Activities of Csaba Sándor TABAJDI related to 2009/2236(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Future of the CAP after 2013 (debate)
Amendments (60)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
- having regard to the recommendations of the International Assessment of Agriculture Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD),
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 29 March 2007 on the integration of the new Member States into the CAP,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
- having regard to the report of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (A7-0060/2010) on EU agriculture and climate change,
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas, to date, the Common Agricultural Policy's goals, has mset its goals with regard toout in Article 39 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, are directed at achieving better productivity in the food chain, contributing toagriculture, ensuring a fair standard of living for the agricultural community, market stabilisationing markets and the provision ofding food supplies to EU consumers at reasonable prices,; whereas at present not all these goals are being fully achieved, given that it has not yet been possible to achieve income parity in agriculture or to stabilise agricultural markets which have become extremely volatile, with the result that the food security goal has been jeopardised;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas agriculture in the majority of the new Member States differs significantly from agriculture in the EU- 15 in terms of production levels and structures and the number of farms; it is characterised by lower levels of general efficiency, technological development and vertical and horizontal integration than in the old Member States; however agriculture plays a greater economic and social role in the majority of the new Member States than in the EU-15, as the sector’s contribution to the GNI and the proportion of employees working in the sector are above the EU average, (new recital)
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas the Act of Accession introduced a long phasing-in (nine years), with a low starting level (25 %) for the direct payments in the new Member States, though internal market and budgetary contribution rules have been fully applied to them; whereas cost and income levels in the new Member States do not justify this degree of differentiation, which results in unequal conditions for the new Member States’ farmers in terms of competition, (new recital)
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas transparency in the food supply chain have to be improved and action against unfair commercial practices has to be taken, especially in the new Member States where the clear shortage of producer-owners in the food‑processing industry and abuse of the dominant position of commercial chains seriously limit the competitiveness of the farmers and their cooperation and integration, (new recital)
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital O
Recital O
O. whereas the EU must continue to ensure food security for its citizens as well as help feednd contribute more effectively to the world food balance through closer cooperation between rich and poor countries and through support that will make it possible to deal with emergencies and, above all, contribute to the development of all agricultural systems, especially in the world’'s poormost disadvantaged regions; whereas the number of hungry people now exceeds 1 billion and in the European Union today there are over 40 million poor people who do not have enough to eat,
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that the CAP has undergone radical reforms over the last 25 years, in particular bringing about a fundamental shift from production support to producer support, ending regular intervention buying and the dumping of European surpluses on world markets and making the CAP and EU farmers more market-oriented; stresses, however, that these reforms have not fundamentally altered agriculture's dominant development model, which was initiated in the 1960s, when the CAP was launched;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that CAP market instruments are now used as safety nets, in the latest CAP reforms, market instruments have generally been reduced to mere safety nets set at extremely low levels and supposed to help manage market volatility andin order to ensure a certain degree of stability and that, moreover, since the adoption of decoupled Single Farm Payments there has been a resolute move away from trade-distorting measures in line with WTO requirements;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the factNotes that the 2003 CAP reform and the 2008 Health Check haves initiated in 1992 and 1999 and, in particular, that initiated in 2003, which was reviewed during the Health Check and introduced the principle of decoupling, were all intended to allowed EU farmers to better respond and react to market signals and conditions;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points out that rural development is now an integral part of the CAP architecture with its focus on rural communities, improving the environment, modernising and restructuring agriculture and improving product marketing and competitiveness, as well as on the new challenges addressed by the Health Check, namely global warming, renewable energies, water management and biodiversity;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the recognition of the multi- functional role of farmers in delivering public goods such as preserving our environment, high-quality food production, good animal husbandry, shaping and improving the diversity and quality of valued landscapes in the EU, and the move to more sustainable farming practices by not only meeting the basic requirements for maintenance of the land in a G(organic production, precision farming, etc.); notes that this multi-functional role is reflected in cross-compliance criteria governing the disbursement of first-pillar direct aid, which are based on compliance with statutory requirements and good Aagricultural and Eenvironmental Condition (GAEC) but also achieving even higher standards through practice, but also in second-pillar measures coming mainly under Axis 2 (agri- environmental schemes, precision farming and organic production; measures);
