mr president i would like to thank mr mitchell for his report
i welcome the creation of this food facility for the world's poorest farmers which has finally been agreed after long negotiations
some members of the council were not willing to provide unspent agricultural money to support developing countries
while one sixth of the world's population is now going hungry certain member states of the european council held back though a majority of members were in favour of using the cap citing a fear of setting precedents as their tenuous justification
the money has been found elsewhere being phased over three years from two thousand and eight to twenty ten instead of over a two-year period
sadly this money was most needed a few months ago when food prices were soaring
food prices are no longer soaring in some of those same countries
since food prices began to increase the number of people going hungry has risen to nearly one billion
this year one hundred million people were driven into poverty as a result of the food and fuel crisis and that number continues to grow
people in developing countries spend up to eighty of their income on food underlining the reason why the price of food must remain accessible
the food facility will contribute to solving some short-term needs by providing agriculture inputs and strengthening safety nets
however a new food crisis will be imminent unless eu member states and other rich countries address the structural problems that fuelled the food crisis
