Luis Planas and the German minister share objectives of strengthening lines of action to guarantee food security

In a bilateral meeting, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, and the German Minister for Agriculture and Food, Cem Özdemir, have analysed the lines of action to guarantee food security in the Community and global markets. They have also shared their concern about the rise in food prices due to the increase in the price of agricultural products, fertilisers and energy as a result of Russia's war in Ukraine.

Luis Planas has met with the German Minister for Agriculture and Food, Cem Özdemir, as part of the 25th German-Spanish Summit presided over by the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Olaf Scholz, which was held in A Coruña.

The two ministers showed a united front in preventing Russia from using food as a weapon by proposing possible actions to keep food out of the conflict. Among these measures, Spain and Germany share the need to support farmers to bring stability to agricultural production.

With a view to the upcoming Spanish presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2023, Planas and Özdemir analysed some of the legislative projects that will be debated, such as food labelling, the regulation on the sustainable use of phytosanitary products and new genomic techniques. Planas stressed that any labelling system adopted must consider the particularities of the Mediterranean Diet.

The two ministers view with extreme concern the current global food security crisis caused by Russia's war against Ukraine, particularly the rise in food prices and problems of availability of agricultural supplies and inputs. To this effect, Spain and Germany will support efforts, in particular the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes of the European Union, to export grain to world markets by road, rail or ship.

Germany is a key partner for Spanish agri-food trade and, after France, is the second largest destination for exports which, in 2021, exceeded 7 billion. With a positive trade balance for Spain, German food imports that year amounted to around €2.68 billion, making it the third largest supplier in terms of value.

Non official translation