Europe Agri articles from April 2006

Europe Agri archives from April 2006

ENVIRONMENT : 2005 FUNDING FOR FOREST FOCUS.(control of pollution and fires in forests)(Brief article)
April 7, 2006... An overall budget of 16,401,422 was released to finance the Forest Focus ecosystem monitoring programme for the period 2005-2006. A Framework Decision adopted by the European Commission on 24 March authorises the 40 competent bodies,...

EU/ACP : ACP states sound warning bells on WTO and partnership pacts.(World Trade Organisation)
April 7, 2006... After many months of silence, and thinly-disguised or individually-based criticisms, ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) countries have decided to sound the warning bells on the long-stalled Doha Round of trade liberalisation negotiations and...

AGENDA AGRICULTURE.(calendar)(Calendar)
April 7, 2006... aCOUNCIL OF MINISTERS Agriculture and Fisheries Councila 25 April Luxembourga Draft agenda: - Proposal to amend the rice CMO Regulation - Proposal to amend Council Regulation laying down general rules on the definition,...

GENETIC ENGINEERING : BIOTECH COMPANY UNDER PRESSURE FOLLOWING NEW GMO CONCERNS.(genetic aspects of maize)(Brief article)
April 7, 2006... aGlobal agri-business Syngenta, which developed the strain of unauthorised genetically-modified maize accidentally mixed with seeds and exported to the EU last year, is now subject to further attention from the European Commission. The...

FLAX AND HEMP : COMMISSION RECOMMENDS ROLLING OVER FLAX AND HEMP AID SCHEME.(hemp fibres marketing campaigns )
April 7, 2006... Having just completed an assessment of the common market organisation for flax and hemp, the European Commission has recommended keeping on the exisiting system for a further two years in order to get a more accurate idea of how it is working...

POULTRY : COMMISSION TO FLY TO POULTRY INDUSTRY'S AID.(production management of poultry meat)
April 7, 2006... After much ditheringn and in response to the avian flu pandemic, the European Commission on 29 March formally proposed to extend the scope of the two regulations (2771/75 and 2777/75), which provide the legal base for support measures in the...

EU/WTO : CONSULTATION STEPPED UP IN RUN-UP TO 30 APRIL DEADLINE.(deadline for an agreement )
April 7, 2006... With the 30 April deadline for an agreement within the World Trade Organisation's Doha Round of trade liberalisation talks on industrial and agricultural duties fast approaching, leading negotiators have stepped up consultations in an effort to...

FARMING INDUSTRY : EU FARM INCOMES DOWN IN 2005.(growth of pig production)
April 7, 2006... According to the second estimates for the Economic Accounts for Agriculturea(EAA) submitted to Eurostat by the member states at the end of January 2006, agricultural income per labour unit (Indicator A) is estimated to haveadecreased by...

FOOD PRODUCTS : EU OPENS GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS REGISTER TO NON-MEMBER STATES.(rules for food products)
April 7, 2006... The European Commission has taken its first practical steps to comply with a WTO dispute ruling from last year by publishing a guide and application forms online for registering regional or speciality food products from non-EU countries. ...

ENERGY : EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT REITERATES SUPPORT FOR BIOMASS.(production management of biomass)(Brief article)
April 7, 2006... MEPs sitting in plenary session in Brussels on 23 March adopted a very detailed resolution drafted by agriculture specialist Neil Parish (EPP-ED, United Kingdom), encouraging support for biomass and biofuels production. From the outset,...

CEREALS : EXPERTS CRITICAL OF HIGH GRAIN STOCK LEVELS.(production management)(Brief article)
April 7, 2006... aThe days of food mountains and wine lakes may be long gone, but it looks like a few tweaks to the common organisation of the market in cereals may be on the cards owing to the significant increase in intervention stock levels. The European...

