EU ministers to discuss Baltic Sea fishing today

The EU ministers of agriculture is scheduled to meet in Luxembourg on Monday to discuss the 2018 fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea, developments on the agricultural markets, and the role of agriculture in the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Finnish representative at the meeting is Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Leppä, said a government press release.

The Council will decide on the fishing quotas in the Baltic Sea for the next year on the basis of the Commission’s proposal. Finland supports the exploitation of the Baltic Sea fish stocks in accordance with the maximum sustainable yield.

The EU wishes to achieve the maximum sustainable yield exploitation rate for all fish stocks as quickly as possible, at the latest by 2020.

The Commission will inform about the developments on the agricultural product market and the Member States will talk about the outlook.

Leppä will tell that in Finland the harvesting of arable crops, in particular, is behind the schedule and the crop outlook is getting worse because of the poor weather conditions.

The problem is the same in the Baltic States. The trends in milk and pigmeat prices in Finland have not been as positive as in the rest of Europe.

The Council will also discuss the impacts of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on agricultural policy.

Finland considers that the objectives of the common agricultural policy of the EU, such as viable food production, sustainable management of natural resources, climate measures, and balanced regional development contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals in significant ways.

In the Finnish view cooperation in the EU context could be further enhanced in agricultural risk management, carbon-sequestering production and operating practices, nutrient recycling, and reducing food waste.

The work done by the EU on implementing the 2030 Agenda should support the implementation actions taken in individual Member States.