(Brussels, 21 June 2011) Against the backdrop of the discussions at this weeks’ G20 Agricultural Ministerial in Paris to help address extreme food price volatility and its impact on food security, the Confederation of food and drink industries of Europe (CIAA) today issued a political statement to Agriculture Ministers calling for consideration of a list comprising six key elements.

Speaking upon the release of the CIAA statement, Director General, Mella Frewen, noted:

“Given our industry’s reliance on adequate supplies(1) of safe and sustainable agricultural raw materials, it is essential that food security and extreme price volatility are dealt with in coordination by partners from across the globe. We look forward to the outcome of the G20 Ministerial of Agriculture Ministers in Paris, where we hope that an Action Plan is agreed in order to provide short, medium and long-term solutions to problems currently faced by food manufacturers on the global agricultural commodities market.”

Europe’s food and drink manufacturers provide hundreds of millions of consumers, in Europe and worldwide, with safe, nutritious and enjoyable food and drink products. Their list is as follows:

1. Concerning supply, G20 Ministers are asked to support measures aimed at increasing world production of agricultural raw materials and agricultural productivity.
2. On demand, the need for agriculture to focus primarily on food and feed markets was underlined.
3. Ministers are asked to ensure that reliable and timely data on physical commodity markets is available and reinforced in order to support public policies and facilitate policy coordination at an international level.
4. A request for greater international coordination and an adequate regulatory and supervisory framework governing commodity derivatives is also seen as vital in order to lead to transparent and better functioning markets.
5. In turn, trade policies that are founded on a strong rules-based multilateral system are seen as a key element in tackling food security challenges.
6. As part of an eventual Action Plan to tackle the issues mentioned above, the G20 is also called to consider building capacity to implement food emergency reserve systems to help respond to food crises, if and when necessary.

Please read statement here.

(1) From both EU and non-EU countries. Food and drink manufacturers alone use 70% of agricultural raw materials produced in the EU.

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