"Europe must act to protect Italian and European rice producers from unfair competition and ensure that imported rice respects the same environmental, health and labour standards required from EU farmers." said Alberto Cirio (IT/EPP), President of the Piedmont Region during the stakeholder consultation held today in Brussels on the future of the rice sector in Europe.
The consultation brought together representatives of the agricultural sector and regional authorities, including Copa-Cogeca, the Regions of Lombardy and Tuscany, Coldiretti, CIA, the French Rice Growers’ Association, representatives from Andalusia and the Greek Rice Growers’ Association.
The exchange was held in the framework of the work on the opinion on the future of rice production in Europe, led by Alberto Cirio (IT/EPP), President of the Piedmont Region and Head of the Italian Delegation to the European Committee of the Regions.
Alberto Cirio said: “Europe must protect Italian and European rice producers from unfair competition from third countries, especially from Southeast Asia. Our rice is of excellent quality, protects the environment and is produced in full respect of workers’ dignity and rights. We cannot ask European farmers to comply with high standards while allowing products that do not meet those same standards to enter our market at lower prices.”
Rice production is a strategic agricultural sector for Europe. Italy accounts for around half of European rice production, with Piedmont playing a leading role. For this reason, local and regional leaders are calling for stronger EU action to safeguard the sector, protect farmers’ incomes and ensure fair conditions on the European market.
Cirio added: “This is not only an economic issue. It is also a question of food safety, sustainability and ethics. In some parts of Southeast Asia, chemical products and fertilisers that have long been banned in Europe are still used, while workers’ rights and dignity are not always guaranteed. Bringing this rice into the European market risks damaging our agriculture, our economy and the very idea of good, clean and fair food that has become a global reference.”
The EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions underlines that European producers must not be placed at a disadvantage for respecting EU rules. The future of the rice sector depends on reciprocity, fair competition and the protection of high-quality European production.
Today’s consultation is one of the key steps in the preparation of the opinion, which is expected to be adopted in the Commission for Natural Resources at the beginning of October before being presented to the plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions on 2 and 3 December.
