Spain will ask Brussels funds to mitigate the impact of the Russian veto – The País.com (Spain)

Spain will ask Brussels funds to mitigate the impact of the Russian veto – The País.com (Spain)

Boxes peppers in a Russian market. / B. CZERWINSKI (AFP)

Urgent Measures and shock. The Minister of Agriculture, Isabel García Tejerina, announced Monday, after meeting with the associations of fruit and vegetable producers, who will ask the European Commission for the withdrawal of surplus production sectors that are affected by the Russian veto export. The goal is that after the ban on entry of goods to Russia, the excess product not flood the market and crash prices. Fruits and withdrawals vegetables, the head of the Ministry suggests that financed “funds crisis management of EU CAP support”, I’d intended to food banks or to the processing industry, to ward off a possible downward spiral generalized price.

The proposal of Agriculture has found support from the industry, which has reiterated that the ban imposed by the Kremlin to the EU and the USA on the 7th of August is “serious and dramatic” . Tejerina explained that the proposal will be presented on Thursday within the special management committee set up by the EU, and pointed out that the threat to the Spanish food sector comes only from the inability to export to Russia, but the ban imposed on the entire European market.

“The Commission is aware that this is a situation that is limited to the community level and consequently measures should be taken in the same”, he remarked. He has not ruled out the possibility that members can suggest and implement additional measures. Tejerina recalled that the impact of export restrictions is at 337 million euros for Spain and exports are affected sectors totaled 107 million euros from January to May 2014.

Producer associations, meanwhile, applauded the swiftness of Agriculture intervention, and have emphasized the need to act urgently. “The withdrawal has to be the first step to avoid crash a domino effect of falling prices,” insisted Michael White COAG -Coordinator Association of Farmers and ranchers-who added that the EU should embrace products from EU countries give preferential treatment to goods from another source.

The sector has also agreed that Brussels has to be the one to take responsibility for finding a solution to the crisis. “If a political decision is what has put us in check, there must be a political decision to exit. And it shock,” summarized the president of COAG, waiting to know what steps Tomann at another meeting, convened on Monday 18 among Agriculture and producer associations.