Europe Agri articles from April 2004

Europe Agri archives from April 2004

CONSUMER PROTECTION: BAN ON JELLY MINI-CUPS.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... Jelly mini-cups are marketed in the EU by different manufacturers as a single portion, pre-packaged sweet or confectionery, mainly intended for children. Some Member States, such as France and Germany, have already taken measures at national...

NOVEL FOODS: GREEN LIGHT FOR MARKETING OF ENRICHED DAIRY-TYPE PRODUCTS.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... Regarding applications for the marketing of certain phytosterol/phytostanol-enriched food products and food ingredients requested by the companies concerned, Teriaka, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Multibene (now Pharmaconsult) and Unilever, the...

FOOD SAFETY: ACCESSION STATE FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS ALMOST READY.
April 16, 2004... By May 1, all new Member States are expected to have brought their national rules fully into line with the EU's food and veterinary laws (which fell under chapters 1 and 7 of the accession negotiations). A handful of implementation issues...

BIOTECHNOLOGY: GUIDELINES FOR ASSESSMENT OF RISKS POSED BY GENETICALLY-MODIFIED FOOD.
April 16, 2004... The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and its Scientific Panel on genetically-modified organisms provides guidelines for the risk assessment of GM-plants and/or derived food and feed submitted within the framework of Regulation (EC)...

GENETIC ENGINEERING: COMMISSION OUTLINES RULES FOR GENETICALLY-MODIFIED FOOD.
April 16, 2004... Autorisation request. According to these implementation procedures, a request to be allowed to market GM-food or -feed, presented by the notifying party, has to spell out the products involved via the information required. When a request...

FIRST GM-PERMIT: A HOT POTATO FOR SWEDEN.
April 16, 2004... The first request to authorise transgenic cultivation in Sweden has come in the form of a potato, genetically modified for use in the paper industry. The National Office for Agriculture and National Food Administration in Sweden has approved...

INDUSTRIAL FISHING: COMMISSION WANTS BETTER MONITORING IN EU WATERS.
April 16, 2004... Under consideration are measures such as quotas for by-catches and a ban on industrial fishing in areas where the quotas have been exhausted. Monitoring would mean weighing and sampling the fish caught, designating certain ports for industrial...

COURT OF JUSTICE RULES MEMBER STATES CAN RECALCULATE ADDITIONAL MILK LEVIES.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... A European Court of Justice ruling on March 25 said Member States are allowed to correct individual reference quantities and recalculate additional levies payable after the final date of payment for the milk marketing year. The case was...

DISEASE-FREE STATUS FOR SEVERAL NEW MEMBER STATES.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... The Czech Republic, Cyprus, Hungary and Slovakia have been officially recognized as free of several animal diseases which will make it easier for them to trade live animals within the EU. According to a European Commission Decision adopted on...

NEW ARRANGEMENTS FOR BUYING IN RICE INTERVENTION STOCKS.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... The European Commission on March 26 introduced new arrangements changing the way intervention agencies buy in rice. Starting this year, intervention stocks will be bought in three instalments, two according to Member States with all unused...

ANIMAL HEALTH: NEW RULES INTRODUCED AHEAD OF PET PASSPORT SCHEME.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... The European Commission has listed third countries which are allowed to bring pets into most EU countries with a valid anti-rabies vaccination. It adopted the temporary list on March 30 ahead of the new pet passports scheme which enters into...

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND ALLOWED ACCESS TO EU FOOT-AND-MOUTH VACCINE.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... Australia and New Zealand will have access to EU stocks of foot-and-mouth antigens until the end of the year in case of an outbreak of the disease. Both countries asked the EU for temporary assistance following the closure of the International...

BELGIUM CLEARED OF SWINE FEVER IN WILD BOAR BUT MEASURES STEPPED UP IN GERMANY, FRANCE AND LUXEMBOURG.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... Belgian efforts to stamp out Classical Swine Fever in wild boars have been rewarded with the European Commission deciding to lift protection measures on March 26. At the same time, the EU executive ordered controls to be stepped up in Germany,...

SIX NEW MEMBER STATES CAN POSTPONE EU SEED DIRECTIVES.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... The Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia can postpone the implementation of two Directives on the marketing of seeds for three years, the European Commission said on March 29. The transitional measures avoid certain...

DAIRY PRODUCTS: MILK QUOTA REGIME CHANGES GIVE MEMBER STATES MORE RESPONSIBILITY.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... The Commission wants Member States to play a greater role in the controls and penalties they have to introduce to make sure the contributions to the levy payment are collected correctly. Each country should draw up a national control plan for...

SLOVENIA ALLOWED TO APPLY SPECIAL RULES FOR SUMMER GRAZING OF CATTLE.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... Slovenia has been added to the list of countries allowed to apply special transhumance rules for cattle put out to summer grazing in mountain areas, according to a European Commission Decision adopted on March 30. Twelve separate regions within...

EUROPEAN COMMISSION: LATVIAN COMMISSIONER SPELLS OUT FARM POLICY CHALLENGES.
April 16, 2004... Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs since November 2002, Ms Kalniete highlighted the enormous challenges she will face in serving the general interest of European citizens in the areas of agriculture, rural development and fisheries. "I am a...

