In our part of the world, permanent access to safe and nutritious food in abundant quantities tends to
be taken for granted by many citizens. The food security fears experienced especially during the first
weeks of lockdown in spring, as demonstrated by widespread hoarding, taught us to better appreciate
the crucial role played by actors all along through the food supply chain, from farm to fork. The dairy
as well as other sectors of the food supply chain have operated efficiently since the beginning of the
pandemic and there was never a real threat to food security.
Nevertheless, the initiative arising out of the Farm to Fork strategy to introduce a crisis response
mechanism could not have come at a more appropriate and timely moment. Overall, trade responded
well to the demands of the pandemic, notwithstanding certain challenges such as border issues caused
by unilateral actions of Member States, sharp drops in demand for certain products due to the collapse
of food service consumption, or logistical problems caused by port congestion. Some of these
challenges could be avoided in similar scenarios in the future with the help of a solid contingency plan.
Trade has a huge role to play in any future contingency plan rolled out by the Commission, by ensuring
that offer and demand are balanced. Food security is achieved through a combination of local,
national, European and international supplies and in that spirit, we need to ‘keep the milk moving’.
A harmonized approach is crucial
The unprecedented events of the last year have proven that a harmonized EU approach is the best way
to ensure that food and ingredients can move across national borders, thereby guaranteeing food
security.
Unilateral actions and Member States choosing to ‘go it alone’ created disruption and problems,
particularly during the early days of the pandemic in spring 2020 until the creation of green lanes and
other recommendation and coordination measures taken by the Commission. In addition to
consignments being delayed at borders between Member States, labour shortages were faced in cases
where workers were not allowed to get to their work place in another Member State, or were forced
to observe a lengthy quarantine when returning to their home country. Such actions limiting free
movement need to be necessary, proportionate, and co-ordinated to avoid fragmentation of the single
market during crises. Given the global nature of trade and of the present crisis, the EU should also
strive to co-ordinate on a multilateral level with third country partners and organisations such as the
WTO.
Scope of the initiative
In order to be fit for purpose, the contingency plan should look at food security in the broadest possible
manner, including related sectors, as outlined in the roadmap. From our perspective, it seems crucial
that stakeholders from different sectors are invited to participate in the forum as otherwise valuable
on the ground experience and knowledge would be missed.
The EU food safety system has proven itself to be fit for purpose with key components such as the
official controls regulation and the TRACES system appearing to be functioning well. Nevertheless,
increased resources to enable a further move towards e-certification and digitalisation in general will
create a more efficient environment for operators going forward. A solid framework in which critical
information can be shared across borders in a timely manner should be a core element in any future
contingency plan. Scope should also be there for the sharing of best practices, so that Member States’
can benefit from each other’s experiences and lessons.
Contribution of trade to food security
Trade in agricultural products is a vital component in ensuring accessibility, affordability and
availability of high-quality food and should in no way be sidelined in pursuit of self-sufficiency. Due to
multiple cultural, historical, culinary, environmental, geographical and economic reasons, production
of a given food product tends to be more prevalent in some regions than others. When it comes to
dairy, the EU is a large net exporter but there are huge differences across the continent when it comes
to the amount and kind of products produced. The single market ensures that the largest possible
variety of foods can be enjoyed all over Europe and indeed about 1 out of every 3 liters of European
milk is consumed in a Member State other than the country of production. In this respect, care must
be taken in the drafting of a contingency plan to ensure that the distinction between ‘food security’
and ‘self-sufficiency’ is recognized and well understood by all stakeholders. Ensuring free movement
of food products in a crisis should therefore be one of the main priorities of the response mechanism.
Next steps
We look forward to discussing the scope and the specifics of the contingency plan in further detail with
the Commission in the context of the upcoming consultation process.
Download the full PDF here.