EPP Group urges Commission to extend support for farmers affected by Russian embargo

The EPP Group today urged the European Commission to extend the measures in favour of farmers affected by the Russian embargo that were implemented until 30 June.

EPP Group Members of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee of the European Parliament sent a letter to the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan, asking for a prolongation of the support measures to all sectors suffering the consequences of the embargo, with special regard to fruit and vegetables, dairy, poultry, pig and other meat produce.

The proposal comes after the announcement by Moscow on 24 June of the extension of another year of the ban on EU exports of all agricultural and food products. The move was initiated by EPP Group Spanish MEPs, Ramon Luis Valcárcel, Vice-President of the European Parliament, Esther Herranz and Pilar Ayuso, and particularly focuses on seasonal fruits, for which marketing campaigns are ongoing and are currently the most affected by the ban.

In the letter to Commissioner Hogan, the MEPs claim that "farmers are not at the origin of the political crisis with Russia so the European Union should continue to support all sectors suffering the consequences. We ask you to urgently take the necessary steps to extend the measures to reassure producers and the markets. If no action is taken, this would send a negative message to the affected producers."

"The Russian ban will continue to hit European farmers throughout next year and this will cause further damage to a number of agricultural markets which are already fragile and will cause uncertainty to sectors, such as the dairy sector, which is facing enormous challenges following the end of the quota system", they concluded.