FARM PRICES: EU PRODUCER PRICE INDEX UP 4.1% IN DECEMBER 2003.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... The overall price index for animals and animal products was 1.3% lower than the previous year. Pigs, adult cattle, milk, sheep and lambs all fell slightly but the egg sector continued its trend of increasing prices with a 22.5% rise. Other...

PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE SUPPORTS HONEY PROPOSAL.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... The European Parliament's Agriculture Committee has voted in favour of a Commission proposal (COM(04)0030) on the production and marketing of honey. All the amendments tabled by rapporteur Astrid Lulling (EPP-ED, Luxembourg) were accepted while...

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT BACKS FOOT-AND-MOUTH RULES FOR IMPORTED ANIMALS.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... The European Parliament backed a Commission proposal to prevent imported animals carrying Foot-and-Mouth Disease into the European Union when it adopted a report by Avril Doyle (EPP-ED, Ireland) on March 30. The Parliament welcomed the draft...

DAIRY PRODUCTS: JANUARY 2004 MILK COLLECTION LOWER THAN PREVIOUS YEAR.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... The amount of cow's milk that dairies collected from EU farmers in January 2004 was down slightly by 0.5% on the previous year, the EU statistical agency Eurostat said in figures recently published. Collections fell by 5.1% in the Netherlands...

EU/US/CANADA: EU PARTLY LIFTS BAN ON US AND CANADIAN POULTRY IMPORTS.
April 16, 2004... The blanket ban on all US live birds and hatching eggs on February 24 followed an announcement that the US had found the H5N2 bird flu virus on a chicken farm in Gonzales County in Texas. Most EU imports come from North-Eastern states such as...

TEMPORARY AUTHORISATION FOR THIRD-COUNTRY SHELLFISH IMPORTERS.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... The European Commission has granted temporary authorisation to several third countries so they can import live bivalve molluscs, such as mussels and oysters, into the EU after new animal health legislation comes into force on May 1. The...

CEREALS: FAO PREDICTS ANOTHER SHARP FALL IN GLOBAL GRAIN STOCKS THIS YEAR.(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... The report said world grain production in 2004 is forecast to increase to 2,130 million tonnes, some 2% up on last year and 3% above the average of the past five years. This could help alleviate the tight global supply situation in the new...

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MILK POWDER EXPORT LICENCES DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR NEW MEMBER STATES.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2004... The application deadline for milk powder export licences for the Dominican Republic has been extended to allow the ten new Member States take part in next year's trade, the European Commission decided on March 30. Exporters must apply between...

CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN SPRING-SUMMER 2004.(Calendar)
April 16, 2004... APRIL 13 - 16 Buenos Aires, Argentina - OIE/IABs International Conference on the control of animal infectious diseases by vaccination 15 - 16 Kinsale, Ireland - Comhar Conference for National Sustainable Development Councils and...

EUROPEAN MINISTERS TO ATTEND FAO FOOD SAFETY CONFERENCE.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2004... Agriculture Ministers from 44 countries will attend the United Nations' agricultural agency regional conference in the French town of Montpellier from May 5 to 7. At its 24th Regional Conference for Europe, the Food and Agriculture Organization...

WINE: AREV CALLS FOR DEFENCE OF TRADITIONAL EUROPEAN DESIGNATIONS.
April 30, 2004... In its Resolution, AREV notably regrets that European wine-growing policy has brought no adequate response to the aggravation of the situation for the European wine growing industry as a result of globalisation. It accuses the European...

FROZEN VEGETABLES: STABILITY THE MAIN FEATURE OF THE 2004 SEASON.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2004... An initial assessment of the 2003 season showed a 4% fall in the volumes processed in frozen vegetables compared to 2002. Last Summer's heat wave led to a significant reduction in yields in most European countries. This is that what the...

FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY WANTS REASONABLE DEADLINES FOR DELIVERING ADVICE.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2004... oMeeting deadlines cannot be at the price of inferior science.o This was the gist of the message from the Management Board of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to the European Commission, faced with the prospect of shorter deadlines for...

GENETIC ENGINEERING: CONTROL NETWORK EXTENDED TO NEW MEMBER COUNTRIES.
April 30, 2004... Co-ordinated by the JRC, the ENGL will help the European Commission to establish a harmonised system to trace GMOs, introduce labelling for GM-feed and reinforce existing labelling rules for GM-food. The network will also help to set up an...

ANIMAL WELFARE: CALL FOR ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMAL TESTING FOR NEW EU CHEMICALS SYSTEM.
April 30, 2004... BUAV Campaigns Director Wendy Higgins said this wide-ranging exposure testing would involve force-feeding toxic substances to poison millions of small rodents, mice, hamsters and gerbils. She said many animals would suffer in outdated and...

CLASSICAL SWINE FEVER CONTROLS FOR SLOVAKIA.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2004... Slovakia was added on April 20 to the list of EU countries which have to apply disease control measures for Classical Swine Fever, a highly infectious pig disease often spread by wild boar. In the last outbreak in November 2003, 4,256 pigs were...

