8. 8. 83 Official Journal of the European Communities NoC211/13 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Decision adopting joint research programmes and 
programmes for coordinating agricultural research 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the Euro­
pean Communities No C 27 of 2 February 1983, page 6. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 18 January 1983 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Econo­
mic and Social Committee in accordance with Article 43 of the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community. 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
The Economic and Social Committee prepared its opinion on the above matter at its 
208th plenary session held in Brussels on 1 and 2 June 1983. 
The full text of the opinion is as follows: 
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the Euro­
pean Economic Community, and in particular 
Article 43 thereof, 
Having regard to the request made by the Council 
of the European Communities in its letter of 20 Jan­
uary 1983 for an opinion on the proposal for a 
Council Decision adopting joint research pro­
grammes and programmes for coordinating agricul­
tural research (Council Decision of 18 January 
1983), 
Having regard to the decision taken by its Bureau 
on 25 January 1983 instructing the Section for Agri­
culture to draw up an opinion on the subject, 
Having regard to its previous work on the subject, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Section for 
Agriculture adopted at its 243rd meeting on 5 May 
1983, 
Having regard to the oral report given by the rappor­
teur, Mr Rainero, 
Having regard to the discussions on 1 June 1983 
during the Plenary Session held on 1 and 2 June 
1983, 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
unanimously: The Committee approves the Commission proposal, 
but would make the following comments. 
1. General comments 
1.1. Agricultural research can make a major contri­
bution towards the development of Community 
agriculture and the attainment of the goals of Com­
munity integration. 
1.1.1. The Committee therefore feels that the Com­
mission is justified in addressing itself to the issue 
of agricultural research. It welcomes the proposal to 
continue the joint research programmes and the pro­
grammes for coordinating agricultural research in 
the five-year period 1984 to 1988. 
1.2. The Commission states that the proposed 
1984-1988 research programme was drawn up in the 
light of the changing priorities of the common agri­
cultural policy and Community agriculture, the need 
to exploit the latest developments in science and 
technology, and the experience gained in the opera­
tion of the current five-year programme. Certain 
activities initiated under the 1979-1983 programme 
will be continued, whilst others will be dropped. 
1.2.1. The Committee broadly approves this 
approach, but cannot carry out a thorough analysis 
of the programme until the 1982 report on research 
activities has been published. 
No C 211/14 Official Journal of the European Communities 8.8.83 
1.2.2. The Committee is, however, pleased to note 
that the 1984-1988 research programme is more 
extensive than its two predecessors (the 1975-1978 
and 1979-1983 programmes) in that it is designed to 
further a number of major objectives (increased 
productivity, CAP objectives) which will benefit 
both producers and consumers. 
1.2.3. The Committee agrees with the Commission 
that the adoption of a coherent strategy for agricul­
tural research will have indirect and positive impli­
cations for other key sectors such as regional 
development, environment, rural employment, com­
petition and consumer affairs. 
1.2.4. The Committee would point out that, 
according to Regulation (EEC) No 1728/74, the 
Commission is also responsible for coordinating 
and providing financial incentives for the various 
research activities being carried out in the Member 
States. 
1.3. The topics to be covered by the agricultural 
research programme are in line with the general aim 
('promoting agricultural competitiveness') of the 
framework programme for Community scientific 
and technical activities. The research programme 
takes account of the changing economic, political 
and environmental conditions affecting agriculture 
in the Member States (general economic stagnation, 
inflation, growing unemployment, energy crisis, 
escalating production costs, declining agricultural 
revenues, problems regarding the competitiveness of 
Community agricultural products on the world mar­
ket). 
1.3.1. Whilst supporting the general approach, the 
Committee feels that the promotion of competitive­
ness, though necessary, is not enough in itself. 
1.3.2. Agricultural research should also seek to 
improve economic performance by identifying fac­
tors likely to increase productivity. To this end, it is 
vital to have a well-coordinated information system 
enabling farmers to benefit from the fruits of 
research, particularly in those Member States where 
information-relaying machinery is still inadequate. 1.4. The Committee considers that the Commis­
sion should do more to encourage the disseminati in 
of the findings of research carried out by CJM-
munity and non-Community countries. In this.xor-
nection the Committee feels that there should be 
closer contacts with information-relaying bodies ii\ 
those Member States where dissemination is still 
inadequate, thus ensuring that findings are more 
effectively publicized. Moreover, the Committee 
believes that dissemination of findings is not 
enough. Contacts should be made with farmers 
before research begins, so as to assess and meet their 
technological requirements. 