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Points out that food security remains the central challenge for EU agriculture in the EU and all around the world, as the world population is predicted to grow from 6 to 9 billion by 2050 and demand for food will double by 2050 according to the FAO (especially in emerging economies such as China or India);
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Believes research and development have an important role to play in making European agriculture more competitive and sustainable and regrets the dramatic drop of investment in this sector;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Recognises the importance of reinforcing the progress already made to preserve biodiversity and protect the environmentat farming has already made considerable progress in cutting its greenhouse gas emissions and, in general, addressing environmental problems (management of water resources, soil, biodiversity, biomass, etc.), but maintains that those efforts need to be continued in order to gear production methods to a more sustainable form of development that is efficient in environmental and social, as well as economic, terms;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Notes that the considerable differences between the agricultural sectors of the new Member States result in differences in the impact of the CAP application and in the scope and vigour of the challenges the new Member States are facing; Stresses that the Commission should take the special problems and concerns of the new Member States more into account in its decisions within the framework of the CAP; (new paragraph)
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Is of the opinion that a strong European Common Agricultural Policy is needed to ensure that EU farmers remainthat serves the interests of all European farmers is essential; takes the view that that policy should ensure that European farming is sustainable and should enable it to play it part in the European economy and competitive on the world market against well subsidised trading partners; believes thattrading partners who are well subsidised and/or not necessarily subject to the same production conditions as regards social, environmental and animal-welfare requirements; believes that, for strategic reasons, the EU cannot afford to rely on other parts of the world to provide for European food security in the context of climate change, political instability in certain regions of the world and potential outbreaks of diseases or other events potentially detrimental to production capacity;
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Considers that that policy should ensure the coexistence of: – high-added-value farming with high- quality primary and processed products giving it a strong position on world markets; – farming open to regional markets; – farming geared to local markets, with it being pointed out that some of the farmers involved are small farmers with limited incomes who, were they to abandon farming, would, owing to their age, qualifications or lifestyle choices, have great difficulty in finding work outside farming, particularly at a time of recession and high unemployment;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Recalls that EU agriculture remains a central sector of the EU economy, making an important contribution to EU GDP and jobs both directly and indirectly through the multiplier effect on both the upstream and downstream food and drink industry market; believes, therefore, that a strong EU agricultureal policy is at the very heart of a successful export-led EU food and drink industrydiversified, sustainable and efficient farming industry generating high-quality primary and processed products for both short and longer distribution channels, coupled with a food and drink industry that accounts for a substantial proportion of EU exports;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Recognises that farmers deliver a range of public goods which the market does not reward them for; therefore insists that they must be fairly rewarded and further incentivised to continue delivering higher- quality products, better animal welfare conditions and additional environmental benefits;considers that the set-up of the market of environmental and social public goods is essential in this regard;
Amendment 325 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24 a. Takes the view that organic farming, High Nature Value farming systems and agro-ecological practices (Integrated Production) need further support and development in Europe; emphasises, in parallel, the need to facilitate a transition to more sustainable agriculture and adoption of agro-ecological practices in conventional systems of production practiced on the majority of EU farmland; (new paragraph)
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Points out that, although the cross- compliance system making the granting of direct aid subject to compliance with statutory requirements and the maintenance of farmland in good agricultural and environmental condition has been necessary, it is no longer the most appropriate means of maximising the provision of eco-system services by farmers and meeting new environmental challenges; moreover, the introduction of cross-compliance has raised a whole range of problems relating to administrative issues and acceptance by farmers, who had the impression that they were losing a degree of freedom in their work;
Amendment 351 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Believes, in line with the latest research available, that without a common agricultural policy, targeting environmental public good delivery and ensuring a strong legislative baseline for environmental protection, unbalanced modes of production would develop across the EU (extreme intensification on the best land and widespread land abandonment in some disadvantaged areas), causing serious damage to the environment; insists that the cost of support through a strongleading to negative environmental effects in some areas, insists that the cost of support for environmental public goods through the CAP is nothinglow compared to the costs of no action and its negative unintended consequences;
