A decision will be taken on whether or not to support the EU beef and dairy sectors, in the wake of Russia’s EU food import ban, at an Agriculture Management Committee Meeting in Brussels next Thursday, August 28, a spokesman for EU Farm Commissioner Dacian Cioloș has told Agriland.
“The main focus at that stage will be on the impact felt by the dairy sector. We know that three Baltic states, plus Finland, have already been badly impacted on the back of Russia’s refusal to accept cheese imports from those countries.
“But, by next Thursday we will have a much more comprehensive perspective on the impact of the ban.
“The Commission has the power to introduce Emergency Market Support Measures. These can be directed at specific products and/or Member States.
“If the decision is taken to push ahead with measures of this kind, aids to private storage will, almost certainly, be the agreed option. Export Refunds would not be acceptable, either politically, or economically at the present time.”
The Commission has also let it be known the group of specialists that has been drawn together by Dacian Cioloș, to work through the implications of the Russian food import ban, comprises a mix of marketing, technical and legal experts from DG Agri.
The spokesman said one of the key factors that will determine the need for support measures within the dairy sectors is the feasibility of securing new markets for displaced dairy products that have been refused entry by Russia.
“Earlier this year, Russia imposed an import ban on EU pigmeat. However, subsequent to this new markets have been found for these products. “There are many factors to be considered at next Thursday’s meeting and it is too early to predict what decisions will be made at that that time.”