Europe Agri articles from April 2003

Europe Agri archives from April 2003

BEER: COMMISSION LOOKING INTO FRENCH TAX ON IMPORTED BEERS.
April 11, 2003... Since France adopted its regulation introducing a special tax on beer with alcohol content of more than 8.5%, the Commission has received several complaints from brewers in different Member States who market high-strength beer of this kind in...

HONEY: COMMISSION SAYS MEMBER STATES MAY SET CONDITIONS FOR USE OF ORGANIC ACIDS.(Brief Article)
April 11, 2003... There are no specific provisions under Community law governing the use of lactic acid in beehives to fight certain diseases that affect bees, the European Commission confirmed in reply to a question from German MEP Markus Ferber (EPP-ED) about...

GENETIC ENGINEERING: BRUSSELS HOSTS ROUND-TABLE DEBATE ON CO-EXISTENCE OF CONVENTIONAL AND GM-CROPS.
April 11, 2003... The Commission makes no bones about it: growing authorised GMOs in the EU will have an impact on agricultural production. In particular, it raises the question of how to manage the adventitious mixing of GM and non-GM crops (admixture),...

RESEARCH: COMMISSION SEEKS STUDY INTO CO-EXISTENCE OF GM AND CONVENTIONAL CROPS.(Brief Article)
April 11, 2003... The European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture has just published a notice concerning an upcoming call for tenders for a study to be carried out into the co-existence between genetically-modified and organically-grown or...

ANIMAL WELFARE: NEW EXPORT CONTROLS CUT REFUNDS ON LIVE CATTLE TRANSPORT.(Brief Article)
April 11, 2003... The new Regulation contains several new measures which should discourage maltreatment of exported EU animals: - stricter standards for supervisory agencies responsible for carrying out checks in third countries; - checks at the place...

AGRICULTURE: COURT OF JUSTICE UPHOLDS FARMER'S PRIVILEGE IN PLANT VARIETY RIGHT CASE.
April 11, 2003... This ruling touches on the controversial issue of the right of anyone who has developed or bred a specific plant variety to claim compensation (similar to royalties) when that plant is used by someone else. The 1994 Regulation on plant variety...

WINE: GROWERS GIVEN MORE TIME TO PUT VINEYARDS IN ORDER.(Brief Article)
April 11, 2003... Wine producers have been given more breathing space by a Commission decision to extend the deadline for the legalisation of illicit vineyards in Member States. Under Regulation 1493/1999/EC, national authorities had until July 31, 2002 to check...

ANIMAL HEALTH: BLUETONGUE RULES RELAXED.
April 11, 2003... The European Commission has decided to relax the rules put in place in 2001 (Decision 2001/783/EC) to control the spread of the sheep disease, bluetongue, after evidence emerged showing that it is on the retreat. Free movement of sheep is now...

FRUIT: PEACHES AND NECTARINES MUST BE SUFFICIENTLY RIPER.(Brief Article)
April 11, 2003... The European Commission has agreed that peaches and nectarines should be subject to the same rules on ripeness as most other fruit. In an amendment to Regulation 2335/1999/EC, the Commission has said that peaches and nectarines "must be...

ENLARGEMENT: EU STEPS UP CAMPAIGN TO CONVINCE CANDIDATES ON AGRICULTURE.
April 11, 2003... Information. With the signing of the Accession Treaty only days away, Mr Fischler said he was concerned over the quality of the information given to the EU's future citizens. He said the idea of an information "campaign" was too military,...

EU/EGYPT: EGYPTIAN PARLIAMENT RATIFIES ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT.
April 11, 2003... The EU/Egypt Association Agreement signed on June 25, 2001 in Luxembourg has been ratified by Egypt's People's Assembly (Parliament) to the great satisfaction of the European Commission. But the Agreement will only enter into force once...

EU/BULGARIA: CONCESSIONS AGREED ON AGRICULTURAL TRADE.
April 11, 2003... Farm Ministers meeting in Council on April 8 rubber-stamped a new set of rules which slash tariffs on many agricultural goods being traded between the European Union and Bulgaria. After lengthy negotiations, a Protocol (7908/03 EC) has been...

