Cogeca, Euro Coop highlight fair practices to improve relations along food supply chain

BRUSSELS, 24 April 2012 - At yesterday’s high level conference “Cooperatives Working Towards a Fair and Competitive Food Supply Chain” organised by Cogeca and Euro Coop in Brussels, participants highlighted the benefits of the set of fair practices recently agreed to by all actors along the food chain, including farmers, agri-cooperatives, traders, food industry, consumer cooperatives and other retailers. They also emphasised the other contributions cooperatives make to build a better functioning food supply chain. The move came during Cooperative Week, and celebrates the United Nations 2012 International Year of Cooperatives.

The set of good practices aims to fight against unfair and abusive practices along the food chain and represents a major achievement for the EU agri-food sector. As enterprises guided by a set of ethics-based principles, agri-cooperatives and consumer cooperatives are inherently responsible actors that champion fair relations. A framework to ensure that rules are properly implemented and enforced and disputes are solved when principles are not applied is currently being negotiated.

Speaking at the event, Cogeca President Paolo Bruni stressed, “Agri-cooperatives play a crucial role in the market place. They enable farmers to join forces to market their produce; add value to produce and get a better return from the market; help protect farmers against risks and help ensure product development through research and innovation, which is more important than ever given the current economic climate. I am pleased all actors along the food chain agreed on this set of principles and I can only stress the importance of the work that Cogeca, Euro Coop and other European stakeholders, members of the High Level Forum for a better functioning food supply chain, are carrying out to agree on a voluntary approach to improve commercial practices. On another note and in a bid to promote and stimulate innovation, Cogeca will also be presenting on June 20 2012 the European Award for Cooperative Innovation”.

Aldo Soldi, President of Euro Coop, said, “As retailers owned by their consumer-members and representatives of the cooperative movement, consumer cooperatives have an important role to play in ensuring the fairness, balance and sustainability of the food supply chain in Europe. Cooperative retailers indeed privilege long-term partnerships with their suppliers and seek out opportunities to work with local, small-scale producers. We believe that only a logic of collaboration and mutual understanding can lead to a balanced and transparent food supply chain able to best answer consumers’ needs.”

Notes to the editor:

Cogeca represents 38,000 cooperatives from the EU agriculture, food and forestry sectors, with a global turnover of 360 billion euros annually and employing 660,000 people. Founded in 1959, Cogeca aims to defend farmers interests and ensure a well functioning food supply chain.

The national organisations of consumer co-operatives in 18 European countries make up Euro Coop. Founded in 1957, Euro Coop today represents the interests of over 4,500 local and regional co-operatives owned by a total of 30 million consumers across Europe, employing more than 450,000 people and accounting for € 74 billion in annual turnover.

For more information:

Communications Officer, Euro Coop, +32 2 285 00 76, [email protected]
Amanda Cheesley, Press Officer, Cogeca, +32 474 840 836, [email protected]