Information
for policy makers
The review work
in the FOODCOMM project focused on deriving recommendations for possible EU policy development
and agribusinesses, and actions to be taken in order to guarantee
well-functioning relationships and communication within selected
European food chains.
In the context of “a CAP with decreasing recourse to market-intervention measures”, the FOODCOMM research results show that it is an increasingly important business ability to build and maintain effective relationships in order to integrate into or to form new agri-food supply chains. While not being the only factor, there can be no doubt that an enhanced ‘collaboration’ ability can only increase the European agribusiness sector’s competitiveness in increasingly globalised and liberalised markets in the short, medium and long term. Hence, future policy-support options should be designed to encourage and enhance chain communication and collaboration, by raising awareness of the related benefits. This will involve good practice dissemination and building of the capacity of farm and firm managers to fully integrate into or to build and maintain new sustainable agri-food supply chains. For this effective relationship-management skills are a prerequisite, alongside other factors such as a better understanding of market requirements and the challenges faced at all levels within the chains concerned. Moreover, regulatory or administrative burdens should not be so burdensome as to inhibit desirable change.
The recommendations considers attempts to be pursued by businesses themselves, administrative burdens and lack of funding for realising quality and food safety standards which challenge European agri-food chain relationships. In addition, recommendations are made to improve communication and collaboration through capacity building and by supporting platforms for communication. An overview of the policy recommendations can be found in the executive summary of the workpackage 6 report or in the document section.
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