NEW PUBLICATION.(Liberalising Fisheries Markets: Scope and Effects)
April 11, 2003... *Liberalising Fisheries Markets: Scope and Effects The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has just published a new report summing up the findings of a three-year study, which claims that although considerable progress...

CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN SPRING/SUMMER 2003.(Calendar)
April 11, 2003... APRIL * Biodegradable and recyclable food packaging Two organisations (EcoPac and PackTech) financed by the EU are to organise on April 23-24 in Valencia (Spain) a two-day demonstration of biodegradable and recyclable food and drink...

BUNGE TAKEOVER OF FRENCH OIL-MAKER CEREOL COMPLETE.(Brief Article)
April 11, 2003... The world's top oilseed processor, Bunge Ltd., said on April 9 that it had completed its takeover of French vegetable oil maker Cereol SA in a deal estimated at Euro 840 million. The move sees Cereol delisted from the European stock exchange,...

UK GRAINFARMERS BUYS DALGETY GRAIN MARKETING BUSINESS.(Brief Article)
April 11, 2003... Grainfarmers PLC said it agreed to buy the UK grain marketing arm of Dalgety Arable Ltd, making it the largest grain marketing business in Britain. Effective April 30, the deal will give Grainfarmers, already the UK's biggest farmer-owned...

DONSPA GETS FUNDING TO BUILD 22 FISHING BOATS.(Brief Article)
April 11, 2003... The Russian-Spanish DONSPA joint venture has reached an agreement with the Spanish Standander banking group over a Euro 111-million loan to build 22 fishing vessels. The ships will be used for fishing in the Ukrainian section of the Azov Sea...

UK BRANDONS GOES INTO ADMINISTRATION.(Brief Article)
April 11, 2003... Administrative receivers at PricewaterhouseCoopers faced the tricky task of persuading feed suppliers to continue providing turkey food to Brandons yesterday, after the UK's second biggest turkey business collapsed. The company's move into...

NEW SOYA FOOD MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION LAUNCHED.(European Natural SoyFoods Manufacturers Association has been formed)
April 25, 2003... European soya food manufacturers have set up a new business association to argue their case in dealings with the EU authorities. ENSA* has been established for the purpose of ensuring the emergence in Europe of an appropriate and balanced...

BEER INDUSTRY: INTERBREW GETS CLEARANCE FOR AMENDED EXCLUSIVITY AGREEMENTS.(Brief Article)
April 25, 2003... Seven thousand pubs, restaurants and hotels (horeca-outlets) in Belgium have been exclusively tied to Interbrew through purchase obligations known as loan agreements whereby the group provided the outlet with a loan, a bank guarantee or...

FOOD ADDITIVES: PARLIAMENT KEEN TO TIGHTEN RESTRICTIONS ON SWEETENERS IN SOFT DRINKS.(Brief Article)
April 25, 2003... Parliament believes that the Commission's plan to reduce the maximum levels of cyclamates from the current level of 400 mg/l to 350 mg/l. does not go far enough. The plenary session passed a Greens-EFA amendment at first reading by 237 votes to...

FOOD SAFETY: MOVES TO IMPROVE MONITORING OF RADIOACTIVITY OF WILD FOOD.
April 25, 2003... How can public awareness of the possible radioactive contamination of wild food products be raised without causing panic? This is the difficult exercise undertaken by the European Commission through a Recommendation (which is not binding on the...

FROZEN PRODUCE: PRODUCTION OF FROZEN VEGETABLES REMAINS STABLE IN EU.(Brief Article)
April 25, 2003... Processing should be stable in 2003 provided climatic conditions remain clement and do not - as was the case in 2001 and 2002 in certain countries - cause disruption to the principal production zones. With areas dedicated to the cultivation...

