EU

ASSICA and 124 Organizations ask for a turning point in EU agri-food policy

ASSICA is pleased to have signed on March 26, in Brussels, together with 124 other organisations representing the diversity of European livestock supply chains, a joint appeal to the European Commission calling for a comprehensive, science-based EU agri-food strategy that valorises animal proteins and supports a resilient and balanced agri-food model across the continent.

Posted on Mar 30 ,00:05

"We wanted to highlight the essential role that the livestock sector plays in ensuring food security, nutritional balance, rural vitality and environmental sustainability within the European Union, as well as the fundamental complementarity between agriculture and livestock farming.  We call on the European Commission to support diversity in EU agricultural production, including livestock farming, mixed farming and sustainable intensification methods that optimise resource efficiency without compromising food security or rural livelihoods", said ASSICA President Lorenzo Beretta.

The call "Feeding Europe: The importance of animal proteins" urges EU policy makers to:

• Develop a holistic EU food strategy, based on the experimental scientific method, integrating both crops and livestock and ensuring fair treatment for all agricultural sectors.
• Support science-based environmental assessments that consider the entire life cycle of food products, avoiding misleading interpretations that unfairly penalize livestock farming, potentially encouraging imports and thus increasing emissions.
• Support scientifically based nutritional assessments that confirm the importance of animal-source foods for human health, especially for vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly and people with nutritional deficiencies.

The call also warns of the unintended consequences of policies that penalise animal protein, noting that a reduction in EU production would inevitably increase import dependency, exacerbate global emissions and threaten the livelihoods of millions of EU farmers and processors.

"With this initiative, ASSICA and its partners who signed the appeal reaffirm their commitment to a future in which agro-industry is productive and sustainable and in which European citizens have access to healthy and balanced diets, based on scientific evidence and economic realism", concluded President Beretta.

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