Europe Agri articles from April 2009

Europe Agri archives from April 2009

OPEN FORUM : G20 AND AGRICULTURE: DOHA CAN LEAD TO PROTECTIONISM.
April 16, 2009... The conclusion of the Doha round is going to be presented by the G20 summit as the solution to prevent protectionism. However, the findings of a study conducted by momagri(1) Rather than protecting the world from protectionism, the Doha...

CLIMATE CHANGE : AGRICULTURE CAN ALREADY RESPOND TO CHALLENGES OF ADAPTATION.
April 16, 2009... European agriculture may well have reached an advanced stage of development, but it will not, when all regions are taken together, escape the consequences of climate change. Change may be fairly slow in the next two or three decades, but it is...

BANANA WAR' CONTINUES.(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... The EU's proposal to reduce customs duties on imports of Latin American bananas amounts to a "sacrifice" of the development partnership with the ACP (African, Caribbean, Pacific) countries on the altar of trade liberalisation. "We are very...

CLOSER CONTROLS ON VETERINARY MEDICINES.
April 16, 2009... The European Parliament approved, on 2 April, a regulation setting limits on residues of pharmacologically active substances in foods of animal origin. The text provides for setting up a specific legal framework aimed at determining maximum...

AQUACULTURE : COMMISSION ACTS TO BOLSTER EUROPEAN AQUACULTURE.
April 16, 2009... European aquaculture leads the world in research and technological development and respect for very strict environmental and sanitary standards. Yet this excellence is not reflected in production, which has levelled off in the EU. The time has...

EU/US : COMMISSION'S BIODIESEL DUMPING PROBE FLAWED, SAYS US INDUSTRY.
April 16, 2009... There were "significant procedural and factual shortcomings" in the European Commission investigation leading it, on 12 March, to unfairly impose anti-dumping duties on US biodiesel imports, the American biodiesel industry is alleging....

ANIMAL WELFARE : COMMISSION TO REOPEN DEBATE ON ANIMAL TRANSPORTATION.
April 16, 2009... Conscious of the fact that animal transportation has "always been a controversial issue," the European Commission has nevertheless decided to return to it and strengthen welfare standards for the 60 million cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, poultry...

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS : COMMUNITY RULES ON CO-EXISTENCE OF GMOS "INAPPROPRIATE".
April 16, 2009... In a report adopted on 2 April, the European Commission says it considers "inappropriate" the setting up of Community rules on the co-existence of conventional and organic crops with GM crops. "Nothing indicates that it is necessary to move...

RURAL DEVELOPMENT : CONCENTRATING FUNDS ON LESS FAVOURED AREAS A TOUGH EXERCISE.
April 16, 2009... The European Commission is expected to present, on 21 April, a communication on modification of the support scheme for less favoured areas of the Union. The document illustrates the difficulty of the exercise of concentrating part of support...

FISHERIES POLICY : COUNCIL ADOPTS BLUEFIN TUNA RECOVERY PLAN.(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... The EU Council of Ministers adopted, on 6 April, a regulation transposing into Community law the new multiannual recovery plan for Eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna adopted by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas...

EU/WTO : DOHA: IN WAKE OF G20, EU HOPES FOR BREAKTHROUGH THIS SUMMER.(european union/world trade organization)
April 16, 2009... Jose Manuel Barroso is optimistic about a breakthrough in the Doha round talks even though the G20, meeting on 2 April, did not set a deadline for reaching agreement in the talks, which have been in a stalemate since the failure of the...

SEAL PRODUCTS : EMBARGO TO BE MADE OFFICIAL SOON.(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... Slowly but surely the European Union is moving towards a total ban on seal products. Following the vote in the European Parliament's committee, on 2 March, a majority of member state representatives (Coreper) backed such a ban, on 27 March. On...

POULTRY : EP COMMITTEE CALLS FOR CLEARER POULTRY LABELS.
April 16, 2009... The European Parliament's Agriculture Committee has disavowed its Chairman, Neil Parish (EPP-ED, UK), with its support for the European Commission's proposal on bringing labelling rules for poultry meat and poultry-based products into line...

AGRICULTURAL POLICY : EP WANTS TO KEEP AID FOR MOST DEPRIVED WITHIN CAP.
April 16, 2009... The European Parliament, on 26 March, called for the EU food distribution programme for the most deprived people to continue within the Common Agricultural Policy framework. The consultation report by Polish MEP Czeslaw Adam Siekierski...

EU/INDIAN OCEAN : EU DISAPPOINTED BY TUNA COMMISSION'S LACK OF AGREEMENT.(european union)(Indian Ocean Tuna Commission)(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... The European Commission is "disappointed" by the inability of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) to progress on resource protection and management. Meeting in Bali, from 30 March to 3 April, the IOTC failed to build consensus on certain...

