PS wants to know if the Government is considering investing in critical food security infrastructure

The Socialist Party (PS) wants to know whether the Government is considering the possibility of using the 1.5% of GDP earmarked for security to finance critical food security infrastructure and has requested an update on the national strategy for this sector.

In a question sent through parliament to the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, José Manuel Fernandes, the PS states that “food security constitutes a strategic pillar of national sovereignty and collective resilience , explicitly recognized by the European Union and NATO as an essential element of defense and security policy”.

In the text, the socialist deputies refer to an opinion article recently published in Expresso by the secretary-general of the Portuguese Association of Animal Feed Manufacturers “which warns of geopolitical risks (namely transatlantic trade tensions) and the need for strategic infrastructure and stocks of critical raw materials for animal feed ”.

"The same article advocates for the inclusion of investments in storage and resilience mechanisms within the scope of the commitments made by NATO allies to invest 1.5% of GDP in security by 2035," it states.

Therefore, the PS wants to know whether the Government is studying the use of this security heading to finance critical food security infrastructure and, if so, “what specific projects are identified or underway”.

At the last NATO summit in June in the Netherlands, the members of the Atlantic Alliance committed to investing 5% of GDP by 2035 in military spending, of which 3.5% will be purely defense-related and an additional 1.5% will be spent on other investments such as infrastructure and industry.

The PS questioned the detailed status of the National Food and Nutrition Security Strategy (ENSANP), requesting this data by axis and by measure, including targets, indicators and funding mobilized since 2021.

“When will the most recent monitoring reports (after 2022) be published?” he asked.

The socialists also request clarification on the monitoring and public reporting mechanisms that will be adopted “to ensure transparency in the implementation of ENSANP and allow parliamentary and citizen scrutiny of its implementation.”

Another of the PS's questions is why the National Council for Food and Nutritional Security has not met again since October 2023 and what the meeting schedule is for 2025/2026.

“Has the Government convened the ENSANP Monitoring Working Group, created by Council of Ministers Resolution No. 145/2021 of November 3?” he further asks.

The Socialists are also asking the Government to officially assess the impact of tariff scenarios on feed costs and, consequently, on consumer prices in Portugal.

“What measures are underway to reduce the country’s dependence on imported proteins, particularly through partial replacement with domestic vegetable proteins,” he further asks.