Slovak Food Producers: EU Agri-Sector Vision Offers Few Measures for the Food Industry

Bratislava – The EU vision for agriculture and food, presented by the European Commission (EC) on Wednesday (19th February), primarily focuses on agriculture, offering few concrete measures to support 304,000 European businesses in the food and beverage sector. Its main goal should be to support small and medium-sized enterprises; however, according to the Slovak Food Chamber (PKS), it does not meet the expectations of the food and beverage industry as a whole, reports TASR.

“The food and beverage industry, as the largest manufacturing sector in Europe, purchases 70% of all EU agricultural products and transforms them into safe, high-quality, and nutritious products. The food and beverage industry has a symbiotic relationship with EU agriculture and faces many of the same challenges, meaning its needs should also be addressed appropriately,” stated PKS.

According to it, the EC’s vision lacks specific measures to support the food and beverage industry, be it for unlocking investments, integrating innovations, or reducing bureaucracy. It also emphasized that this vision does not address the necessary investments for all forms of sustainable agriculture to address emissions across the entire supply chain. It also does not recognize the need for fairness for all actors in supply chain relationships, not just for farmers and regardless of their size.

“Some parts of the vision do focus on the food sector, yet they place expectations on food producers without meeting the requirements for supporting innovation and investments. Questioning the role of food processing, which contributes to affordability, longevity, safety, and preventing food waste, is just one example,” added PKS, noting that this approach could threaten the competitiveness and transformation of European food and beverage producers at a time when many companies currently face significant economic and regulatory pressures. (20th February)