site.btaAgriculture Minister Bozukov Calls for Single Food Quality Control Mechanism in EU

Agriculture Minister Bozukov Calls for Single Food Quality Control Mechanism in EU

Brussels/Sofia, March 6 (BTA) - Addressing an EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting on Monday, Bulgaria's Agriculture and Food Minister Hristo Bozukov called for the establishment of a single control mechanism to ensure that foods are always produced according to the quality standards for the respective brands. Bozukov said it is unacceptable to have different quality levels for food products of the same brand by the same producer, the Agriculture and Food Ministry reported.

All foods offered on the single European market should meet the same standards of quality and safety, he argued. To use cheaper ingredients in changed proportions when making products which are sold at the same prices as high-quality foods is clearly a breach of consumers' confidence in a given brand, he said.

Discussing the common EU agricultural policy, Bozukov said direct payments are an important instrument to Bulgaria, they have proven their efficiency and should remain in use. This kind of support has helped stabilize farmer incomes and its implementation beyond 2020 will be an additional guarantee for achieving flexibility, competitiveness and sustainability of EU agriculture.

Linking aid to production is very important to Bulgaria because it makes it possible to address specific regional problems, produce safe and high-quality food, create jobs, and encourage populations to stay in rural areas, the press release said.