Member state and industry representatives want better protection for the EU food and agriculture sector against potential gas shortages this winter, while the European Commission has pointed back to member states’ responsibility on the matter.
With winter approaching, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Moscow’s interruptions of gas flows to Europe have raised concerns over supply shortages, prompting debates on which industries should be prioritised in case they materialise.
While the energy crisis was one of the dominating topics during the informal meeting of EU agriculture ministers on Friday in Prague, some national representatives and stakeholders took the opportunity to raise the issue of gas prioritisation.
According to sources inside the meeting, Ramón Armengol, president of the EU agri-cooperatives association COGECA, stressed the vital importance of energy for the continuity of agricultural and food production.
He called on the EU to “follow up more strictly with gas rationing to ensure the agri-food sector is given priority,” adding agriculture and food “should continue to be considered a primary sector.”
-Euractiv-