FISHERIES : FALL IN EU CATCHES IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC IN 2004.(catches from 38,000 tonnes in 1995 to 96,000 tonnes in 2003)(Brief article)
April 7, 2006... Trawlers from the twenty-five nation European Union caught 68,000 tonnes of fishain the Northwest Atlantic in 2004, according to data collected by the EU Statistical Office. A newly-published Eurostat report indicates thatathere has been a...

WINE : FRANCE, ITALY, SPAIN AND PORTUGAL JOIN FORCES OVER WINE REFORM.(Agriculture Ministers with a memorandum )
April 7, 2006... Europe's four biggest wine producers, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, joined forces recently in presenting the European Commission and the EU Agriculture Ministers with a memorandum on the reform of theacommon market organisation (CMO) for...

GM COEXISTENCE IMPOSSIBLE.(genetically-modified crops)(Brief article)
April 7, 2006... The overwhelming majority of European farmers and consumers do not want genetically-modified (GM) crops, according to the European Farmers' Coordination (CPE), either in fields or for use as animal feed. With the Austrian Presidency of...

AGRI-FOODS : GREEN LIGHT EXPECTED FOR THE CARGILL-DFI MERGER.(powers of European Commission board )(Brief article)
April 7, 2006... European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes succeed, on 29 March, in getting the European Commission board to ratify her green light for the takeover of Degussa Food IngredientsaGmbH (DFI), aaworld leading nutrition ingredient supplier, by...

AID PROGRAMME : PARLIAMENT CONCERNED OVER FATE OF FREE FOOD FOR THE NEEDY.(food supply for charities)(Brief article)
April 7, 2006... aMEPs are concerned for the future of the European aid programme for the most needy. In a written declaration which secured massive backing, they warn the European Commission in Brussels of the impact of successive reforms of the CAP on food...

EU/WTO : PASCAL LAMY DEMANDS FURTHER CONCESSIONS ON AGRICULTURE FROM THE EU.(World Trade Organisation)
April 7, 2006... With just a few weeks to go to yet another key Doha Round deadline, World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General Pascal Lamy was once again seen to be piling the pressure on the EU on the sensitive issue of farm subsidies during a visit to...

Packaging collection: record fine for Tomra group for abuse of dominant position.
April 7, 2006... The Norwegian group Tomra has been fined 24 million for having abused its dominant position between 1998 and 2002 on the market for the supply of machines, usually installed in retail outlets, for the collection of used drink containers in...

EU/GREENLAND : REVAMP OF RELATIONS WITH WORLD'S LARGEST ISLAND.(finance for fisheries)
April 7, 2006... An overhaul of the EU's relations with Greenland - the world's largest island which has just 56,000 inhabitants - is about to be launched. For the past 20 years, the EU has subsidised Greenland's fishing industry ( 42.8 million this year) in...

ENLARGEMENT : ROMANIA AND BULGARIA STILL NOT READY TO APPLY THE CAP.(European Agriculture)(Brief article)
April 7, 2006... Returning from a trip in mid-March to Romania and Bulgaria, European Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel passed on her concerns to her European Commission colleagues regarding the capacity of both countries to implement CAP...

FISHERIES : SPAIN SEES TWO APPEALS THROWN OUT OF COURT.(rules for fisheries)
April 7, 2006... In two rulings delivered on 30 March, the European Court of Justice rejected two applications by Spain appealing against decisions taken by the Council of Ministers in the fisheries sector. The first ruling concerns the Spanish request to...

SUGAR INDUSTRY : SUGAR MILL CLOSURES ANNOUNCED IN TWELVE EU COUNTRIES.(sugar sector reform)(Brief article)
April 7, 2006... aThe effects of the sugar sector reform, which will come into force on 1 July 2006, are beginning to kick in. Twelve EU coutries have announced the closure of factories that are set to receive restructuring funds in the future. Other closures...

ENVIRONMENT : WORLD WATER FORUM CALLS FOR GENERAL MOBILISATION.(water utilities)(Brief article)
April 7, 2006... Ministers from 140 countries, meeting in Mexico for the 4th World Water Forum held from 16-22 March, highlighted the key role that local authorities can play in managing water services. In a declaration adopted at the end of the Forum,...

