The European Parliament today raised its concerns on rising global food prices in a debate with the European Commissioner Louis Michel.

Graham Watson MEP (Leader of the Liberal and Democrat group) highlighted the multiple and complex factors which have led to the current food crisis in many parts of the globe:

"The startling hikes in the cost of basic foods is pushing millions of people into poverty and starvation threatening to cancel out all progress toward the Millennium Development goals of halving world poverty by 2015."

"While it is true that bio-fuels increase demand for crops and displace food production the reasons for the recent food price rises are many and varied and so must be the international community's response."

"World population growth, poor growing conditions linked to climate change; loss of agricultural land for industrial use; commodities speculation; and changing eating habits all contribute to the current crisis."

"We cannot stand by and watch this disaster happen: In the short term that means giving more money to the World Food Programme to feed the poor. In the long term we need to think beyond food aid to prevent a downward spiral of trade restrictions, pressure on agricultural production, and higher prices for staples."

Thierry Cornillet (Modem, France) Parliament's standing rapporteur on humanitarian aid underlined the scale of the problems facing the world's poorest who have to live off barely $1 per day:

"Clearly humanitarian food aid needs to be stepped up to meet immediate needs but the long-term solution cannot rest with perpetual humanitarian aid but with an increase in agricultural production - especially in Africa, where much more investment is needed in efficient farming techniques. This will require a mobilisation of all actors - EU, IMF and World Bank - and especially of those countries concerned who must place agriculture at the heart of their development strategy."