1.5. The Commission proposes that the forthcom­
ing five-year programme be concentrated on closely 
inter-linked activities, grouped around three major 
research themes: 
— the conservation and utilization of the Com­
munity's agricultural resoures, 
— structural problems, 
— improvements in crop and stockfarming yields. 
Each research theme is to be the subject of two pro­
jects covering the many areas of research and inter­
vention associated with the 'promotion of agricul­
tural competitiveness'. 
1.5.1. Generally speaking, the Committee is in 
favour of the programme's approach. Despite cer­
tain misgivings (mentioned above), the Committee 
welcomes the fact that the proposal covers both 
research and the practical application of research 
findings. 
1.5.2. The Committee disagrees, however, with the 
Commission's opinion that the proposed areas of 
research are of equal importance. It would recom­
mend that, in so far as is possible, detailed discus­
sions be held to draw up an order of priority. 
1.6. The Committee appreciates that the individual 
research projects of the Commission's programme 
cannot be fully assessed because they are so general 
in nature. 
1.6.1. Most of the research projects appear to be 
geared towards the application to agriculture of 
known technologies, some of them already in use in 
8.8.83 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 211/15 
other sectors of the economy. Long-term, basic 
research is covered by the non-agricultural directo­
rates of the Commission, and the Committee would 
take this opportunity of stressing that the Comniis-
sion services should work more closely together. 
1.6.2. In the absence of adequate coordination, 
research under the proposed Council Decision may 
— by pursuing the short- and medium-term objec­
tives specified in the Commission proposal — yield 
results which will turn out to be of limited use in the 
long term, given the major changes which world 
agriculture is likely to undergo. 
1.6.3. These fears appear justified in the light of 
the applied agricultural research being carried out 
by countries such as the USA, Israel and Japan. The 
governments of these countries, together with multi­
nationals (not necessarily directly involved in the 
agricultural sector), are investing colossal sums in 
long- and very long-term research. Completely new 
varieties of crops, which grow well in adverse envi­
ronmental conditions (saline soils, arid climates, 
etc.), are being developed in laboratories and culti­
vated in trial farms. Similarly, long-term research is 
being conducted into ways of using industrial elec­
tronics techniques — both those already in use and 
those being developed — for the control and man­
agement of agricultural production. 
1.6.4. The Committee feels that the research being 
conducted outside the Community may, with time, 
lead to substantial changes in world agricultural 
production which will have economic repercussions 
(difficult to quantify at this stage, but real enough) 
on the Community's domestic markets. 
1.6.5. The Committee therefore feels that the Com­
munity should launch innovative research projects 
so as to be able to withstand competition from other 
developed countries. 1.7. Financial aspects 
1.7.1. The Commission has proposed allocating 65 
million EUA to the research programme. Although 
in real terms this is double the amount available for 
the 1979-1983 programme, it is still only 2 % of the 
total Community budget for research and develop­
ment. Spread over the period of five years, average 
yearly expenditure will amount to 13,5 million 
EUA, to be divided among the three main research 
themes proposed by the Commission. 
1.7.2. As each main theme covers many individual 
strands of research, it can be calculated that each 
project will be allocated a maximum of 1,7 million 
EUA, to be used over a period of five years. 
1.7.3. The Committee deplores the inadequacy of 
this funding and doubts whether it will be possible 
to fully exploit the potential in the area of agricul­
tural research. 
2. Specific comments 
2.1. Whilst appreciating that the Commission is 
obliged to present the topics for research in fairly 
general terms, the Committee would express 
dissatisfaction at the absence of clear-cut projects. 
2.2. Energy in agriculture 
2.2.1. The Committee approves the proposals con­
tained under the headings 'Indirect economy of 
energy' and 'Direct economy of energy', and refers 
to the comments made on agricultural machinery in 
2.3.1. 
2.2.2. Whilst endorsing continuation of research 
into the production of energy from biomass, the 
Committee stresses the need for such research to 
centre on achievement of economic and competitive 
production. 
2.3. Exploitation and management of soil and water 
resources 
2.3.1. The Committee considers that priority 
should be given inter alia to adapting agriculture to 
NoC211/16 Official Journal of the European Communities 8. 8. 83 
the special requirements of marginal land. It is 
necessary to coordinate the various research projects 
which can make a contribution here. More specifi­
cally, the Committee has in mind the development 
of agricultural machinery specially designed for 
marginal land. In the Committee's view, it is also 
important to discover ways of using water resources 
more efficiently. Care must be taken, in introducing 
such measures, to preserve the balance of the agri­
cultural markets. 
2.4. Structural problems 
2.4.1. The Committee feels that a specific research 
project should be carried out into the problems assoc­
iated with the amalgamation of holdings and the 
socio-economic and structural aspects of marginal 
land. 