Amendment 362 #
Motion for a resolution
Subh. 7
Subh. 7
A fairer CAP
Amendment 365 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Insists that EU agriculture must remain competitive against fierce competition from trade partners who are well- subsidised trade partnerand/or not always subject to the same production conditions, in particular as regards social, environmental and animal welfare standards; therefore believes that competitivenessproductivity enhancement should still be a fundamental objective of the CAP post- 2013 to ensure that the EU has the raw materials to produce high- value diversified European food products and they continue to win a greater share of the world market, as well as ensuring fair traderemuneration for farmers;
Amendment 389 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Insists that the maintenance of farming activity across the whole of Europe is fundamental to maintain diverse and local food production and prevent the threat of land abandonment across EU territoryjobs and social and economic conditions in rural areas, diverse and local food production and the preservation of the environment, the rural space and landscapes;
Amendment 392 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Calls for the guarantee of a fair and stable return for the farming community, to remain ahrough rewarding for the delivery of public goods, to become the primary goal for the new CAP, whilst providing good value for money and a fair return for consumeritizens;
Amendment 401 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Calls for measures based on public-law rules to be taken to strengthen producers' and producer organisations' bargaining power vis-à-vis downstream industries in order to better adapt supply to demand, create and more evenly distribute added value and improve the functioning of the food supply-chain with greater transparency of food prices and action to address unfair commercial practices; considers it important, in this connection, to strengthen inter-branch organisations;
Amendment 410 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Believes that there has to be a minimum safety net within the future framework of the CAP in order to manage extreme market price volatility and provide rapid and efficient responses to economic crises arising in the sectorn effective and flexible intervention mechanism to respond to farming crises caused by extreme market price volatility;
Amendment 420 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36 a. notes the discriminative treatment of the new member states, joined the EU in 2004 and 2007, concerning the allocation of agricultural subsidies, considering that the average combined level of pillar 1 and pillar 2 subsidies by 2013 will be 339 EUR/ha in the EU-27, 354 EUR/ha in the EU-15, while only 299 EUR/ha in the EU- 12; (new paragraph)
Amendment 425 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Calls for a fairer distribution of CAP payments and insists that it should be fair to farmers in both new and old Member States8 ;
Amendment 433 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)
Paragraph 37 a (new)
37 a. notes that the new Member States lag behind the EU-15 in terms of technology, logistics and production- efficiency, which has been further aggravated by a long phasing-in (nine years), with a low starting level (25 %) for the direct payments in the new Member States. Remarks that in the absence of specific measures of preferential treatment the new Member States' competitive disadvantage will remain. As a consequence producers of new Member States will further lose ground on domestic markets and agricultural production will be ceased in many areas resulting massive rural unemployment and social tensions; (new paragraph)
Amendment 434 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 b (new)
Paragraph 37 b (new)
37 b. believes that modernisation of the agricultural systems in some New Member States is capital to take up the challenges of food security, social development of rural communities and competitiveness of holdings. Calls on the Commission to work out 'specific measures for preferential treatment of new member states', to ensure the catching up of their agricultural sector with the average technological, logistical and production-efficiency level of the EU- 15; (new paragraph)
Amendment 435 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 c (new)
Paragraph 37 c (new)
37 c. recognises that as a natural consequence of technological development in the new member states workplaces will disappear in the primary production sector; notes that labour released in the primary production sector should be redirected to the processing industry, or their retraining should be fostered by different European policies; (new paragraph)
Amendment 441 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38 a. takes the view that the present system of direct payments promotes arable cropping too significantly, does not assist properly the establishment of a sustainable animal husbandry and does not promote and facilitate the necessary structural changes, especially in Member States and regions where specialised farms play a decisive role in the agriculture; (new paragraph)
Amendment 449 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Believes that agriculture has a leading role to play in tackling climate change by reducing GHG emissions, increasing carbon sequestration capacity and developing and using more renewable energy sources and bio-based materials; believes that climate considerations should be integrated across CAP measures where appropriate;
Amendment 461 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Considers that production efficiency is fundamental to more sustainable management of scarce resources and that farmers should innovate in their technical production methods by using the latest financial, scientific and technical tools to help meet the growing demand for food in a more economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner;
Amendment 464 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40 a (new)
Paragraph 40 a (new)
