A3-0289/94

Resolution on a quality policy for fishery products

The European Parliament,

-having regard to the Commission communication to the Council (SEC(92)0353 - C3-0092/92),

-having regard to the report of the Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development and the opinion of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection (A3-0289/94),

A.whereas consumption of fishery and aquaculture products in the European Union has increased substantially during the last twenty years in terms of volume, value and diversity,

B.whereas, despite cyclical variations, this trend is likely to continue,

C.whereas the imbalance between a strong demand and a restricted supply on account of resource limitations led, in the years up to 1992, to an increase in market prices and a substantial flow of imports, thus creating profound instability which is reflected in the current state of the markets, where depressed prices are combined with erratic and poorly monitored imports,

D.whereas this price rise has reached its peak on account of competition from imports and other food products and the development of aquaculture, which, in certain regions of the Union, has seriously affected producers,

E.whereas protecting the income of fishermen and the viability of their businesses is directly related to their ability to adapt to consumer requirements, the most important of which is the quality of the fishery products placed on the market,

F.whereas an increase in the quality of products involves a relative increase in the price thereof and a reduction in the need for public subsidy,

G.whereas quality improvement is a way of optimizing Community production and making it more competitive, but whereas the perception of quality ultimately lies in the purchasing habits of consumers as perceived by those professionally involved in the sector at each stage of the marketing process, and whereas it is possible to educate the public by means of suitable advertising campaigns,

H.whereas the relationship between product quality and resource conservation may have positive aspects such as the use of more selective fishing gear which does not harm the fish, but also has negative aspects since, if resources are over-exploited, it is precisely because they provide the best commercial opportunities and, in certain cases, demand is directed towards the most vulnerable species or individuals such as young fish, a situation which the public authorities should regulate by means of improved monitoring and harmonization of minimum sizes,

I.whereas the most meticulous research is required into the increase in parasitosis, which results in lower quality products and may be harmful to consumer health,

J.having regard to the risks of concentration of chemical, organic and radioactive pollutants in food chains,

K.whereas the inter-professional organizations are generally seen to be effective as regards the drawing up of quality management procedures and methods and the promotion of quality labels in the sectors, particularly agricultural ones, in which such organizations exist,

1.Welcomes the Commission communication and shares its concern that an overall approach should be adopted towards the question of quality;

ENVIRONMENT

2.Considers that, in view of the fragility of the marine environment, particularly in certain coastal areas where traditional small-scale fishing activities are carried out, positive measures are needed to support and monitor the preservation or restoration of water quality, and regrets that existing measures are of little effect;

3.Recognizes that protecting the marine environment is the first step towards obtaining a quality product and reiterates its commitment to tighter standards in this area as regards both direct pollution (hydrocarbons) or indirect pollution caused by effluent from the land (pesticides, waste water, etc.);

4.Restates the need for stricter regulation and control in respect of marine pollution, and the introduction of genuinely deterrent penalties in the sea transport and waste-water treatment industries;

5.Recalls its insistence on the need for broader, adequately funded biological research programmes which will provide reliable information on the state of resources and, in particular, the environmental or other factors which influence that state;

6.Considers that this concern must also be reflected in the future common fisheries policy for the Mediterranean;

HEALTH RULES

7.Endorses the principle that the greatest attention must be paid to health quality and that the health rules which are needed to ensure a high standard must be fully enforced for obvious reasons of public health and in view of the detrimental effect which health incidents may have on public opinion; considers both the current level of Community health laws and the effectiveness of the implementation thereof by the Member States to be satisfactory;

8.Calls for a comprehensive research programme into the increase in fish parasitosis and of toxins in shellfish;

COMMERCIAL ORGANIZATION

9.Considers that products cannot be optimized unless there are clear, effective marketing structures;

10.Considers that improving the commercial quality both during production and at each stage of the processing or distribution procedure will increase the added value of the sector and therefore help producers who make such improvements to obtain better operating margins;

11.Supports, therefore, measures to improve the commercial quality of products and considers that such initiatives, whether they relate to investment in fishing gear or vessels or processing equipment or comprise vocational training measures, should attract particular attention when Community aid is allocated under FIFG or other Community initiatives;

12.Points out that fisheries and aquaculture products do not constitute a homogeneous market but that the various products are aimed at market segments with different expectations, and that the definition of quality criteria and levels must therefore come from consumers by means of studies carried out by professionals in the sector;

LEGISLATION

13.Calls on the Commission to encourage, both by legislative means and by the use of structural instruments, the emergence within the sector of interprofessional structures to define the objectives and the methods of improving and managing quality and to devise and promote regional, national and even Community labels without, however, infringing the rules of Article 85 of the EC Treaty, and to take as its model the measures it has adopted in the agricultural sector;

14.Considers that there are necessarily two sides to a quality policy; on the one hand, measures to encourage or improve it in the context of structural policy using the resources provided under FIFG and, on the other, regulation by means of the progressive development of specific quality rules drawn up in agreement with the industry in question and corresponding to genuine consumer demand, compliance with which should therefore, irrespective of circumstances, be made compulsory;

15.Opposes, however, any arbitrary definition by regulatory means of the notion of quality and the criteria (or levels thereof) which are not exclusively based on the conclusions reached by professionals;

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16.Instructs its President to forward this opinion to the Council and the Commission.