrárköltségvetésen belül kell tartani és a tejágazat versenyképességére kell fordítani.

A termelői szervezetek jogosítványait tovább szükséges erősíteni, a kollektív beszállítói szerződések kialakítására vonatkozó befolyásukat tovább kell növelni. A Tejpiaci Megfigyelőközpont teljesítményén pedig még javítani szükséges. Jelentős siker Magyarország számára, hogy a válságkezelés hatékonyságának növelésére vonatkozó mindkét javaslatom bekerült a jelentésbe. Fel kell szólítani az Európai Bizottságot, hogy az intervenciós árakat a valós piaci árhoz és a termelési költségekhez igazítsa. Továbbá súlyos válság esetén ideiglenes jelleggel aktiválni kell az export-visszatérítések alkalmazását. Ezek a javaslatok az uniós válságkezelés alapvető hiányosságaira világítanak rá, és minden termékpálya piaci működését érintik.

  Владимир Уручев (PPE), в писмена форма.– Уважаеми колеги, ситуацията в сектора на млякото в редица държави членки е тревожна - изкупните цени на суровото мляко и сирената продължават да спадат. От януари т.г. изкупните цени на млякото в България бележат най-ниските нива от 5 години насам. Наред с отпадането на квотния режим върху млякото и млечните продукти, удължаването на руското ембарго с още една година допълнително усложнява ситуацията в сектора. Приветствам доклада, тъй като предлага редица мерки за засилване позициите на млекопроизводителите при договаряне и способността им да издържат на пазарните кризи (укрепване на договорните отношения, стимулиране сдружаването в сектора, инструменти за управление на риска). Нестабилността на цените, като последица от отпадането на квотите, изисква допълнителни действия, за да запазим поминъка на най-уязвимите - малките производители, производителите в планинските и необлагодетелстваните райони. Затова призовавам за връщане на средствата от свръхналога обратно в сектора, като се предвиди временна извънредна подкрепа на млекопроизводителите в ЕС, ако положението продължава да се влошава. Руското ембарго показа до какви сътресения може да доведе загубата на определен външен пазар. Предизвикателството сега е оптимизиране на вътрешното потребление, което може да се насърчи чрез различни промоционални мерки, схеми за гаранция, допълнителни плащания за засегнатите продукти (напр. сирене), както и чрез училищната схема за мляко.