26 Amendments of Molly SCOTT CATO related to 2018/2102(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. Whereas the European Commission set up an expert group in January 2016 (‘Agricultural Markets Task Force - AMTF’) with a view to improve the position of farmers in the food chain; whereas its final report presented in November 2016 makes suggestions, inter alia, on how to strengthen market transparency, how to improve contractual relations within the chain and to develop legal possibilities for organising farmers’ collective action;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
B b. Whereas producers do not engage sufficiently in collective price negotiations for several reasons, including the exemption in the Milk Package for milk processed by co-operatives from collective negotiations, and pooling thresholds that are too low to allow farmers to negotiate with dairies on an equal footing;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. Whereas by signing the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, the European Union committed itself to ensuring coherence of all its policies with sustainable development, including its ecological, social and economic dimensions;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
C b. Whereas the following public interest concerns that relate to the agri- food system are enshrined in the TFEU and therefore must be integrated when decisions on mergers, acquisitions and competition are taken: - a social market economy (Article 3); - a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, the fight against social exclusion, and a high level of education, training and protection of human health (Article 9); - environmental protection with a view to promoting sustainable development (Article 11); - a high level of human health protection (Article 168); - economic, social and territorial cohesion (Article 175); - objectives of development cooperation (Article 208);
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas Article 39 TFEU gives the CAP the objective of ensuring a fair standard of living for the agricultural community; whereas the future CAP should likewise aim to foster a smart, resilient and diversified agricultural sector ensuring food security; to bolster environmental care and climate action and to contribute to the environmental- and climate-related objectives of the Union; and to strengthen the socio- economic fabric of rural areas;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas there has been a trend of consistently rising prices of agricultural inputs over recent decades 1b , while farm gate prices farmer receive for their produce have stagnated. _________________ 1b - Eurostat Data on Price indices of agricultural products (apri_pi); also Report of European Parliament on the farm input supply chain: structure and implications (2011/2114(INI)), recital B
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
D b. whereas significant horizontal and vertical restructuring is underway across food systems and a spate of mega-mergers is sparking unprecedented consolidation in the seed, agro-chemical, fertiliser, animal genetics and farm machinery industries, while creating ever-bigger players in the processing and retail sectors 1c _________________ 1c Too big to feed: Exploring the impacts of mega-mergers, consolidation and concentration of power in the agri-food sector. http://www.ipes- food.org/images/Reports/Concentration_E xecSummary.pdf
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Recital D c (new)
Recital D c (new)
D c. whereas even before the current wave of mergers between agrochemical- seed corporations, some crop species showed extreme market concentration and control by 4-5 international companies of between 75-95% of the European market 1a; Whereas most economists agree that 60% dominance is unhealthy for competition; _________________ 1a Study on Market Concentration in the EU Seed Sector http://extranet.greens- efa.eu/public/media/file/1/5728
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Recital D d (new)
Recital D d (new)
D d. whereas EU anti-dumping rules (2013/0103(COD)) that apply to the agricultural sector, amongst other sectors, consider that environmental dumping creates unfair competition;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Recital D e (new)
Recital D e (new)
D e. notes that market speculation on food prices can distort the market, creating unfair competition within food supply chain; notes that food should not be treated as a commodity within financial markets;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Recital D f (new)
Recital D f (new)
D f. whereas the high and rapidly increasing levels of concentration in the agri-food sector reinforce the industrial food and farming model, exacerbating its social and environmental fallout and aggravating existing power imbalances; whereas breaking up these power imbalances is of paramount importance in order to achieve the goals of the CAP;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Stresses that consumers have further interests than low prices alone, including animal welfare, environmental sustainability, rural development, initiatives to reduce antibiotic use and stave off antimicrobial resistance, etc;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Considers that EU competition policy has favoured consumers’ interests and failed to ensure adequate competition between large agribusiness corporations, which has led to excessive pressure on farmers;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Takes the view that the specific characteristics of agricultural activities make it essential to have collective organisations to enable