FPC criticises “mischievous” modifications, to oblige industry to part-fund EU school fruit scheme.
The Fresh Produce Consortium has today criticised the European Commission for making substantial changes to its proposals for an EU school fruit scheme, over half way through the public consultation.
The consultation, which closes on February 29 and which has been widely publicised by the FPC, presented a number of options for the introduction of a school scheme, and the FPC’s draft response backed option four, which laid out plans for an EU-¬funded scheme to purchase and distribute fruit and vegetables in schools.
Since the consultation document was first published, the Commission has revised option four to require the industry to co-¬finance the suggested initiative to a suggested level of 20 per cent. The FPC’s amended draft response to this consultation attacks what the organisation sees as an “unacceptable lapse in procedures” and has rejected this amended proposal.
Nigel Jenney, ceo of the FPC, said: ‘We are staggered that the Commission has decided to undermine not only its own consultation, but also the possible introduction of a school scheme, by making such a significant amendment to the consultation document halfway through the process. By acting in this mischievous way, they have shown contempt for the whole consultation procedure and the views of interested parties, many of whom may have already responded to the proposals within the original consultation paper. We are concerned that the proposals as they now stand will have little chance of success and feel that it is fundamentally wrong to force the industry to cover the costs of a scheme which will have such wide¬-ranging benefits to all of society.
“We urge the industry, and FPC members in particular, to write to the Commission directly to express their concern over the way the consultation is being carried out, and more importantly to reject these cynical amendments which will seriously undermine any future scheme,” he said.
The FPC’s amended draft response to the consultation is available from alex@freshproduce.org.uk.