EUROPE Agriculture Proposals ‘Failing Development’ http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105513

The new European Commission proposals on a Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) have dropped every reference to development obligations, NGOs point out. They will not stop the European Union from threatening food security in developing nations, they say. While the latest EU Parlament Resolution in July 2011 and the original Commission communication from November 2010 featured a commitment to PCD, the new proposals do not mention it.

"We are not against farmers, nor are we against farming in Europe," Laust Leth Gregersen, policy officer at CONCORD Denmark tells IPS. "Our only concern is that sustaining agriculture in Europe must not hamper food security outside of Europe, especially in developing countries. "All around the globe, you can find developing nations where artificially cheaper exports from the European Union squeeze local farmers out of the production chain and out of their local markets. This leads to food insecurity. The only sustainable solution to world hunger is to increase productivity in developing countries where people live."