ORGANIC FARMING: KEEN TO MAKE UP LOST GROUND, FRANCE SETS TARGET OF 15% FOR 2010.
April 25, 2003... Organic farmers on the French National Federation for Organic Farming (Federation nationale de l'agriculture biologique - FNAB) have set a target of 15% of France's farm land given over to organic farming by 2010, an ambitious target that...

CHOCOLATE: NEW EU DIRECTIVE TO ENTER INTO FORCE ON AUGUST 3.
April 25, 2003... The new rules on chocolate products now make it possible to add vegetable fats other than cocoa butter within the limit of 5% of the finished product. The use of such vegetable fats is strictly regulated. The six types of vegetable fats of...

ETHYL ALCOHOL: REGULATION ON SPECIFIC MARKET MEASURES.
April 25, 2003... Along with potatoes, the ethyl alcohol sector was one of the few European agricultural sectors not governed by a common organisation of the market (COM), despite being a product listed in Annex I of the EC Treaty ("agricultural produce") and...

GENETIC ENGINEERING: REPORT QUESTIONS SCIENTIFIC VALIDITY OF UK GM CROP TRIALS.
April 25, 2003... The trials in the United Kingdom involved growing GM and conventional crops of oil seed rape, maize and sugar beet in adjacent fields. Scientists regularly counted weeds, insects and other biodiversity indicators in each of the fields in order...

NEW PROCEDURE FOR GM-CROP EXPERIMENTATION IN FRANCE.(genetically modified)(Brief Article)
April 25, 2003... The French Ministry of Agriculture has introduced a new procedure for trials involving genetically-modified (GM) plants notably including prior surveys and specific notification of the Mayors of the municipalities concerned. Seven multi-annual...

USERS CONCERNED ABOUT ENERGY OUTLETS FOR WOOD.(Brief Article)
April 25, 2003... The wood and paper industries are concerned about the security of their supplies given the increasing competition from the energy sector for wood raw material. At the "GES-Bois" (Groupe d'etudes statistiques des bois pour les industries des...

BIOTECHNOLOGY: MEPS AGAINST CLONING FOR RESEARCH AND REPRODUCTION.
April 25, 2003... MEPs voted to ban cloning for reproduction or to supply stem cells. Cloned human embryos shall also be excluded as material for transplants. Moreover, an amendment was adopted on rules for aborted foetuses, to ensure that abortions are not be...

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH CHALLENGES DUTCH GMO APPROVAL.(genetically modified oilseed rape)(Brief Article)
April 25, 2003... The environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth Europe (FoE-Europe) has asked the European Commission to investigate the Dutch Government's decision to recommend approval for a genetically-modified variety of oilseed rape. In a statement...

FISHERIES: EU AGREES CHANGES TO FLEET-CUTTING MAGP.(Multi-Annual Guidance Programme)(Brief Article)
April 25, 2003... The European Union's Council of Ministers has adopted changes to its fleet-cutting plan, the fourth Multi-Annual Guidance Programme (MAGP IV), to take account of improvements made to various national fleets. The United Kingdom, the Netherlands,...

COPA-COGECA: NEW PRESIDENCY AT COPA CHALLENGES FISCHLER ON CAP REFORM.
April 25, 2003... The new Presidency told journalists gathered in Brussels that it will stick to its tough line on reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. Mr Gaemelke said that there was room for discussion only if the European Commission was prepared to take...

PIG INDUSTRY: FRENCH DEMAND EXPORT SUPPORT FOR PIG FARMERS.(Brief Article)
April 25, 2003... According to a spokesman for the Commission, there is room in the farm budget for export refunds to be paid on some categories of pigmeat, but the current pig market situation must first be further examined. Earlier this year, prices fell low...

EAGGF: OLAF CLOSES INQUIRY INTO FRAUD AT GREEK ECOLOGICAL PARKS.(European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund)
April 25, 2003... The programme for the creation of ecological parks in Greece is a long-term (20-year) programme, which received 75% of its funding from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF). It had as its goal the creation of natural...