40 a. Calls for the future CAP to improve - through the provision of information, training and incentives underpinned by appropriate legislation and the development of a mandatory agricultural practices through stronger GAEC requirements - the sustainability of agriculture through: - enriching the soil with organic matter, increasing soil biodiversity and protecting against soil losses through appropriate cultivation techniques, - utilising water resources efficiently and in line with the environmental threshold of the catchment area, - protecting water quality and contributing to the objectives of the Water Framework Directive through sound management of soils, field margins, inputs, livestock and appropriate land use choices, - protecting valuable carbon stores including peatland and permanent grassland, - protecting and enhancing areas of natural habitat for wildlife, - reducing the use of pesticides to contribute to the objectives of the Sustainable Use Directive and reflecting the requirement for mandatory integrated pest management from 2014. - reducing artificial fertiliser use to contribute to climate change mitigation, water quality and efficient resource use. (new paragraph)
Amendment 498 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 44 a (new)
Paragraph 44 a (new)
44a. Considers that existing agricultural policy architecture suffers from a lack of intelligibility and coherence which make it difficult to understand for farmers and citizens in general; consideration should therefore be given to reorganising the two pillars by combining the axis 2 measures under the rural development pillar (agri- environmental measures) with direct aid under the first pillar, since their content increasingly overlaps; overall support for the two pillars should finally make it possible to promote a new kind of agricultural development, taking into account all the new challenges posed by climate change, water and soil management, biodiversity and renewable energies;
Amendment 545 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 47
Paragraph 47
47. Insists that the CAP should not be renationalised and therefore believes that core direct support should remain fully financed by the EU budget, hence rejecting any further co-financing which could harm fair competition within the EU Single Market; considers that, because the new challenges posed by climate change, water, biodiversity and renewable energies represent future spending of interest and added value to the Community, they should be fully financed from the Union budget;
Amendment 557 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48 – point 1
Paragraph 48 – point 1
1) Believes that in order to reduce the disparities in the distribution of direct support funds between Member States, the hectare basis alone will not be sufficient and, therefore, calls for, that this direct support should be geared more towards the environment and employment and that it is therefore recommended to use additional objective criteria such as a purchasing power coefficient to be used to achieve an overall more balanced distribution between the Member States;
Amendment 562 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 48 – point 1
Paragraph 48 – point 1
1) Believes that in order to reduce the disparities in the distribution of direct support funds between Member States, the hectare basis alone will not be sufficient and, therefore, calls for additional objective criteria such as a purchasing power coefficient to be used to achieve an overall balanced distribution; believes that a single per hectare premium is also unsatisfactory for the purposes of fully exploiting agriculture Europe-wide.
Amendment 619 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 54
Paragraph 54
54. Considers that there should be no return to coupled payments as a guiding principle of the CAP; however, given the move from a historical to an area support model, takes the view that a limited margin for flexibility should be left to Member States to respond to the specific needs of their territory, in the form of capped coupled payments for vulnerable grasslandproducts, including in the area of extensive grass-regenerating livestock abreaseding, in compliance with WTO requirements;
Amendment 655 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56
Paragraph 56
56. Believes that there should be a basic EU-funded direct area payment to all EU farmers in order to providereturn for the delivery of basic environmental public goods and to support the widespread transition towards more sustainable farming in Europe. By protecting and enhancing the natural resource base, this will in turn protect the capacity to produce food in Europe and contribute to basic food security for European consumers,; allow farmers to produce high-quality food competitively in relation to well subsidised trade partners (US), ensure that farming activity continues across the EU and provide baseline public goods through cross- compliance requirements for Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions, as well as high quality and animal welfare standards; calls for an absolute requirement of minimum activity to be included in the cross-compliance rules and proportionality to be the key principle applied when enforcing the rules;
Amendment 657 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56 a (new)
Paragraph 56 a (new)
Amendment 664 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 56 b (new)
Paragraph 56 b (new)
56b. Takes the view that the common agricultural policy must enable a healthier diet to be made available to all consumers, particularly the poorest among them, on the basis of a more varied, accessibly priced range of products; in order to combat poverty and improve health, aid programmes for the poorest in society must be continued, and programmes to boost consumption of fruit and vegetables in schools extended;
Amendment 670 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 57
Paragraph 57
57. Believes that an EU-funded top-up direct area payment should be made available to farmers through simple contracts rewarding them for reducing their carbon emissions per unit of production and increasing their sequestration of carbon in the soil and through the production of biomass that can be used in the production of long-lasting agromaterials;; notes that this would have the double benefit of making EU agriculture more environmentally and economically sustainable through improved efficiency and would also ensure that farmers can financially benefit from increased carbon sequestration on their land and put them on the same footing as other industries which are in the EU ETS; calls for clear and measurable criteria and targets to be defined appropriately to allow these payments to be implemented as soon as possible;
