Leaked TTIP negotiations

The latest leaks on the opaque process of negotiations on the EU-US Transatlantic Agreement confirm the dangers to the European model of agriculture and food security, according to the agricultural organization COAG. “Either you are with citizens and European farmers or the interests of a handful of multinational agro-export” he stressed its Secretary General Miguel Blanco.

The Coordinator of Organizations of Farmers and Ranchers (COAG) will require the Spanish political parties who attend the upcoming elections 26J clearly defined in their programs its position on the Transatlantic Agreement for Trade and Investment between EU-US (TTIP its acronym in English).

The latest leaks on the opaque process of negotiations on the TTIP confirm the dangers to the European model of agriculture and our food security. “It is not worth equidistance and ambiguous positions. Either you are with citizens and European farmers or speculative interests of a handful of multinational agro-export. Do you really want our policymakers citizens as consumers anabolic steroids and growth hormones swallow while a group of investment funds broker enrich ?, stressed Miguel Blanco, Secretary General of COAG.

COAG rejects the TTIP because it endangers the social and professional model of EU agriculture and the strategic commitment of our farmers for quality, food safety, animal welfare and respect for the environment. In this sense, COAG considered to match European standards with the US on food security and agricultural production would be an unprecedented decline in consumer rights, while would be unfair competition for our farmers based on a model US production and allowing the injection of anabolic steroids, antibiotics and growth hormones in cattle or the use of chlorine for disinfection of meat (substances banned for years in the EU by its harmful effects).

The latest report from Friends of the Earth Europe, “TTIP, sowing losses in the agricultural sector” shows how one of the main objectives is to reduce US food safety standards and European animal welfare. Based on the analysis of the various investigations into such cases, predicts that the contribution of European agriculture to the gross domestic product (GDP) would fall significantly, while US agricultural production would increase by 1.9% and the value of its exports EU to increase by 5,475 million. Regarding the Spanish agricultural sector, the report points to a particularly negative impact on the sectors of beef cattle, hogs, milk, fruits, vegetables and cereals. The Ministry of Agriculture itself predicts declines in prices that European farmers are paid in all food categories.

Source: COAG