AGENDA AGRICULTURE.(Annual conference of the biotechnology industry)(Calendar)
April 21, 2006... aCOUNCIL OF MINISTERS Agriculture and Fisheries Councila 25 April Luxembourga Draft agenda: - Proposal to amend the rice CMO Regulation - Proposal to amend Council Regulation laying down general rules on the definition,...

FURTHER ACTION ON SWINE FEVER.(outbreaks of classical swine fever )(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... Two new outbreaks of classical swine fever in North Rhine Westphalia prompted the EU on 5 April to tighten movement restrictions imposed on German pigs, as well as measures being applied to other member states. New actions backed by the...

EU BUDGET : BUDGET UPTAKE AT RECORD HIGH IN 2005.
April 21, 2006... Only 1% of the European Union's general budget, just over 1 billion, was not used in 2005. This is a record for the European Commission, as it has not seen such a high uptake since 1997. There may not have been much left in the kitty at the...

GMOS : COMMISSIONaDEFENDS COMMITTEE PROCEDURE FOR GM APPROVALS.(genetically modified organisms)(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... Despite being violently challenged by several member states during a debate on 9 March, the decision-making process for authorising the marketing of GMOs does not need to be changed, according to Consumer Protection and Environment...

BANANAS : COMMISSION KEEN TO REFORM BANANA REGIME.(common organisation of the market for bananas)(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... By the end of June, the European Commission plans to propose a reform of internal aspects of the common organisation of the market for bananas. Four options for reform have been drawn up by its internal services. A consultation has been opened...

COMPETITION : DEGUSSA GETS METHIONINE CARTEL FINE REDUCED.(European Commission fined Degussa AG and Nippon Soda)
April 21, 2006... The European Union's Court of First Instance decided on 5 April to reduce the fine imposed by the European Commission in 2002 on Degussa for an illegal agreement by 27 million, cutting the overall penalty from 118.1 to 91.1 million (case...

GROWING MEDIA : ECO-LABEL FOR GROWING MEDIA WILL GENERATE MORE LANDFILL.(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... The European Environmental Bureau (EEB), aafederation of more than 140 ecological organisations in Europe, published a press release on 13 April expressing strong concern about the revised Eco-label criteria for 'growing media' adopted by the...

EIB THROWS CZECH REPUBLIC A LIFELINE.(finance for the construction of flood defences)(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... The Czech Republic intends to create a fund to finance the construction of flood defences. Quoted by the Czech newspaper ETK, thea Prime Minister, Jioi Paroubek, during a visit to the flooded region in the North West of the country announced,...

EU/WTO : EU COMING UP AGAINST A BRICK WALL IN DOHA NEGOTIATIONS.(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... With the end-of-April deadline for agreement on agriculture and industry fast approaching, Doha Round negotiations appear bogged down. Addressing EU Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg on 10 April, Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson made no secret...

EU/RUSSIA : EU MAKES FURTHER CONCESSIONS TO MOSCOW ON VETERINARY STANDARDS.(veterinary certificate)(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... In order to reduce transit difficulties facing traders in EU farm produce and in particular produce from Poland exported to Russia, the European Union is to offer Moscow further assurances of its good faith in a long-running tussle over animal,...

AGRI-FOODS : FOOD AND DRINK INDUSTRIES LEND SUPPORT TO LISBON STRATEGY.(Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries )(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... The agri-food industry is seeking to make the Lisbon Agenda, often criticised for being merely hot air, a more concrete reality. The Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA) will publish shortly a market study outlining...

GREENLAND RELATIONS.(new fisheries agreement)(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... As signalled in Europolitics Agriculture 197, the European Commission proposed on 4 April to overhaul its strategy for EU relations with Greenland. A new fisheries agreement will be initialled in the coming months, with Greenland set to receive...