FISHERIES/NORTHEAST ATLANTIC : EU FAILS TO PUSH THROUGH MORE DRASTIC MEASURES.
April 16, 2009... The European Commission welcomed with "mixed feelings" the outcome of the high-level meeting of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC)(1), held in London from 24 to 27 March. The EU regrets that consensus failed to emerge on the...

DEVELOPMENT : FIRST FINANCING DECISIONS UNDER FOOD FACILITY.
April 16, 2009... Twenty-three developing countries will be beneficiaries of the first package of financing under the 1 billion Food Facility adopted in late 2008 to remedy increasingly serious food security problems in a number of developing countries. The...

FOOD EDUCATION IN AFRICA.(better training for safer food in africa programme )(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... Androulla Vassiliou, the EU's health commissioner, launched a new initiative at a high-level conference in Addis Ababa, on 3 April: Better training for safer food in Africa - BTSF-Africa'. Over the next two years, BTSF-Africa will enable 10...

FOOD SECTOR MERGER CLEARED.
April 16, 2009... The European Commission authorised, on 31 March, the proposed acquisition of the Spanish sugar and sugar-derivatives company Azucarera Ebro S.L. by Associated British Food Plc (ABF), which owns British Sugar. The proposed operation could result...

GERMANY SUSPENDS PLANTING OF MON810.
April 16, 2009... On 14 April, Germany joined the camp of countries putting up barriers to the use of genetically modified maize by prohibiting its planting, which could well prevent the European Commission from imposing it. In the light of 'two new studies'...

AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS : INCOME DECLINES AS PRODUCTION VALUE RISES.(Statistical data)
April 16, 2009... Real agricultural income fell by 3.5% in the EU in 2008 - after increasing by 9.3% in 2007 - while the value of agricultural output at basic prices rose by 3.9%, according to estimates published, on 2 April, by Eurostat. INCOME The...

FISHERIES : MEDITERRANEAN STRIDES FORWARD TO SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES.
April 16, 2009... In addition to a general 10% reduction in fishing effort throughout the Mediterranean, the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), meeting from 23 to 27 March in Tunis, adopted a number of recommendations meant to promote...

FOODSTUFFS : MEPS SAY UNION MUST GUARANTEE REASONABLE PRICES.(member of the european parliament)(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... In its resolution on the difference in price between production and consumption in the food chain, adopted on 26 March, the European Parliament calls on the Commission to launch a report, "as soon as possible" to investigate the "margin share...

FISHERIES POLICY : MEPS WANT REINFORCED CONTROL OF RECREATIONAL FISHING.
April 16, 2009... Recreational' fishing must be monitored on the same level as commercial fishing, at least when it gives rise to important catches, considers the European Parliament's Fisheries Committee which, by adopting (consultation procedure) a report by...

POULTRY MEAT : NEW MARKETING STANDARDS FOR POULTRY MEAT.
April 16, 2009... EU Member States's agricultural experts (Special Agriculture Committee) have endorsed, by qualified majority, the new marketing standards for poultry meat and prepared poultry-based products. The agreement negotiated by the Czech EU Presidency...

PROBE INTO SUSPECTED NORTH SEA SHRIMP CARTEL.(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... The European Commission confirmed, on 31 March, that it had carried out unannounced inspections, on 24 and 25 March, at the premises of companies active in North Sea shrimps and related products in several member states. The inspections were...

FOODSTUFFS : STRENGTHENING BORDER CONTROLS ON HIGH RISK PLANT PRODUCTS.
April 16, 2009... Experts from the 27 member states approved, on 27 March, a project aimed at strengthening health inspections at EU borders on high risk' plant products. For the time being, nuts, peanuts, certain spices or varieties of rice, fruit and...

FOODSTUFFS : TRACES SYSTEM EXPANDS.(Brief article)
April 16, 2009... The TRACES trade control and expert system, which is well known among veterinary experts and traders, celebrated its fifth anniversary on 1 April with the launch of a new website for the general public(1). Set up by EU officials following...

NOVEL FOODS : UNION MOVES TOWARDS LEGISLATION ON CLONING.
April 16, 2009... The European Parliament again called for legislation prohibiting the placing on the market of food derived from cloned animals and their descendants, on 25 March, during the vote - at first reading - of the report by Kartika Tamara Liotard...

EU/WTO : WORLD TRADE BODY URGES EU TO LIBERALISE SERVICES AND AGRICULTURE.
April 16, 2009... In its review of European Union's trade policy, published every two years, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) recommends "further liberalisation of services, both at the intra-EU level and vis-a-vis third countries". Although the EU has...

AGRICULTURAL DENOMINATIONS.
April 30, 2009... The European Commission added, on 21 April, three denominations of agricultural and food products to the list of Protected Appellations of Origin (PAOs) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGIs). These concern the Hungarian salami...

FISHERIES : BLUEFIN TUNA FISHING SEASON CUT BY 15 DAYS.
April 30, 2009... The fishing season for Mediterranean bluefin tuna opened on 16 April. In accordance with the new multiannual recovery plan for this species, adopted by the EU Council on 6 April, it has been shortened by 15 days and will consequently end on 15...