Amendment 683 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58
Paragraph 58
58. Calls for the continuation of specific measures to compensate High Nature Value farmers who producinge high levels of environmental public goods, often in areas with natural handicaps, in order to ensure that environmentally valuable agricultural activity takes place and local food is produced across the EU, reducing the threat of land abandonment and ensuring balanced territorial management across the EU; considers that this support scheme should only target economically marginalised farming systems where they produce high levels of environmental goods and remain co-financed as it currently is;
Amendment 695 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58 a (new)
Paragraph 58 a (new)
58 a. emphasizes that the development of the quality policy for foodstuff, particularly in the field of geographical indications (PDO/PGI) should be a priority of the Common Agricultural Policy and should be deepened and strengthened to enable the EU to maintain its leadership in this field;
Amendment 700 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 58 b (new)
Paragraph 58 b (new)
58 b. in particular, it must be admitted that the overall control of the production potential of some categories of agricultural commodities may be necessary and essential to enable the sustainable development of specific quality products within these categories;
Amendment 702 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59
Paragraph 59
59. Believes that the CAP needs to further incentivise biodiversity and environmental protection measures by providing the opportunity for the vast majority of agricultural land to be covered by agri- environmental schemes to reward farmers for the delivery of biodiversity and additional eco-system services which are not rewarded by the market or secured through legislative requirements, while other measures beneficial to the environment such as organic farming projects, the sustainable use of forests, water and soil, and the development of high natural value farming should also be encouraged; considers that all these rural development measures should remain co- financed, with an a significantly increased budget if necessarfrom the current EAFRD allocation, and increased allocations within all Member States, in order to reflect the urgent need to tackle continued biodiversity losses in Europe and natural resource degradation and to further integrate the concept of sustainability;
Amendment 706 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59
Paragraph 59
59. Believes that the CAP needs to further incentivise biodiversity and environmental protection measures by providing the opportunity for the vast majority of agricultural land to be covered by agri- environmental schemes to reward farmers for the delivery of additional eco-system services, while other measures beneficial to the environment such as organicand by encouraging these farmers to turn to new, more sustainable, lower-input production models such as organic, integrated-agriculture and conservation-agriculture farming projects, the sustainable use of forests, water and soil, and all projects that form part of the development of high -natural -value farming should also be encouraged; considers that all these rural development measures should remain co-financed, with an increased budget if necessary;
Amendment 712 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59 a (new)
Paragraph 59 a (new)
59a. Points out that the common agricultural policy must cover all types of territory, including the most vulnerable areas, particularly those with natural and geographical handicaps, and areas of higher activity, up to and including peri- urban areas; in all of these areas agriculture is essential as a contribution to security of food supply, environmental protection, employment and social life;
Amendment 713 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59 a (new)
Paragraph 59 a (new)
Amendment 715 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59 b (new)
Paragraph 59 b (new)
59 b. Believes that agri-environment measures have significant potential to enable biodiversity to better adapt to the effects of climate change;
Amendment 716 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 59 c (new)
Paragraph 59 c (new)
59 c. Believes that agri-environment measures should facilitate the development of agro-ecological practices as a tool to reduce input use while following an approach of prevention first;
Amendment 721 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 60
Paragraph 60
60. Believes that 'green growth' should be at the heart of a new rural development strategy focussing on creating new green jobs through: the development of biomass, biowaste, biogas and small-scale renewable energy production as well as encouraging the production of second-generation biofuels, agrimaterials and green- chemistry products, investing in modernisation and innovation as well as new research and development techniques for adaptation to and mitigation of climate change, providing training and advice to farmers for applying new techniques and to assist young farmers entering the industry, and adding value to high-quality products through promotion and marketing measures;
Amendment 748 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 62
Paragraph 62
62. Insists that, to complement market measures, there is an urgent need to strengthen producers'the position in the food chain through a range of actions to addressof producers and their trade organisations, including multi-sector organisations, through a range of actions, some of which must be taken by the public authorities and seek to enhance producers' negotiating power, transparency, contractual relationships and commercial practices; takes the view that possible adjustments to competition rules should also be investigated to allow producer organisations to grow in scale and size, equipping them with the power to stand up to major retailers and processors;