MEAT: COPA WARNS CHEAP BEEF IMPORTS ARE THREATENING EU FARMING.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2004... Mr Feiter said some third-country suppliers could offer cheaper prices as they do not have to obey the high production standards mandatory in Europe, he said. "COPA-COGECA trusted that the European Commission would insist that competitors from...

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS HONEY REPORT.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2004... The European Parliament on April 22 adopted a report supporting a Commission proposal (COM(04)0030) on the production and marketing of honey. Rapporteur Astrid Lulling (EPP-ED, Luxembourg) pointed out the continued imbalance between supply and...

FARM COUNCIL: NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE SCUPPERS ANIMAL TRANSPORT DEAL.
April 30, 2004... Public concern. There is a huge amount of public interest in animal welfare during transport. Mr Byrne said he receives more e-mails on animal welfare in any one week than on any other issue. He warned that the citizens of Europe would not...

SOME 70% OF BRITISH PORK IMPORTS FROM PIGS RAISED BELOW UK WELFARE STANDARDS.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2004... A report from a UK pork industry group said some 70% of British pork imports come from pigs raised under conditions below UK minimum standards. The use of sow stalls and tethers has been banned in the UK since 1999 but are legal in two major...

WINE PRODUCERS MEET IN BRUSSELS TO DISCUSS COMMON TRENDS.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2004... Wine producers from around the world met in Brussels on April 21 at an event organised by the farm lobby COPA, the farm co-operatives' association COGECA and the wine industry group CEEV. The meeting identified two trends common to all...

FISHERIES: FRANCE FACES RECORD FINE FOR FAILING TO POLICE ILLEGAL FISHING.(Brief Article)
April 30, 2004... In 1991, the Court found that France had infringed EU law between 1984 and 1987 when it failed to carry out fish conservation controls. It said France had failed to enforce rules on the minimum mesh size of nets, attachments to nets, by-catches...

IGC FORECASTS DOWN FOR WORLD WHEAT OUTPUT, UP FOR COARSE GRAINS.(International Grains Council)(Brief Article)
April 30, 2004... The International Grains Council (IGC) revised downwards its forecast for world wheat production and predicted a slight upswing in coarse grains output in 2003-2004 in the Grain Market Report published on March 25. It said wheat production...

EU BANS TUNA FROM COUNTRIES WHICH EXPLOIT FISH STOCKS.(European Union)(Brief Article)
April 30, 2004... The EU has banned tuna and swordfish imports from countries who overexploit fishing resources, the Commission said on April 29. The trade ban will make very little difference to EU consumers as none of the countries affected have exported the...

CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN SPRING-SUMMER 2004.(Calendar)
April 30, 2004... APRIL 28 - 1/5 Dublin, Ireland - Future Issues for Forest Industries in Europe: A special Forestry/Wood Products event to mark Irelands Presidency of the EU, organised by Innovawood and COFORD (Details on www.innovawood.com) 30...

PARMALAT CEDE SA FILIALE THAI AU NEERLANDAIS CAMPINA.(french language article)
April 30, 2004... Au centre d'un vaste scandale financier, Parmalat a cede pour un dollar symbolique sa filiale thailandaise au groupe laitier neerlandais Campina, a annonce le groupe agroalimentaire italien. Parmalat Thailand, actif dans le lait pasteurise et...

NESTLE RENFORCE SA PRESENCE DANS LES PRODUITS LAITIERS EN AMERIQUE DU SUD.(french language article)
April 30, 2004... Le desengagement d'Amerique Latine du leader mondial du lait longue conservation, Parmalat, suscite bon nombre de convoitises. A commencer par celles de Nestle qui vient d'annoncer une extension et acceleration de son partenariat avec le...

NATUREX DEVIENT UN DES LEADERS MONDIAUX DU ROMARIN.(french language article)
April 30, 2004... En rachetant les actifs de la societe americaine Hauser, le groupe francais Naturex, specialiste des ingredients naturels, se hisse au deuxieme rang mondial des fabricants d'extraits de romarin. Apres une annee 2003 en demi teinte, Naturex...

ARDO RENONCE A REPRENDRE LA COMPAGNIE BRETONNE DE L'ARTICHAUT.(Ardo renounces takeover of Compagnie Bretonne de l'Artichaut)
April 30, 2004... L'entreprise bretonne de surgelation de legumes se prepare a la mise en place d'un plan social apres le retrait de l'offre de reprise par le groupe belge Ardo. Contrairement a leur accord conclu en mars 2004, le belge Ardo vient d'annoncer a la...

PERNOD RICARD A LE FEU VERT POUR INVESTIR DANS LE VIN NEO-ZELANDAIS.(Pernod Ricard gets green light to invest in New Zealand wine, Framingham Wine Company)
April 30, 2004... La commission neo-zelandaise des investissements etrangers a donne son feu vert a la cession de Framingham Wine Company Ltd a Orlando Wyndham, la filiale australienne de Pernod Ricard. Cette filiale du groupe francais est la plus grande societe...