Voorbereiding Raad Landbouw en Visserij maart 2008 (en)

The Agriculture & Fisheries Council will meet in Brussels on Monday 17 March (starting at 11 a.m.), under the Presidency of Mr Iztok Jarc, Slovenian Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Food. Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel will represent the Commission at the meeting. No Food Safety or Fisheries items are on the agenda of this Council meeting.

The points on the agenda are:

Agriculture

"Health Check" of the CAP reform

On 20 November, the Commission adopted the Communication "Preparing for the 'Health Check' of the CAP reform". It is a blueprint for streamlining and further modernising the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy. It will build on the approach which began with the 2003 reforms, improve the way the policy operates based on the experience gathered since 2003 and make it fit for the new challenges and opportunities in an EU of 27 Member States. The reforms have modernised the CAP, but the Health Check represents a perfect opportunity to take the policy review further. It asks three main questions: how to make the direct aid system more effective and simpler; how to make market support instruments, originally conceived for a Community of Six, relevant in the world we live in now; and how to confront new challenges, from climate change, to biofuels, water management and the protection of biodiversity.

The Communication was designed to kick off a wide-ranging six-month consultation. On 20 May, the Commission will return with legislative proposals, which it hopes will be adopted by agriculture ministers by the end of 2008 and would come into effect in 2009.

The press release, the Communication and further information on the "Health Check" are available on the internet at:

http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/healthcheck/index_en.htm

The Council will adopt Council Conclusions on this matter.

Milk quotas

On 12 December, the Commission proposed a 2 % increase in milk quotas beginning on 1 April 2008 to meet growing demand both within the European Union and on global markets (see IP/07/1913 ). The increase, a total of 2.84 million tonnes, would apply on an equal basis to the 27 Member States. It does not prejudge the ongoing review of the dairy market in the Health Check of the Common Agricultural Policy, where the Commission has suggested a gradual increase in quotas before

they expire on 31 March 2015. The proposal is accompanied by a report on the outlook for the EU dairy sector, requested by the Council at the time of the 2003 CAP reform agreement. This shows that demand for milk has grown between 2003 and 2007 and is expected to continue growing between 2007 and 2014. The outlook for both demand and prices on the world market is equally positive. The report shows a 2 percent increase to be fully justified.

The proposal, report and further information on the dairy sector are available on the internet at: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/markets/milk/index_en.htm

The Council is expected to adopt the proposed increase of 2%.

AOB

WTO - DDA Negotiations: State of play

French Memorandum to encourage a responsible organisation of Agrifood sectors in the interests of farmers and consumers

Future development of the sheep sector (Irish demand)

Difficult situation of the pig meat sector (Polish