(25 July 2012 Brussels) Just over six months after the launch of the European Social Dialogue for the food and drink Industry, EFFAT (European Federation of Food Agriculture and Tourism Trade Union) and FoodDrinkEurope outline their common priorities on the reform of the CAP (Common Agriculture Policy).

Both partners recognise the importance of the EU agricultural sector in terms of sustainable production, Europe’s food security, rural employment, and landscape preservation, and ask that adequate support is allocated to the sector:

In their joint statement FoodDrinkEurope and EFFAT identified seven issues of relevance that need to be addressed in the ongoing reform of the CAP towards 2020, all of which have an impact on Europe’s food and drink sector:

1. The safety and quality of EU agriculture and food products, in addition to promoting the key role played by farmers and workers in bringing safe food to market through appropriate training measures;

2. The contribution of the CAP to the EU2020 Strategy1 in delivering a productive EU agricultural sector, featuring decent employment and good working conditions and environmental sustainability;

3. The investment in innovation, research and knowledge transfer in EU agriculture;

4. The need to enhance the attractiveness of EU agriculture for young people;

5. The drive to improve the functioning of the EU food supply chain towards fairer commercial relations among its operators;

6. The need for coherence between the CAP and other EU policies, among others the EU2020 Strategy, the EU Employment Strategy, and the Agenda for New Skills and New Jobs; and finally,

7. The need for a comprehensive impact assessment of measures within the CAP related to employment, agricultural production and the food and drink industry. EFFAT and FoodDrinkEurope will now work together to input into the legislative process by actively promoting their joint priorities.

- ENDS –

1 EU2020 Strategy: Europe 2020 is the EU's growth strategy for the coming decade. It was outlined by President Barroso in 2010 and aims for the EU to become a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy over the next decade. . These three mutually reinforcing priorities should help the EU and the Member States deliver high levels of employment, productivity and social cohesion.