AVIAN INFLUENZA : H5N1 BIRD FLU VIRUS DETECTED IN GERMANY AND THE UNITED KINGDOM.(virulent form of the avian influenza virus)(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... The most virulent form of the avian influenza virus (H5N1) has been detected for the first time in Germany at a poultry farm near Leipzig in Saxony. Very strict controls and surveillance provisions were endorsed on 5 April by the European...

WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION : IMPORTANT WEEKS FOR THE DOHA ROUND.
April 21, 2006... The leading member states of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have only two weeks left to reach an agreement on agricultural and industrial import duties and prevent the Doha Round from collapsing. The limited time, given the lack of...

MOSCOW WANTS END TO GRAIN QUOTAS.(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... 'I believe we will soon find common ground so that the EU can stop imposing quotas on wheat imports', said Russia's Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeev on 11 April. He was speaking at the signing with the European Agriculture Commissioner...

INTERNATIONAL GRAINS COUNCIL : NEW MARKET REPORT.
April 21, 2006... Following the increase in both production and consumption during the 2005/2006 season, the grains market seems set to continue growing during the 2006/2007 campaign. This is one of the findings of theaGrain Market Report Summary published by...

NOMINATION AT THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION.(Prosper De Winne)(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... Prosper De Winne was appointed Deputy Director-General for Agriculture on 4 April. His main duties will be to define the strategies, concepts and policies, resource management, audit of farm spending and relations with other institutions,...

GENETIC ENGINEERING : NO MORE SITTING ON THE FENCE.
April 21, 2006... The European Commission is fighting to put an end to the increasingly popular practice of Ministers abstaining when the Council votes on whether or not to grant a marketing authorisation for new genetically-modified organisms. Not only that, it...

EU/MOROCCO : PARLIAMENT DEFERS ENTRY INTO FORCE OF FISHERIES AGREEMENT.(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... Determined to ensure its rights are not ignored, the European Parliament has postponed the entry into force of the new EU-Morocco fisheries agreement, originally scheduled for 1 May, for at least one month. Sitting in plenary session in...

CAP : POSITIVE RESULTS FOR PIGS, POULTRY AND EGGS.(community action programs)
April 21, 2006... With the EU considering merging common market organisations (CMOs) under the CAP, a report by a UK analyst commissioned by the pigmeat, poultry and egg sectors provides a positive review of current mechanisms. This study, the conclusions of...

COMMON FISHERIES POLICY : PROTECTION OF BIODIVERSITY TO IMPACT ON FISH FARMING.(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... In the fight to halt biodiversity loss within the EU, the European Commission's Directorate-General for Fisheries has turned its attention to the growing European aquaculture industry. In proposals released on 5 April (1), it sets out a new...

GMOS : STRAINED DEBATE IN VIENNA ON FARMERS' FREEDOM OF CHOICE.(genetically modified organisms)
April 21, 2006... Politicians, senior officials and European experts ended their two-day meeting in Vienna on 6 April after a long-overdue discussion of the theme of 'freedom of choice' with regard to future policy on the coexistence of genetically-modified (GM)...

SWINE FEVER IN GERMANY.(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... The EU's Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health voted on 11 April in favour of a Commission proposal amending the latest precautionary measures to deal with the classical swine fever outbreaks in North-Rhine Westphalia, in...

EU/USA : WASHINGTON CONDEMNS EU REGULATIONS AS "BARRIERS".(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... 'With the decline in traditional barriers in transatlantic trade, EU regulatory measures are perceived more and more as obstacles for American exporters', claims the United States Trade Representative (USTR) in its recently-published annual...

WWF.(World-Wide Fund)(appointment of Gemma Parkes)(Brief article)
April 21, 2006... Gemma Parkes has been appointed communications officer for fisheries and coastal management in Rome in the context of the World-Wide Fund for Nature's Mediterranean programme. She previously worked in Brussels for three years, first as a...