The European Ministers of Agriculture believe that guidelines should be established at the EU level for trade agreements concerning tariffs, prices, and fair trade across the entire food chain. Several EU countries advocated on Monday at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels that supermarket retail prices should also be part of these agreements.
Work is already underway on a directive (UTP) against unfair trading practices, but according to many ministers, the initial draft is still too vague. Such price agreements must not result in farmers’ incomes being the last link in the chain.
French Minister Julian Denormandie (who will hold the EU Agriculture and Fisheries presidency in the coming six months) stated that France already has an extensive food+pricing system through their Egalim policy, and that he places 'fair trade and fair prices for a fair product' high on his agenda.
On Monday afternoon, the Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers also approved an emergency plan to protect the food supply against future crises, such as a COVID pandemic. However, the protection measures can also be employed in cases of natural disasters, outbreaks of animal diseases, and economic threats.
Therefore, a new EU agency will be created that will monitor and manage all these matters. The Netherlands does not object, as according to The Hague, the export of agricultural products must ultimately not be jeopardized.