Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis called for “all the stakeholders including farmers to work together with you and play a vital role to advance the promotion and understanding of science wherever possible,” at the COCERAL/UNISTOCK Conference on ‘Innovation in the food chain: Communicating risks, sharing experiences, seizing opportunities’, held in Poland on 30 May.
Responding to this call, Agri-Food Chain Coalition (AFCC) Chair, Roxane Feller, said that there are many innovative solutions available for both livestock and crop production, and that the promotion of science is one of the key objectives under the AFCC’s recommendations for better and smarter policy-making, outlined in the Food for Thought vision paper.
Participants discussed Europe’s waning global position when it comes to scientific research or the use of modern technology in plant or animal breeding, and the effects this could have on Europe’s productivity and global competitiveness.
In his closing remarks the Commissioner stated, “Without innovation the EU has no chance to meet UN Sustainable Development Goals.” As one of the principle objectives of the AFCC is to ensure that technology and product authorisation systems are science-based and innovation-friendly, this comment was met with wide applause.
“Working together with farmers and other food chain stakeholders, the AFCC strives to increase science and risk-benefit communication and education by competent public authorities to improve public understanding of the safety of assessed products. Our goal, when it comes to food, is to put science first and to communicate the sustainability benefits of innovation in the food chain,” said AFCC Chair, Roxane Feller.
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