BAPRA BRIGHT AWARDS ENTRY FORM
AGENCY NAME: Publicis Consultants | MARC
CAMPAIGN TITLE: Clean Food, Fair Livelihood
CATEGORY: Sustainable development campaign
CONTACT PERSONS: Petya Venkova, PR Director; Yolanda Emiryan, PR Consultant
ADDRESS: 118, Bulgaria Blvd, Abacus business center
MOBILE: + 359 896 786 751; + 359 896 786 794
E-MAIL: [email protected], [email protected]
I. PLEASE, DEFINE THE COMMUNICATION PROBLEM:
After Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union Bulgarian agriculture and the dairy sector in
particular have faced new conditions and prospects for integration to the vast European markets.
This opportunity is accompanied by a number of requirements that Bulgaria has accepted and
needs to comply with within the agreed deadlines.
Although Bulgaria has been a full member of the European Union since 2007, agriculture still has
plenty of unsettled issues and serious difficulties, especially for the small farmers. The dairy
sector, in particular, faces serous problems, which demand rapid, adequate and result oriented
policy.
Small farmers in Bulgaria are not allowed to sale home-made cheese and other products
from their farms directly to the customers. According to the acting law, the conditions for
production and preservation of home made milk products have to be the same as the conditions in
the big dairy farms. In all other European countries there is a special legislation that allows
farmers to process their production in the farm and to sell it legally to the consumers, restaurants
and shops. Bulgaria is the only country in the European Union, which didn’t adopt its legislation
towards small producers and farms in relevance with the EU regulations. That is the reason why
Bulgarian consumers cannot legally buy milk or home-made food. It is also the reason why more
than 120 000 farms are being obliged to sell their production to no one else but the 249 dairy
farms. This creates binding under compulsion and leaves no other choice for the small farmers to
actually benefit of their production by offering it to free market.
II. PLEASE, SHARE YOUR STRATEGIC APPROACH:
1. Founding of the „Clean Food, Fair Livelihood” coalition - a natural result of the partnership
between nine non governmental organizations, working for conservation of Bulgarian nature,
development of organic farming, protection of the rights of the Bulgarian consumers and
establishment of conditions for fair livelihood of the Bulgarian farmers. Among the founders are
WWF Bulgaria (Danube-Carpathian Programme), Bulgarian National Consumers Association,
Bioselena Biological Agriculture Foundation, Slow Food Bulgaria, Bulgarian Society for Bird
Protection, BioProduct Association and three other associations of farmers. Publicis Consultants |
MARC supported the initiative as strategic consultant for the outlining and implementation of the
campaign as well as communication partner providing pro bono service in the area of media and
institutional relations and creating the visual identity of the coalition.
Communication objectives:
To increase the awareness among public and media about the issue
To initiate a conversation between authorities, NGOs and small producers
To achieve suitable landscape (on an institutional and expert level) for developing of new
legislation
Key message:
Farmers should be given a chance to operate under a direct sales ordinance to ensure a
really free food market in Bulgaria
- The state should implement European recommendations and should give equal chance to all
farmers to process and sell legally milk, cheese, yoghurt, meat, eggs
- The consumers will be able to choose and buy qualitative and tasty products with regulated
origin, nature and eco-friendly and provide fair payment to the farmers work.
Target groups:
1. Media & Community
2. Authorities
3. Stakeholders
III. PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT:
1. February 15, 2009 – First press conference, presenting the coalition, its objectives and the
issue. The timing was well-chosen to coincide with the serous public and media talking over the
issue of the quality of milk products, bought in stores. The message that customers can not buy
quality foods from small farmers due to legislative non-compliance echoed in the public domain
and created a wide and strong interest towards the issue.
2. February 18, 2009 – Official declaration, describing coalition’s position for implementation
of the European recommendations was officially tabled in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
The institutions were involved in the talk and their attention was demanded.
3. April 21, 2009 – Food festival, presenting typical Bulgarian farm products was held. Focus of
the paradoxical fact that according to the acting legislation selling of such home made products
is illegal. The festival created significant media and customers’ attention and more than 450
people passed by it and tasted some of the traditional products of small farmers.
4. May 19, 2010 – Official lunch with the participation of Deputy Prime-Minister Meglena
Plugchieva, Ambassadors of the United Kingdom and Austria and high-standing officials from
the French embassy was initiated. The officials discussed the European experience and knowhow in supporting of the small farmers and the possible ways for the legislation to be adopted in
Bulgaria. Deputy prime-minister Plugchieva committed with the establishment of a special
working group in the Ministry, intended to be in charge for the development of a draft regulation
document.
5. June 24, 2009 – Round table for know-how exchange and discussion of the possibilities for
the legislation towards small farmers in Bulgaria was held. Bulgarian and international experts,
together with institutional representatives and media representatives participated.
6. September-December 2009 – Working group within the Ministry was established with
the aim to synchronize and coordinate the Bulgarian legislation to allow direct sells. The
discussion and the relations with institutions were resumed successfully after the change of the
ruling power in the summer.
IV. PLEASE STATE THE EFFICIENCY AND YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS:
In the course of the active public support and campaign visibility among media and institutions,
the newly established team of Ministry of Agriculture and Food initiated series of meetings with
Coalition’s representatives, stating that the adoption of relevant act would be among the main
and quickest priorities for the administration. In September a working group was established,
with Coalition’s representatives taking active part in it. The group started preparing the
legislative frame for the adoption of direct sells regulation act, which was consequently
coordinated with all engaged parties. Due to legislative requirements an alternation in the text of
the acting Food law were passed by the Parliament in January 2010. With this the actual
coming into force of the regulation and the opportunity to sell directly to customers is now
reality for small Bulgarian farmers.
In the time of the campaign the coalition was actively supported by media, which were among
the strongest ambassadors of the campaign claims. The media representatives from leading daily
editions such as Trud (the biggest in circulation daily edition), Standart (the second in circulation
daily edition), Monitor, Telegraf, Sega, business editions Pari and Dnevnik published series of
materials on the Coalition initiative. More than 85 print and online materials were published
throughout the year; more than 10 interviews with Coalition representatives were organized in
the course of work. Some of the editions such as Dnevnik and Pari initiated series of materials
with sharing of successful practices of small farmers, working for their living. More than
450 000 Bulgarian readers, who are also prospect consumers (combined circulation), were
reached and their opinion shaped through this channel. More than 15 TV and radio materials
were broadcasted on the initiative. All materials covered positively the Coalition and its
messages aimed at giving small farmers a chance for fair living.