Europe Agri articles from February 2002

Europe Agri archives from February 2002

FOOD SAFETY: COMMISSION REQUIRES CONDITIONS FOR IMPORT OF JAPANESE STAR ANISE.(medicinal plant import regulations)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2002... Notifications received recently via the Rapid Alert System for Food (RASFF) have revealed that this problem is due to the partial or total substitution of the edible star anise (Chinese star anise - Illicium verum) by the toxic star anise...

FOOD ALLERGIES: COMMISSION PROVIDES PARTICULARS ON EU LEGISLATION.(lactose and gluten regulation information)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2002... We all know that many people run the risk of an allergy or intolerance to gluten and lactose. Responding to a question by a Member of the European Parliament (Michael Cashman), the European Commission was keen to detail the measures it has...

VETERINARY POLICY: COMMISSION PROPOSES EU-WIDE LEGISLATION ON AFRICAN SWINE FEVER.(animal diseases regulation)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2002... Class A disease.African Swine Fever (ASF) is a viral infection of domestic and feral pigs (wild boar) that causes a serious disease, which may be transmitted by vectors (ticks of the genus Ornithodorus). As its name suggests, it originates from...

EU/CZECH REPUBLIC: COPA AND COGECA DISCUSS FARMING FUTURE.(Committee of Agricultural Organisations and General Committee for Agricultural Co-operatives)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2002... As part of the process of Czech and Slovak integration into the EU's main farming organisations - COPA (Committee of Agricultural Organisations in the EU) and COGECA (General Committee for Agricultural Co-operatives in the EU) - COPA President,...

COMMISSION PROPOSES TO RE-VAMP TRACTORS DIRECTIVE.(standards policy review)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2002... The European Commission has proposed an EU-harmonised type-approval system for agricultural and forestry tractors. In a draft Directive tabled on January 16 (COM/2002/6), the Commission says it wants to overhaul the current regime where...

INTERBREW ACQUIRES 40.8% OF PIVOVARNA UNION (SLOVENIA) AFTER IPA.(acquisition information)(Brief Article)
February 8, 2002... The Belgian brewer Interbrew has secured control of 40.8% of shares in the Slovenian Pivovarna Union brewery (Union Breweries), following its takeover bid issued in October. Interbrew spokesman Corneel Maes indicated that the group is pleased...

COMPASS CONTROLS 93.4% OF SEIYO FOOD SHARES (JAPAN).(British Compass group)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 8, 2002... The British Compass group, the world leader in collective catering, has announced that it now controls 93.4% of shares in the Japanese Seiyo Food group, for which it issued a bid in December. On the close of the offer, Compass had secured 52.4%...

FOOD LAW: COMMISSION LAUNCHES FIRST SET OF FOOD SAFETY MEASURES.
February 22, 2002... New early-warning system.Among the measures which took effect on February 21 is the new "rapid alert system" for feed and food. The system requires mandatory notification of any direct or indirect risk to human health, animal health or the...

HONEY: BEE-KEEPERS LOBBY THE FARM COUNCIL.
February 22, 2002... Dressed in their professional gear and distributing honey, the bee-keepers asked for:- An extension of the scope of application of the Regulation 1221/97 on honey production and marketing in order to ensure the maintenance, reconstitution and...

FOOD SUPPLEMENTS: MEPS ENDORSE COUNCIL COMMON POSITION.(Brief Article)
February 22, 2002... The Council's common position generally sticks to the amended proposal tabled by the European Commission on March 19, 2001, and retains in full or in substance the 16 amendments adopted by the European Parliament in first reading. Moreover, the...

COMMISSION APPROVES NOVEL FOOD INGREDIENTS.(Brief Article)
February 22, 2002... The European Commission has decided to authorise the marketing in the EU of coagulated potato proteins and hydrolysats as novel food ingredients. It has taken this decision in application of Regulation 258/97 on novel food and novel food...

PLANT HEALTH: CONTINUED EXEMPTIONS FOR SEVERAL NEW ACTIVE SUBSTANCES.(Brief Article)
February 22, 2002... The EU Member States are being allowed to extend provisional authorisations granted for certain new active substances in plant health products. Under the Decision, which the European Commission adopted on February 18, in keeping with Directive...

RURAL DEVELOPMENT: COMMISSION APPROVES TWO MORE LEADER+ PROGRAMMES IN GERMANY.(Brief Article)
February 22, 2002... The European Commission has approved two more rural development programmes under the LEADER+ Community Initiative in Germany - one in Saxony and the other in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.The Saxony scheme covers its rural areas devoid of...

VETERINARY POLICY: CLASSICAL SWINE FEVER BRINGS PIG TRADE TO A STANDSTILL IN LUXEMBOURG.(Brief Article)
February 22, 2002... The European Commission has adopted interim measures banning the movement of pigs (including porcine semen, ova and embyros) in and out of Luxembourg. This follows several outbreaks of Classical Swine Fever (CSF) in the country. The disease is...

JAMES T. MORRIS APPOINTED TO HEAD WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME.(Brief Article)
February 22, 2002... James T. Morris of the United States has been appointed as Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), according to a February 14 announcement by the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Director-General of the Food and...

EU/GEORGIA: COMMISSION SENDS EURO 700,000 FOR DROUGHT VICTIMS.(Brief Article)
February 22, 2002... The European Commission has granted Euro 700,000 to help drought victims in Western Georgia. The area was badly hit by drought in 2000 and 2001. In the light of assessments on the ground by the United Nations and the Georgian Agriculture...

FISHERIES: FISCHLER FIRES WARNING OVER BLUE WHITING.(European Fisheries Commissioner Franz Fischler)(Brief Article)
February 22, 2002... European Fisheries Commissioner Franz Fischler has warned that blue whiting stocks in the international waters of the North-East Atlantic could collapse if no agreement is reached shortly by the EU and other key coastal nations. With no...

EU/US: HORMONE-FREE BEEF BARRIERS TO BE LIFTED.(Brief Article)
February 22, 2002... The European Union is to lift the special testing requirements demanded for hormone-free beef from the United States in the wake of tests revealing that they are no more at risk of carrying hormones than imports from any other country. Until...

CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN SPRING 2002.
February 22, 2002... FEBRUARY25-28 Budapest, Hungary - Pan-European Conference on Food Safety and Quality. For more information, please contact: www.fao.org/events Niek Schelling. Meeting Code: ESN-80928-1 March, Madeira, Portugal - "Regio Partenariat Europe"This...