madam president if you want to know how tough it is for farmers just take a look at the uk government's modified low-income threshold
this is the level below which a family is deemed to be living in poverty
the latest figures in the uk show that one quarter of all british farmers fall into this category
but helping farmers is not just about agricultural policy
we should be working here in a holistic way
consumers want to buy high-quality food that is produced as close to home as possible
the european parliament must listen to consumers demands for clear country-of-origin food labelling so that they can be sure where their food comes from
we already have country-of-origin labelling on many foods and there is no reason why mandatory country-of-origin labelling should not be extended to the remaining sectors including the main ingredients of processed food
we have that opportunity coming up in this parliament early next year
let us make sure we take it
