They insisted on the need to take a long-term approach to reinforce the long-term viability of the pig sector enhancing its capacity to supply sustainable, competitive pork to consumers in the EU and on world markets.

They are proposing a series of short-term, mid-term and long-term measures to maintain and develop the EU pork sector’s position as a world leader.

In the short term they want to see a key focus on reduction of production cost and effective market manegment measures.

The organisations say there are basically three categories of feed materials rich in protein: - Grain legumes (protein crops): peas, beans, lupins, soya and Co-products from the processing of oilseeds and grains: soybean meal, rapeseed meal.

Short-term actions to overcome the present market crisis include:

• Strengthen effective market management tools and put measures in place to reduce excessive price volatility for the pig sector both for feed and meat and meat products.
• Implement an EU wide protein plan to ensure adequate supplies of protein-rich feed to pig farmers at competitive prices, including o incentives to increase vegetable protein production in the EU, o the adoption of a GM “technical solution” o the lifting of the feed ban for processed animal proteins in pig feed
• Don’t hamper competitiveness by imposing restrictive measures that EU cannot impose on third countries.

The mid-term actions to improve competitiveness and profitability of the pig sector include:

• Grant pork “sensitive product” status in any ongoing or upcoming EU trade negotiation
• Ensure a level-playing field with third-country competitors.
• Increase efforts to capture and increase market share for EU pork exports in growth markets, particular in South-East Asia.

The long-term actions to ensure sustainability and viability of pork production in the EU include to:

• Foster product innovation and modernisation in the pork production value chain
• Focus on private and public R&D programmes seeking to improve the knowledge base and
• Develop & adapt new technologies and their dissemination in the EU pig sector.