(LUXEMBOURG) - EU agriculture ministers faced pressure on Monday to ramp up farm output in the face of dire warnings that soaring global food prices could drive 100 million people in poor countries deeper into poverty.

France, Europe's top farming power, was pushing the message that Europe must remain a global farming force by boosting output, sticking to its position in WTO trade negotiations and helping poor countries more in the sector.

"In a world where it will be necessary to produce more and better to feed nine billion people, everyone has got to play a part, including Europe," French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier told journalists.

Food security has become a major concern in many countries in recent weeks as supplies of basic commodities have dwindled in the face of soaring demand, triggering riots and violent protests from Haiti to Indonesia.

World Bank president Robert Zoellick warned on Sunday that a doubling of food prices over the past three years could push 100 million people in poorer developing countries further into poverty and called on governments to tackle the issue.

"We have to put our money where our mouth is now so that we can put food into hungry mouths," Zoellick said. "It's as stark as that."

Against that backdrop, Barnier said on the sidelines of the meeting that Europe had to remain "a strong agricultural power" in the face of pressure -- especially from Britain -- to cut the bloc's huge farm spending budget.

France, the biggest recipient of EU farm hand-outs, has led a battle in recent years against growing calls to cut the EU's generous agriculture subsidies.

The European Union is in the midst of a broad review of its Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and France intends to use its EU presidency starting in July to focus on agriculture in view of difficult talks on farm support.

Although Britain shares concerns about helping poor countries cope with the current food price crisis, there is unease about the French initiative.

The drive "should not be about resisting reform of the CAP or pushing for more protectionist policies," one diplomat said.

Barnier saw in the current context of soaring food prices a further reason for the EU to remain firm in negotiations in the World Trade Organisation, where the bloc is under pressure to cut farm support and tariff barriers.

"We have an additional reason with this crisis to be careful so as to prevent any unbalanced deal, the victims of which would be the poorest countries," he said.

While Barnier said the other EU countries shared concerns about food security, he acknowledged that not all members felt the same way as Paris about the WTO negotiations.

Slovenian Agriculture Minister Iztok Jarc, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, said that food price inflation was "a very serious problem for the world and for Europe."

France also pushed for stricter criteria for using biofuels so that their use does not come at the expense of food crops, causing higher food prices as an unintended consequence.

Many observers have warned recently that using arable land to produce crops for biofuels has reduced surfaces available to grow food, putting further pressure on supplies already strained by soaring demand in Asia.

A senior UN official went as far as to describe the recent rush to boost production of biofuels as "a crime against humanity" because of its impact on global prices.

Barnier said the EU should also refocus its development aid on the agriculture sector in poor countries.

"I've noticed that over the past 30 years this priority has fallen by the wayside."

Agriculture and Fisheries Council

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