Press Releases
EURO MP CALLS FOR EU SURPLUS FOOD SCHEME TAKE-UP IN UK
11th February 2009
Stephen Hughes, Labour MEP for the North East, has written to Food Minister, Hilary Benn MP at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) calling on him to sign the UK up to the European Programme of Food Aid for the Most Deprived Persons. This EU programme's purpose is to help Member States provide food to people who are particularly in need. Member State participation in the programme is voluntary.
Speaking from Brussels, Stephen Hughes said:--
"Food aid is typically provided to a wide range of people living in poverty, including families in difficulties, elderly people with insufficient means, the homeless, the disabled, children at risk, working poor, migrant workers and asylum seekers. As food prices rise, it is the poor who struggle most."
The programme was first launched in the exceptionally cold winter of 1986/87, when surplus stocks of agricultural produce ("intervention stocks") were given for distribution to people in need. The measure was subsequently formalised and in 2006 more than 13 million people in 15 Member States benefited from the scheme. 19 Member States currently participate in the Programme. The United Kingdom is not one of the participating countries.
To reduce the impact of the recent rise in food prices in the Community, which has put a growing number of people at risk of food poverty and escalated the cost of providing food aid, the European Parliament has supported the Commission in its proposals to increase the scheme's budget by two-thirds.
Why does Europe need a food aid programme?
The EU has, on average, among the highest standards of living in the world and more than enough food to feed our population. However, there remain some people who, for a
variety of reasons, are not able to feed themselves adequately. An estimated 43 million people in the European Union are at risk of food poverty, meaning that they are unable to
afford a meal with meat, chicken or fish every second day. In this context, the public distribution of food makes an important contribution to ensuring the right to food and fighting food poverty and malnutrition among the most deprived people in the Community.
Ensuring the availability of food supplies to the European citizen is one of the core objectives of the CAP. Although the programme cannot resolve all food poverty in the
EU, over the years it has made a significant contribution to the food aid distributed in theparticipating Member States. The programme will remain an important element of the
fight against food poverty in the EU and will seek, in particular, to encourage public and private initiatives aimed at increasing the food security of Europe's most deprived people.
How will the programme work in practice?
Member States that want to take part in the programme select suitable organisations -usually charities or local social services - to carry out the food distribution. They then identify their needs for a three-year programming period and make their request to the Commission, which allocates the budget. This will be done on an annual basis, to enable adjustments to be made if the situation changes in the course of the programming period.
Stephen Hughes said:--
"We have agreed that decisions on targeting the aid - who should benefit and what the minimum conditions should be - are made by the Member States, who are best placed to know the situation on
the ground and to identify their most pressing needs. I very much hope the UK Government will sign-up to this important initiative which could help the neediest in our society."
ENDS
For further information, please contact Stephen Hughes on 07770914526 or his press officer, Cyndi Beaver on 07764198400.