The Socialist Party (PS) submitted a parliamentary query to the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, José Manuel Fernandes, emphasizing the strategic importance of food security to national sovereignty and collective resilience, as recognized by the European Union (EU) and NATO. The PS highlighted concerns raised in a recent opinion piece in Expresso by the Secretary-General of the Portuguese Association of Manufacturers of Compound Feed for Animals. The article warns of geopolitical risks, including transatlantic trade tensions, and the necessity of infrastructure and strategic reserves for critical animal feed raw materials.
The opinion piece advocates for investments in storage and resilience mechanisms as part of NATO allies’ commitments to allocate 1.5% of GDP to security by 2035. The PS seeks to know if the government plans to leverage this allocation for critical food security infrastructure, and requests details on specific projects identified or underway.
At the NATO summit in June in the Netherlands, members of the Alliance pledged to invest 5% of their GDP by 2035 in military expenditures, with 3.5% dedicated to defense and an additional 1.5% for other investments like infrastructure and industry.
The PS inquired about the detailed status of the National Strategy for Food and Nutritional Security (ENSANP), requesting data by axis and measure, including goals, indicators, and financing mobilized since 2021. They also asked when the most recent monitoring reports, post-2022, will be published.
The socialists seek clarification on the monitoring and public reporting mechanisms to ensure transparency in the ENSANP implementation, allowing for parliamentary and public scrutiny. Another question posed by the PS addressed the absence of meetings of the National Council for Food and Nutritional Security since October 2023, and inquired about the meeting schedule for 2025/2026.
The PS queried whether the government has convened the ENSANP monitoring working group, created by the Council of Ministers Resolution No. 145/2021 on November 3rd. They also requested the government’s official assessment of the impact of tariff scenarios on feed costs and, consequently, consumer prices in Portugal.
Additionally, they asked, “What measures are underway to reduce the country’s reliance on imported proteins, specifically through partial substitution with national vegetable proteins?”
