Sp.a parliamentarian Annick Lambrecht has tabled a resolution calling on the government to impose minimum prices for farmers. "Instead of spending money to resolve new food scandals, we should support producers”, she said Friday morning on the sites of several Flemish newspapers.
"After every food scandal, we discuss a lot, but we don’t do anything”, says the socialist parliamentarian who thinks "it is time for things to really change".
Annick Lambrecht proposes that the Federal Service for the Economy determine a minimum price for each product. She also calls for the prohibition of extreme reductions and for an import tax on foreign products for which there is a Belgian equivalent. "It does not make sense to buy New Zealand apples, when we produce delicious ones here”, she says.
For its part, the Boerenbond ( a Flemish organisation supporting the agricultural sector) was not very sympathetic to this proposal. "We think that it is not a good idea to interfere with market mechanisms, we prefer beneficial agreements within the entire food chain, in particular to help farmers in the event of poor harvests", says Luc Vanoirbeek, spokesman for the Boerenbond.
The Brussels Times
