Promotion of the Argentine Bioeconomy in agri-food forum Vilella meets with European authorities in Brussels

Promotion of the Argentine Bioeconomy in agri-food forum Vilella meets with European authorities in Brussels

After his participation in Berlin at the 16th Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA), the Bioeconomy Secretary traveled to Brussels, where he held meetings with authorities from DG SANTE and DG ENVI of the European Commission.

He also led a seminar at the Argentine Embassy on "The contribution of the bioeconomy to sustainable development." In the continuity of the European tour, the Secretary of Bioeconomy, Fernando Vilella, completed in Brussels an intense work agenda with various European institutions to promote the role of the bioeconomy as a new productive paradigm. In the morning, he participated in the seminar on "The contribution of the bioeconomy to sustainable development", organized by the Argentine Embassy to the European Union. This event featured presentations by Manuel Otero (Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture - IICA), Luis Carazo Giménez (from the EU DG AGRI), Thierry de l"Escaille (ELO), Marcelo Regúnaga (GPS ) and Cristian Feldkamp (AACREA). In this context, the Secretary highlighted that "Argentina's production systems are among the most efficient in the world, with the lowest carbon footprints measured in accordance with international methodologies." Likewise, he emphasized that "this is the result of more than 30 years of consistent work in the sector and that today is reflected in the name change of the Secretariat, which promotes a sustainable transformation of biomass at origin and the addition of value in the exports". He further added: "We are in excellent conditions to respond to new global demands and contribute to food security." He concluded that "global challenges require global solutions, always based on science and that do not generate unjustified restrictions on trade."

Luis Carazo Giménez, for his part, highlighted the EU's commitment to sustainable development and agreed with Argentina on the importance of this type of events to strengthen dialogue and mutual understanding. Thierry De l"Escaille, Executive President of ELO, highlighted the importance of producers having tools and approaches that support the sustainability of production and stressed that there are no single models. He envisioned the possibility of greater exchanges and alliances with the Argentine productive sector. Marcelo Regúnaga highlighted the importance of the creation of a Bioeconomy Secretariat and highlighted its coincidence with the main work areas proposed by Secretary Vilella.

Cristian Feldkamp shared a series of data at the farm level that shows the sustainability of the systems and highlighted the importance of having data to continue the process of continuous improvement. He stressed that "Argentine producers are committed to sustainable production." In the afternoon, Secretary Vilella was received by Claire Bury, Deputy Director of Health and Food Safety of the EU, with whom he addressed a broad agenda of health negotiations for the access of Argentine products to the EU, among which are horse meat. , bovine genetics, antimicrobial resistance and zoning process for poultry meat exports. They also exchanged approaches on gene editing with a focus on Argentina's extensive experience in the sector as a pioneer in the regulation of the activity and analyzed the progress regarding the proposed regulation presented by the EU. In both meetings, Secretary Vilella conveyed the interest in concluding the negotiations of the Mercosur - EU Agreement to consolidate and enhance trade and investment links between both blocs. The Argentine delegation was made up of Agustín Tejeda, Undersecretary of Agri-Food Markets and International Negotiations; Atilio Berardi, chargé d'affaires at the Argentine Embassy to the EU; Gastón Funes, agricultural advisor of the Secretariat in said Embassy; and Constanza Crespo, Head of the Economic and Commercial Section of the Argentine Embassy to the EU.

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