How do you see European agriculture develop and succeed on the global market in the future?

There is no doubt that European agricultural policy can play a key role in addressing challenges of growth, social and regional cohesion. Towards this direction, the new CAP reform offers perspectives for sustainable agricultural and livestock production across all the regions, generates various economic activities in agricultural areas. If only Europe wants to increase its share on the global market, ambitious steps should be taken towards enhancing research and innovation for ensuring the necessary supply and quality of food, new and efficient methods and tools for the production, the management of resources and the promotion of European products.  

 What is the most important argument for the production of fur?

The fur industry is a traditional sector, offering multiple benefits in terms of employment and production, therefore we need to act for its enhancement. It should be mentioned that Europe holds first place in global fur production, offering 60.000 employment positions through 4.300 fur farms. It is crucial to retain this competitive advantage in the light of increased competition mainly by China. As we understand, the size and the dynamism of this sector, at the current juncture of crisis, can offer competitive advantages as well as added value in the European economy. This is what I keep highlighting particularly for the fur production in Greece, where the cities of Kastoria and Siatista keep major market share.

What is the most important argument against the production of fur?

I do not understand the ideological approach and the violent reactions towards the fur production. We live in an open, competitive economy and fur products must maintain their share in the market like other animal products. But I do understand and I share the concerns of consumers over the animal welfare standards, the provision and the exchange of information for the animal farming and the coordination between all relevant stakeholders. Therefore, further examination of these concerns should be encouraged with the aim of creating a better environment of confidence for the consumers and the firms.

 
Do you favor European or national regulation with regard to animal welfare?

 Within the European single market we work for a harmonized regulation on animal welfare, common standards in production while monitoring their implementation, training and skills of the human resources, research and innovation. Meeting these conditions is crucial in order to assure a quality label for European fur products.

Do you believe that fur farming represents an interesting option for economic development in rural areas?

Definetely  yes. First of all, more than 91% of the territory  of the E.U. is rural while over 56% of the population in the Member States lives in rural areas and seeks for employment opportunities. Moreover, the current crisis results in creating new challenges due to increased unemployment in the urban centers, leading  to increased flows  of population towards the rural areas. Taking into account such trends we should  also address the challenge of the average income per capita  that is lower in rural regions than in towns and cities, while skills and training  in rural areas tend to be lower than  they are in urban areas. Therefore, I strongly believe that the fur farming could offer significant opportunities in boosting entrepreneurship and employment at local level. In many cases the fur production is a major rural activity with links to the tradition,  therefore special encouragement  should be given,  especially in the case of Greece.

 What fact about the fur industry do you find surprising?

I could highlight the potential of growth for the fur sector since its production value, during the period 2009-2012, increased by 168,8%, achieving higher growth rate than staple foods like milk, meat and olive oil. This is not surprising but indicative of  growth prospects in the fur sector. What I find surprising, though, is that we have not yet considered the dynamism of the fur sector  in order to enhance coordination at EU level for addressing  existing problems. We need an ambitious european strategy.

 
What should be the ambition of the fur industry?

I believe that the main ambition should be to bring forward the European label of the fur industry in terms of trade and quality, to launch competitive products. Such developments should not take place without  strategy and targeted actions for gaining consumers' trust and interest at European and global level. In this framework, the fur industry should encourage exchange of views with all the relevant stakeholders in order to set the foundations for a sustainable future.

Rodi KRATSA-Tsagaropoulou is a member of the European Parliament, EP vice-president (2007-2012)