FISHERIES: MOVES TO PROTECT BALTIC COD.
April 25, 2003... The decision means fishermen working the Baltic Sea will have to tie up their boats earlier this year as part of tougher measures to preserve the EU's drastically low stocks of cod: the usual Summer ban that runs from the end of May to...

FNSEA WILL FIGHT BEEF INDUSTRY FINES.(National Federation of Farmers' Unions)
April 25, 2003... The French farmers' federations implicated by the European Commission in a beef price-fixing scam dating from late 2001 have vowed to fight the Euro 16.7 million fines levied by the EU's anti-trust authority. The ringleader, the National...

ANIMAL FEED: COMMISSION REFUSES PLAN FOR LISTING AUTHORISED PRODUCTS.
April 25, 2003... The idea of a positive list came out of a compromise between the European Parliament and the Council on a Directive (2002/2/EC) setting out rules on labelling for animal feed in October 2001. A compromise was struck between the two institutions...

ANIMAL FEED: COMMISSION PROPOSES TIGHTER RULES FOR INDUSTRY.
April 25, 2003... The proposal comes as part of the Commission's initiative to improve food safety, as set out in its January 2000 White Paper on food safety. This latest proposal is one more step on the way to rationalising and simplifying EU legislation on...

ANIMAL HEALTH: DUTCH AND BELGIAN AVIAN FLU MEASURES EXTENDED.
April 25, 2003... Situation and measures in the Netherlands. Since the beginning of this latest epidemic of Avian Influenza in the Netherlands on February 28, 233 infected farms have been confirmed and another 23 are seriously suspected to be contaminated....

FOOD SAFETY: SCIENTIFIC STEERING COMMITTEE WRAPPED UP.
April 25, 2003... Six years after its creation in 1997 and after having adopted almost 270 Opinions, the European Commission's Scientific Steering Committee held its last plenary session on April 10 and 11. Taking up one of its most common topics, it adopted an...

MARINE POLLUTION: THREE-YEAR CO-OPERATION PLAN FLOATED.
April 25, 2003... The EU co-operation framework for accidental or deliberate marine pollution was established by Council and European Parliament Decision 2850/2000 for the period from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2006. It seeks to bolster the action Member...

ANIMAL & PUBLIC HEALTH: TRANSITIONAL MEASURES ON ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS.
April 25, 2003... Under the Regulation (1774/2002/EC) adopted by the Council in September 2002, only material derived from animals and declared fit for human consumption following veterinary inspection may be used for the production of animal feed. The...

ENLARGEMENT: FISCHLER URGES CANDIDATES NOT TO LOSE OUT ON SAPARD FUNDS.
April 25, 2003... Key preparation for EU membership. Mr Fischler says that all of the countries concerned should be proud of their achievements to date in setting up the SAPARD scheme, but he wants more to be done to ensure good absorption of funds. This is...

EU/AFRICA: FRENCH WANT G8 WORLD LEADERS TO SUPPORT TARIFF CUTS ON AFRICAN GOODS.
April 25, 2003... French President Jacques Chirac first made his surprising appeal for the European Union to cut export refunds - which compensate EU exporters for selling agricultural produce at low world prices - on trade with the impoverished sub-Saharan...

COMMISSION GRANTS EURO 34 MILLION FOR WATER SUPPLY PROJECT IN TANZANIA.(European Commission)(Brief Article)
April 25, 2003... The European Commission has announced a grant of Euro 34 million for a programme to supply water in the eastern African nation of Tanzania. The four-year programme, which is expected to start in September, will be co-financed by Germany. The...

TRADE: MINISTERS AMEND GSP LIST.(Generalised System of Preferences)(Brief Article)
April 25, 2003... European Union Foreign Ministers confirmed on April 14 the Council's amendment to the EU's Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) for the years 2003 and 2004, updating the list of countries benefiting from the EU's preferential trade regime....

EU/EEA: OPTIMISM ABOUT QUICK SOLUTION ON ENLARGEMENT.
April 25, 2003... The money dispute had seemed almost resolved. EU demands for more than Euro 400 million from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein have been watered down to closer to what the EEA-3 had been prepared to offer. The provisional agreement on the table...