BUDGET : BRITISH FARMERS DRAW UP MANIFESTO FOR FUTURE EP.
April 30, 2009... The Britain's National Farmers' Union (NFU) presented a manifesto, on 15 April, drafted for future members of the European Parliament. With the revision of the EU budget planned for 2013, the NFU calls for research and development (R&D) to...

FISHERIES POLICY : CFP REFORM KICKS OFF.
April 30, 2009... Overexploitation of stocks, fleet overcapacity, heavy subsidies, limited economic resilience and a considerable decline in catches by European fishermen: the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) as implemented since 2002 has not resulted in a...

EU/SOMALIA/PIRACY : COUNCIL CONCERNED ABOUT EUROPEAN FISHERMEN'S SAFETY.
April 30, 2009... In the three days between 21 and 24 March, there were at least ten attacks by pirates south of Somalia, around 500 miles from Dar-es-Salaam in the Seychelles exclusive economic zone and northwest of Madagascar. These are areas where Community...

FISHERIES COUNCIL : DEBATE ON CFP REFORM GETS UNDER WAY.
April 30, 2009... Although the discussion by the fisheries ministers, meeting in Council in Luxembourg on 23 April, was relatively brief, the debate on reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is already well under way, between the off-the-cuff reactions of...

REGIONS : EIGHT CRITERIA TO DEFINE LESS FAVOURED AGRICULTURAL AREAS.
April 30, 2009... Low temperatures, heat stress, soil drainage, soil texture and stoniness, soil rooting depth, soil chemical properties, soil moisture balance and slope are the eight 'biophysical criteria' proposed by the European Commission, on 21 April, to...

ILLEGAL TRADE : EP WANTS STRICT FRAMEWORK FOR TIMBER IMPORTS.
April 30, 2009... All operators in the supply chain must ensure that only legally harvested timber and timber products are made available on the market, considers the European Parliament. On 22 April, it adopted a report by Caroline Lucas (Greens-EFA, UK), which...

FRENCH AID FOR FISHERMEN.
April 30, 2009... The European Commission is awaiting clarification before making a decision on the four million euro in aid intended for North Sea fishermen, announced on 15 April by French Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Michel Barnier. 'This must be...

FOOD SECURITY : G-8 SEEKS A 'GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR FOOD SECURITY'.
April 30, 2009... The Group of Eight (G8) agriculture ministers met on 18 April, in Cison di Valmarino (Italy), to put together a 'global partnership for agriculture and food security'. The United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy...

AGRICULTURAL AIDS : GERMANY SETS BAD EXAMPLE ON TRANSPARENCY OF AID.
April 30, 2009... The European Commission threatened, on 23 April, to start legal proceedings against Germany if it refuses - as announced - to publish the list of beneficiaries of EU agricultural subsidies in its territory by the end of the month. "Germany is...

BIOTECHNOLOGY : GMO OPPONENTS FORCE COMMISSION TO THINK TWICE.
April 30, 2009... With Germany joining the ranks of EU member states supporting a ban on Mon 810 maize on 14 April, the failure of the forcing policy on GMOs implemented by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso since he took office has become clear....

COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY : MINISTERS HOPE TO GIVE FRESH IMPETUS TO SIMPLIFICATION.
April 30, 2009... The European Commission should simplify the aid cross-compliance system, insisted the agriculture ministers during their debate on the Common Agricultural Policy's simplification, at their meeting on 24 April in Luxembourg. It needs to do more...

FISHERIES : NEW LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR WESTERN HORSE MACKEREL.
April 30, 2009... The European Commission has put forward a new long-term plan for the sustainable management of horse mackerel across the eastern Atlantic, stretching from the Iberian Peninsula to the north of the North Sea and dealing with an average catch of...

'NO ROOM FOR MANOEUVRE' ON FISHING QUOTAS.
April 30, 2009... With fishermen blockading French ports in the North Sea, the European Commission reiterated, on 15 April, that there was no question of raising the quotas adopted in December 2008 (under the French EU Presidency) and that France 'was doing its...

FISHERIES POLICY : PARIS OBJECTS TO TOTAL DEREGULATION.
April 30, 2009... There is no question of dismantling the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) or the quota system. Speaking in Brussels, on 23 April, after a meeting with Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg, French Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Michel Barnier...

HEALTH : SPAIN CONFIRMS EU'S FIRST SWINE FLU CASE.
April 30, 2009... Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou has called on EU citizens to avoid "non-essential" trips to regions of the world where swine flu has been reported. In Europe's first case of the disease, one person in Spain was confirmed in Spain as...

EU/US : WASHINGTON POSTPONES SANCTIONS IN BEEF HORMONE DISPUTE.
April 30, 2009... The United States administration has postponed planned sanctions against the EU in the long-running beef hormone dispute to give talks for a solution a chance to succeed. "Due to recent progress in negotiations," US Trade Representative (USTR)...