Pork will have compulsory label of origin information – publico

                 

                         
                     

                         

                 

 
 

The government is expected to approve within 20 days of a law that requires the industry and distribution to identify the origin of pork is sold to consumers. Current legislation does not require the disclosure of the slaughter and origin in the butcher or supermarket chains, but with the crisis in the sector this is one of the measures that the executive hopes to stimulate consumption.

At the end a meeting of the crisis staff, set up in December to join the same table producers, industry and distribution (pork and milk meat), the Minister of Agriculture, Capoulas Santos, said that in addition to the initiative of the Government in the case of pork in the milk industry and the distribution pledged to highlight on the label the origin of the product. “It is the duration of the period of mandatory public consultation with the autonomous regions of about 20 days and I think that after this period it will be possible to approve the law,” he said.

The current package of measures, and already known, the Minister of Agriculture recalled the 50% reduction in contributions to the Social Security between April and December and a credit line of EUR 20 million to help pork producers and milk (for now only supported by the state). Capoulas Santos left criticism of the actions of Brussels still does not consider the current situation in the milk and pig production a “grave crisis”, stating that the Commission “can not remain indifferent to this problem.”

For pig farmers, all measures are welcome but David Neves, vice president of FPAS (the federation of producers’ associations), the meeting “unfortunately” did not result big news. “It will be difficult to ask farmers who do not express or give a sign of his disgrace,” he said. For José Oliveira, the CAP, the Ministry of Agriculture “is limited in its action” and will be the market to adjust to the reality. For his part, Fernando Cardoso, the National Federation of Cooperative Milk and Dairy Products, said that the meeting was productive, but there is a “political balance in the European Union that is not favorable” to Portugal.

producers have claimed support from the Government and the European Commission to overcome the difficulties, especially treasury. The most recent data from the INE, released Wednesday, show that the farmers are living the “worst situation” the last 15 years, with prices falling and unable to bear the costs. In 2015 the price paid to producers fell 13.3%, “the second highest decrease in absolute terms since 2000″.

In the last meeting of ministers of agriculture, the European Commission has expressed its readiness to proceed with a temporary reduction in production, as is claimed by France. In the case of milk the proposal to double the ceiling of aid for the storage of milk nonfat dry (to 218,000 tonnes) and butter (100 tonnes). For later became a decision on the source of financing aid, dividing the United States.

Brussels approved in September a package of € 500 million to help producers of milk and pork . Portugal raised 4.8 million, intended only to milk. The European Commission believes that the price drop of the problem should be solved naturally by the market and therefore, by June, any Member State that wants to reduce the production can do it, but at their own expense and voluntarily.