The case for rice-sector reform
20 May 2004
Addressing the European Policy Centre on September 20th Commissioner
Fischler argued that in the rice sector 'simply to sit and watch
as the situation gets steadily worse would be to abdicate our responsibility
to the EU's rice farmers'. In the current market situation the Commissioner
argued that the Commission must act now to 'reduce the intervention
price for rice to world market levels' with farmers receiving 'compensation
equivalent to 88% of these cuts, including a crop specific subsidy
to reflect the role of rice production in traditional wetlands'.
This proposal was reiterated at the Agricultural Council meeting
in October.