Brussels. COPA and COGECA, the organisations representing European farmers and

European agri-cooperatives, believe that the breakdown of the WTO negotiations has been caused by a lack of attention paid to national food security concerns.

“We have always supported the rules-based multilateral system which WTO represents” said

Pekka PESONEN, Secretary General of COPA-COGECA. “But the suspension of discussions clearly shows that WTO trading partners have not done enough to address the core issue: how countries can ensure secure and reliable food supplies in a sustainable way.”

“The fact that most food in the world is produced and consumed within the same country or even region was totally ignored. Any future trade deal must acknowledge farmers’ role in meeting an increasing global food demand and it must also ensure that this demand is met in a sustainable way” the Secretary General concluded.

For more information, please contact:
Shelby MATTHEWS, Chief Policy Advisor, Tel.: +32 2 287 27 36,
e-mail: shelby.matthews@copa-cogeca.eu
Simon MICHEL BERGER, Press Officer, Mobile: + 32 474 840 836,
e-mail: simon.michel-berger@copa-cogeca.eu