the objectives of the CAP to be attained and that such organisations and their activities must be considered compatible with Article 101 TFEU;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Takes the view that it is necessary to encourage producers to engage in collective price negotiations more strongly and effectively by raising pooling thresholds in collective negotiations and by including milk from co-operatives;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers that the inter-branch organisations model is the most successful form of organisation, because it provides a structure for all the players in a sector; considers that this model should be promoted by the CAPcan certainly contribute to greater transparency of market data, but practice shows that they cannot stabilise the market, because they group together producers and processors that have completely opposing interests with regard to quantities and prices on the market;
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Notes the different scales of competition, and that producers not well- suited to exporting on the global market should be empowered and helped by EU policy to compete on local and regional scales, thereby enriching rural economies and counteracting rural depopulation; notes in this respect the flexibility in competition rules needed, for example to allow for procurement rules giving preference to local producers, thereby creating shorter food circuits and reviving regional and rural economies;
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Expresses disappointment that the European Commission did not include in its proposal on the CMO any suggestions proposed by the Agricultural Markets Task Force;
Amendment 72 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3 c. Considers that the costs of production must become the basis for price formation in contracts between retailers/processors and producers, guaranteeing at least cost-covering prices and taking into account production costs;
Amendment 84 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Notes that the highest standards of environmental and animal welfare can mean higher costs and hence that lowering standards can result in anti- competitive behaviour; Recommends the Commission to explore ways of extending the scope of competition policy to prevent such dumping within the single market and from imports to the single market;
Amendment 85 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Expresses concern about the market concentration and control allowed by the merger of giant agrochemical and seed companies. Expresses concern about the increasing market concentration and control in the agri-food sector, especially in the light of the recent decision to allow Bayer and Monsanto to merge and become “the world's largest integrated pesticides and seeds company” 1a ; Expresses concern because the EU- Commission admitted that it disregarded goals enshrined in the TFEU, notably food safety, protection of consumers, the environment and the climate, in its decision on the Bayer-Monsanto merger 2a ; _________________ 1a http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP- 17-2762_en.htm 2a European Commission – Press Release: Mergers: Commission clears Bayer’s acquisition of Monsanto, subject to conditions, Brussels, 21 March 2018, available from http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP- 18-2282_en.htm
Amendment 89 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls therefore on the Commission to ensure that the interests of farmers are protected following the acquisition of Monsanto by the Bayer group, which coul, the environment, biodiversity, climate, food security, consumer protection, social cohesion and jobs are protected following the acquisition of Monsanto by the Bayer group, which could, among other risks, reduce biodiversity of cultivated and wild plants, lead to a consolidation of lobby power by the newly formed agrochemical giant, and damage competition in the field of access to crop protection products and seeds.;
Amendment 95 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Asks for the introduction of the requirement for an impact assessment to be carried out for mega-mergers that also includes social and environmental impacts as well as effects on farmers, particularly small farmers and other public policy objectives enshrined in the TFEU;
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Calls on the Commission to issue guidelines that clarify how to integrate the goals enshrined in the TFEU into future decisions on mergers, acquisitions and competition;
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Is deeply alarmed at the far- reaching concentration of the food supply chain, whereby four companies, all with close financial ties, own and sell up to 60 % of the global seed market and 75 % of global pesticides, to the detriment of consumers, farmers, the environment and biodiversity alike; Points out that such an oligopoly will make farmers even more technologically and economically dependent on a few globally integrated one-stop-shop platforms, produce limited seed diversity, re-direct trends in innovation away from the adoption of a production model which is respectful of the environment and biodiversity and ultimately, as a result of reduced competition, generate less innovation;
Amendment 99 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5 d. Deplores that the purchase of staple crops for speculative gain can not only result in hunger and starvation but also distort market competition for these widely traded commodities; Calls upon the Commission to review MiFID II to curb speculation, creating fairer competition.