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TTIP talks: What’s cooking?
- Perspectives on Food & Farming
Todor Ivanov
,
(Secretary General EuroCoop)
emphasised the importance of maintaining consumer
confidence in our food. Specifically working towards
regulatory coherence will not lead to better standards,
but endanger the high level of freedom enjoyed by
European consumers to choose what they have or don’t
have on their plates, from cloned animals to GMOs.
Food labelling allows EU consumers to make informed
choices, not to their detriment and adopt responsible
consumer practices. TTIP should not influence legislation
that is intended to protect the interest of consumers.
Consumer trust is at its lowest ebb, and EuroCoop is
concerned that TTIP could further erode consumer
confidence. The EUs farm-to-fork approach to food
safety should be non-negotiable in TTIP negotiations.
EU consumers have clearly and consistently voiced their
concerns about cloned animals
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for food use, because
of its negative impact on animal welfare and health,
and biodiversity. Therefore, according to Mr Ivanov it is
important to preserve EU legislation that prevents foods
from cloned animals or their offspring from entering
Europe without being labelled. Similarly, concerns have
been expressed that TTIP will be a subtle vehicle to force
GMO into the EU market, de facto limiting EU consumers
right to know and choose.
Growth promoters, antibiotics have been banned in
food in the EU since 2006, while there is no federal
legislation in the US. Antibiotic use in farm animals poses
a substantial risk to health and limits the ability to treat
infections because bacteria are increasingly resistant
to antibiotics. In seeking regulatory convergence, TTIP
should still have room for setting standards on food
safety and consumer protection.
In response
John Clarke
(Director of International
Affairs, European Commission Directorate General
Agriculture and Rural Development - DG AGRI)
, agreed
that TTIP is potentially about much more than trade
and tariffs, and recognised the concerns expressed by
panelists and that public authorities need to provide
answers. There are substantial differences in the way
that the EU and US regulate food and farming. European
rules will not be changed because of TTIP.
The European model of agriculture because of its high
animal welfare, environment and public health standards
leads to higher production costs in the EU. However it
was indicated that this could be used as a positive factor
in creating added value for European food products.
Certainly American consumers value European food and
ideally TTIP will allow more trade between the EU and US.
The question has been raised as to whether TTIP will
benefit agribusiness or farmers and producers. John
Proceedings of the Conference
TTIP – trading away good food and good farming?
We believe that TTIP
should not limit the
impact of the EUs ability
to enforce the rules it
regards as necessary to
protect the interest of
consumers in areas such
as cloning and GMOs.
Consumer confidence
is at its lowest ebb for
several years, and we are
concerned that TTIP will
lead to further erosion
of consumer confidence.”
Todor Ivanov, EuroCoop
In conclusion,
food safety legislation and consumer protection should not merely be considered
as a trade barrier
. Europe enjoys the highest standards of food safety and consumer protection in
the world, and this should not be approached purely from a cost-benefit view as it tends to be in
the US.