London, Oct. 25 - France is set to push for much tougher standards of food safety and quality as a means of protecting European agriculture as part of an overhaul of the Common Agricultural Policy, the Financial Times reports Thursday.
In an interview, Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier said increasing global demand for many products would mean farmers would require fewer direct subsidies, but would need "other mechanisms" to stabilize fluctuating prices, including income insurance for farmers and subsidized private sector storage of surpluses.
Barnier said France is ready to cut payments for big cereal producers in order to help support livestock farmers, but will resist any attempts to scrap all market price support and direct payments to farmers by 2020, as proposed by the U.K. government.