Summary of recommendations to the European Parliament (DRAFT)

1.1  Support and progress toward enhanced technical, economic and environmental efficiency in sheep and goat farms

·  An ewe premium conditional upon commitments towards enhanced efficiency (Non-limitative list) :

-  Commitment to training and follow-up by peer groups of the technical and economic performances in the farm

-  Better use of genetics (artificial insemination or rams registered as improvers, subscription to performance recording and audit systems)

-  Improvement of the flock sanitary management (use of genotypes resistant to scrapie, zoonoses prevention plans, specific training, etc.)

-  Voluntary implementation of individual electronic tagging (before 2010)

-  Participation to a collective organisation of supplies (e.g Producer Group…)

-  Etc.

Ewe premium = A flat rate per ewe lambing during the year + a supplementary payment depending on the commitments implemented.

·  An additional support to grasslands depending on the first pillar of the CAP, with variable rates considering the grassland type (rough pastures, temporary or permanent meadows)

1.2  Support the organisation of the industry and rationalize its functioning

·  Legal support and simplification of the process leading to the merger of commercial structures.

·  Support the creation of lamb fattening centres, for areas where fattening costs are the highest.

1.3  Support the promotion of EU lamb standards of production and a labelling for the European lamb

·  Introduce a mandatory labelling for all the different types of distribution, in both sheep and goat meat industries, which would introduce a distinction between sheep meat or goat meat obtained from animals born and reared in the EU (with a possible indication of the country of origin) and the meat from third countries

·  PGI/DOP common promotion campaigns from different EU countries in a certain number of European target countries.

·  A pluriannual generic promotion campaign for sheep and goat meat produced in the EU, insisting both on its production standards -the highest in the world-, and on the intrinsic qualities of this meat and of its production systems in the EU

·  Local promotion of farm products (including ewe and goat cheese). A European resource centre could be set up specifically dedicated to supporting local projects and support exchanges between producers with similar experiences.

·  Increase the available promotion budget for ewe and goat cheese for third countries.

1.4  Support for innovation

·  A European Agency for innovation in the «small ruminant» industry could be set up, with human resources and a centre for documentation and exchange of experiences. This agency would work both on technical innovation for farms and product innovation regarding meat and cheese and also the fifth quarter

·  A specific support for genetic improvement and performance recording and audit.

1.5  A better efficiency in the management of sanitary risks

·  Provide assistance for the creation of regional peer observatories of small ruminants’ diseases (alert-vigilance and prioritization of risks), throughout Europe.

·  Encourage the creation of sanitary defense associations, specialized in the training of producers and prevention.

·  A working group including the national veterinary authorities, the veterinary industry (IFAH) and the European experts of the sector, could determine rapidly the procedures allowing simplified marketing authorizations at a European level, for medicinal products for small ruminants.

·  Mobilization of R&D funds through the European platform for animal health (ETPGAH) to design and circulate kits for rapid detection of pathogens in raw milk and thus reduce the sanitary risks and the costs of rejection of milk that is not in conformity

·  Work on the re-opening of certain markets closed to EU exportations for sanitary reasons (particularly for white offals).

1.6  Improve communication on the occupations in the industry

Develop communication campaigns that will inform on the occupation as sheep farmer and butcher (both meat processing plants and retailers), targeting the youth, and insisting on the possibilities of evolution and income.

Study «Future of the sheep and goat sector» for the European Parliament 1

Summary of Recommendations – Working document of the 08/02/08 – Not for distribution