Minister Leppä meets FAO Director-General Graziano da Silva

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland Jari Leppä met José Graziano da Silva, the Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization FAO, in Rome on 3 July 2017. On the agenda in the discussions were the development of FAO’s work and cooperation with Finland.

The topics raised by Minister Leppä included the work done in the Nordic countries to combat antimicrobial resistance and Finland’s initiative concerning the International Year of Plant Health in 2020.

- Every year almost 30 per cent of the global yield is lost because of pests and plant diseases. New plant health risks associated with climate change will lead to even greater losses. To improve the plant health situation all over the world, I hope that as many countries as possible will make the commitment to support the International Year of Plant Health 2020.

Finland is starting its three-year term in the FAO Council as the representative of all Nordic countries.

Inquiries:

Anna Santala, Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, tel. +358 295 16 2418
Aulikki Hulmi, Director for International Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, tel. +358 295 16 2113
Jukka-Pekka Kataja, Special Adviser to the Minister, tel. +358 295 16 2476