2.5. Mediterranean agriculture 
2.5.1. The Committee upholds the choice of 
research topics, particularly those which will contri­
bute to restoring the economic and social balance 
between the Mediterranean and the more highly-
developed areas of the Community, taking account 
of the applications of Spain and Portugal for mem­
bership. 
2.5.2. The Committee is concerned that the import­
ance of introducing agricultural diversification in 
these areas should not be underestimated; incen­
tives to sheep- and goat-farming on marginal land 
are of particular importance. 
2.6. Other regions 
The Commission makes the point that 'other Com­
munity regions may feature economic and social 
imbalances similar to those of the Mediterranean 
(French overseas departments, West of Ireland)'. 
The Committee feels that there is a further problem 
facing these regions which should not be over­
looked, namely the need for continued research into 
their climatic conditions and agricultural produc­
tion, and the diffusion of existing research findings. 2.7. Food programme 
2.7.1. The Committee considers that the pro­
gramme should also cover the economic implica­
tions of vertical and horizontal integration. 
2.8. Improved productivity in crop- and stock-farm­
ing 
2.8.1. The Committee would point out that: 
(a) The programme is geared towards larger ani­
mals (cattle, pigs and sheep), whilst smaller spe­
cies (poultry, rabbits and fish) are completely 
overlooked. The Committee feels that aquacul-
ture deserves special attention in view of its 
development potential; this would be in line 
with the Commission's integrated Mediterra­
nean programme. 
(b) Under III 1 (a) Animal Health, the Committee 
would like to see the fullest encouragement 
given to the methodological improvement and 
wider application, to all species, of programmes 
of positive health maintenance in relation to 
productivity. The four areas to be covered under 
III 1 (b) Animal Welfare are important espe­
cially as they are deficient in quantitative and 
scientific data. The Committee feels that the 
time is appropriate for a more sophisticated and 
less subjective approach to be made in these 
fields than has been hitherto general, for exam­
ple, by the study of pathophysiological para­
meters in stress and deprivation and by encour­
agement of more work in the field of compara­
tive neurology. 
(c) The Commission states that the 'programme on 
plant productivity' will concentrate on crops for 
which the Community is a net importer, leaving 
aside those where there is surplus production. 
2.8.2. The Committee feels that surplus crops 
should also be included in the programme. High 
productivity is not the root cause of surpluses: the 
problem of surpluses should be dealt with by means 
of specific economic policy measures. Crops where 
there is a surplus should not be excluded from 
research into improved productivity and production 
techniques. Higher yields of surplus crops, com­
bined with appropriate farm-policy measures, could 
leas to a reduction in land area given over to the 
8. 8. 83 Official Journal of the European Communities NoC211/17 
cultivation of these crops, thereby increasing land 
surfaces available for growing crops which are in 
deficit. 
2.9. Issues not covered in the Commission proposal 
2.9.1. The Committee regrets, however, that the 
Programme: 
— does not take account of development prob­
lems, 
— does not devote enough space to research into 
crop diversification (e.g. crops with a high pro­
tein content, disease-resistant trees), 
— does not cover forestry, 
— does not put enough emphasis on the need to 
ensure that yields are not increased at the 
expense of quality, 
— does not include research into the economics 
and sociology of agriculture. 
2.9.2. One important area which is not covered by 
the Commission's programme is that of the health 
and safety of both farmers and consumers. This sub­ject should be given even more urgent priority as it 
attracts so little attention from private-sector indus­
try and research. The Committee feels that Com­
munity research should focus on two areas in parti­
cular: 
— agricultural machinery: the use of unsafe agri­
cultural machinery means that the incidence of 
accidents and work-related illness is higher 
among farmers than virtually any other groups 
of workers, 
— chemical products for use in agriculture: the 
Commission programme provides for research 
into improved hygiene and the control and eli­
mination of chemical residues which may be 
harmful for consumers (hormones, antibiotics, 
pesticides, etc.). The Committee would urge that 
attention be given to the harmful effects of toxic 
substances on farmers and farm workers. 
3. In conclusion, the Committee would request 
that, alongside the European Parliament and the 
Council, it be sent a copy of the report referred to in 
Article 4 of the Commission proposal, on the activ-
ites carried out under the programmes. 
Done at Brussels, 1 June 1983. 
The Chairman of the 
Economic and Social Committee 
Francis CEYRAC 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation instituting a specific measure to 
promote urban renewal in Northern Ireland (Belfast) 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the Euro­
pean Communities No C 138 of 2 June 1983, page 3. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 22 April 1983 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic 
and Social Committee in accordance with Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community.