Core concerns of the German Potato Trade Association for the 2024 European Election.
GERMAN Potato Trade Association, DKHV, has emphasised its core concerns for future EU agricultural policy in the run-up to the European Parliament elections.
President Thomas Herkenrath said: “It’s about securing the future of the German potato trade and the entire potato industry. The ultimate goal must be to offer companies a stable economic perspective in order to meet the challenges of our time and at the same time continue to promote climate protection and sustainability.”
As an independent business association, the DKHV represents the interests of around 170 members, including potato trading companies, packers, peeling companies, breeders, producers and manufacturers of packaging materials and potato technology.
It is calling for sustainable farming methods to be better promoted, and for an unbureaucratic EU agricultural policy, research funding and the reduction of international trade barriers to help strengthen the potato industry and its competitiveness.
When implementing legislative proposals, the principle of bureaucracy brakes or the one-in-one-out rule should be followed. There should be no additional documentation and reporting obligations, the organisation states, stressing that new bureaucratic regulations and laws require a reliable impact assessment for the entire economic chain.
Politicians must provide greater support for research and development across the entire value chain, including the promotion of modern sorting, cooling and packaging systems as well as the expansion of digitalization in rural areas.
The DKHV is urging policymakers to push for the reduction of phytosanitary trade barriers to exports in their bilateral and multilateral talks with third countries in order to support European companies and said it expects political support in treating EU member states equally with third countries when exporting.
It is also calling for an holistic approach to sustainability and promotion of new potato varieties. When implementing legislative proposals to achieve sustainability goals, social, ecological and economic issues must be given equal consideration, it states. It also demands safeguarding of efficient protective measures in potato cultivation.
Finally, the DKHV is calling on politicians to promote research and development in the areas of sustainable plant protection and fertiliser use. Timely access to modern breeding and cultivation methods must be ensured, it states.
