Commercial war concealed against the pork Spanish, second in importance in the EU

The general secretary of the Coordinator of Organisations of Agriculturalists and Graziers (COAG), Miguel White, manifested the past 11 April, that Denmark and Holland are “dressing” of animal welfare “a commercial war concealed” against the efficient pork Spanish. Like this it has reported it during the act of inauguration of the state Seminar on animal and pork welfare, that COAG has celebrated in the place turolense of Calamocha. White has criticised the strategy that both countries are promoting in the EU, boosted now by the Danish presidency of the same. In this sense, has warned on the initiative that already has posed the European Parliament to limit the trip of alive animals to eight hours, question that prejudices mainly to the exports of peripheral countries like Spain. “All this, although the European Commission ensures in a report [1] that there is not scientific base that justify these changes since the Agency of European Alimentary hygiene has ascertained that the animal welfare depends more than the quality of the driving that of the time”, has argued White.

During the seminar have piped the effects of the entrance in force, (the next 1 January 2013) of the new European rule on animal welfare in the farms of pork, that between other exigencias, involves an increase of the minimum surface of free floor for each animal, the accommodation in group of the sows gestantes and a revestimiento specific for the floor of the exploitation. According to the calculations realised by the SSTT of COAG, the cost of the adaptation rises to 250-300 euros/sow, by what in a half exploitation of 500 sows, the necessary total investment would situate between the 135.000 and the 175.000 euros. In Spain exist some 75.000 exploitations of sows, what translates in a total cost above the 1.000 million euros. “For the graziers is very difficult to tackle the necessary investments by the fault of liquidity and the fetters to access to banking credits. The margins of profitability of the last two years have been in a lot of negative cases and do not concede credits when declaring losses in the exploitation”, has aimed the general secretary of COAG.

The Commission has not realised study of impact of the adaptation, but the consequences, according to COAG, would be very similar to which suffers the sector of the avicultura of put: closing of exploitations that can not fulfil with the terms of adaptation, descent of the cabin of pork European and increase of the imports of countries third that do not fulfil with the conditions of welfare that demands the EU. “We have to finish with the grave incoherencia of the EU, if the European consumer sues an elevation of the ones of by himself advanced standard of animal welfare can not open our borders to productions of out that they do not fulfil with the minimum requirements demanded. aboca To the closing to European exploitations that offer more alimentary hygiene but that can not face the adaptation by fault of liquidity, to the time that lessens our competitiveness in the international markets. Where it is the profit for the producers of pork Europeans?”, it has asked Miguel White during his intervention.

After four months of the entrance in force of the new rule of welfare in hens layers, the consequences are more than visible: descent of a 15-20% of the production of eggs in the EU and increase of 40% of the imports of countries without exigencias of welfare like Mexico, EE UU or Turkey.

In front of this situation, COAG demands to the EU a study of impact to know the effects of the application of the new rule of welfare in the exploitations of pork. Until it realise , it proceeds to establish an extention of the initial term established, (1January of the year 2013). Likewise, from the agricultural organisation urge to that the Administration set up credits bonificados to an interest the sufficiently attractor trucks so that the graziers can face the high investment to a reasonable cost, in a sector of by himself very endeudado.

Germany, Denmark and Holland are our main competitors in the EU, according to COAG. Inside the market intracomunitario, 25% of the products of pork commercialised proceed of Germany, 16% of Denmark, 13% of Holland and 12% of Spain. Thanks to the climate (less energetic costs by temperatures softer that Centroeuropa and fewer respiratory sanitary ware problems in animals), and to the effort in sustainable innovation (concerning treatment of purines and organic matter and increase of the productivity), our country has turned into the last decade in one of the most efficient countries and professional in production of pork.

Spain is the second producer of pork of the EU and the chamber to world-wide level. The value of the pork production in the year 2011 was of 5.308 million euros, what represents 12% of the agricultural final production and 34% of the final production grazier.