LAMY AND ZOELLICK TAKE STOCK OF DOHA ROUND.(European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick)(Brief Article)
April 25, 2003... The World Trade Organisation's Doha Round of talks was examined by European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy and United States Trade Representative Robert Zoellick at their meeting in Brussels on April 15 and 16. Over a total of eight hours, the...

EIB LENDS EURO 76 MILLION FOR GUADELOUPE'S LOCAL ECONOMY.(European Investment Bank)(Brief Article)
April 25, 2003... The Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), a financial institution specialising in overseas development aid, and the European Investment Bank are lending their financial backing and expertise to the Enterprise Development Fund set up by the...

EU/NEW ZEALAND: CLARK MEETS LAMY FOR TALKS ON DOHA ROUND.(New Zealand Premier Helen Clark)
April 25, 2003... After meeting Mr Lamy, she welcomed his initiative to rein in fishing subsidies (see separate article in this Section). "New Zealand has been something of a pioneer in fisheries management to make sure quotas are sustainable, and we've been...

EU/ACP: COMMISSION UNVEILS EU WATER FUND PROPOSAL.
April 25, 2003... The Commission has taken the opportunity to point out that the proposal builds on the EU Water Initiative, launched during the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg from August 26 to September 4, 2002, and contrasts...

EU/WTO: PROPOSAL TO RESTRICT FISHERIES SUBSIDIES.
April 25, 2003... European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy said the EU proposal would ensure that the WTO bans capacity-enhancing subsidies, or grants to help the construction of vessels and increase in fishing capacity. It would also end subsidies for fishermen...

EU/US: RESTRICTIONS WIDENED AS NEWCASTLE DISEASE SPREADS.(Brief Article)
April 25, 2003... An outbreak of the infectious poultry illness, Newcastle Disease, was confirmed on April 11 by American authorities in the State of Texas, close to the border with New Mexico. As a result, the EU's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and...

DANONE AND EDEN SPRINGS SET UP EUROPEAN MINERAL WATER JOINT VENTURE.(Brief Article)
April 25, 2003... Danone and Eden Springs Europe have agreed to set up a joint venture to consolidate their current and future water delivery activities (home and office) in Europe, announced the French agri-foods group. Danone will initially own 53.2% of the...

NEW FRANCO-BELGIAN SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT OPENS NEAR LILLE.(Brief Article)
April 25, 2003... The Walloon (Belgian) Minister for Land Use, Town Planning and the Environment, Michel Foret, and the President of the Urban Community of Lille, Pierre Mauroy, inaugurated on April 3 a cross-border waste-water treatment plant in Comines,...

SWEDISH FORESTRY GROUPS ACCUSED OF EXPLOITATION IN INDONESIA.(Nordea and Asea Brown Boveri are involved)
April 25, 2003... Swedish companies pride themselves on their ethical and environmental credentials but some leading groups are under fire from local environmental protection organisations for being involved to varying degrees in destroying forests in Indonesia....

VIVENDI ENVIRONNEMENT TO BE RECHRISTENED VEOLIA ENVIRONNEMENT.
April 25, 2003... Vivendi Environnement (VE), the French utility group that took up the mantle of the Compagnie Generale des Eaux (CGE), has announced its new name, Veolia Environnement, chosen to turn the page on Vivendi Universal (media, communications), its...

NEW PUBLICATION.(Joint FAO/World Health Organisation Expert Consultation publishes the report "Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases")
April 25, 2003... *Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases Just published from the two-year-long Joint FAO/World Health Organisation Expert Consultation, this expert report contains the best currently available scientific evidence on the...

CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN SPRING/SUMMER 2003.(Calendar)
April 25, 2003... MAY 6-8 Brussels, Belgium - European Seafood Exposition (ESE) The European Seafood Exposition, the premier seafood event in the world, provides a forum for the entire seafood industry to connect with existing customers, launch new...