Europe Agri articles from February 2005

Europe Agri archives from February 2005

GENETIC ENGINEERING: FAO CALLS FOR MONITORING OF ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF GM-CROPS.(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, genetically modified crops)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Need to monitor GM-crops' benefits and potential hazards. Louise Fresco, the assistant director of the FAO's agriculture department, said the FAO's aim "is to provide a tool to assist countries in making their own informed choices" on...

SWEDISH BREWER PROMOTES WORLD'S FIRST TRANSGENIC BEER.(Osterlenbryggarna Tomelilla)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Genetically-modified Bt maize has finally found its way into Europe's bars. The world's first genetically-modified beer, which hails from Sweden and goes by the name Kenth, was launched at the Pianeta Birra festival in Rimini, Italy, on...

FARM LOBBY SAYS EU SUGAR REFORM PLANS ARE "UNACCEPTABLE".(European Union)(Committee of Agricultural Organisations)(General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... The EU's sugar reform is "unacceptable to growers" and "must be revised", European farm lobby COPA-COGECA said on January 31. The lobby says the plans "go well beyond what is necessary and are far too radical in terms of prices and quotas"....

EU FARM LOBBY CALLS FOR STRONGER FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PRODUCER GROUPS.(Committee of Agricultural Organisations / General Confederation of Agricultural Co-operatives)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Fruit and vegetable producers should join forces in order to strengthen their position towards supermarkets and the processing industry, European farmers' lobby COPA-COGECA said on February 3 after a hearing on fruit and vegetables at the...

CAP: FRIENDS OF THE EARTH ISSUE CRITICAL REPORT ON IMPACT ON NEW MEMBER STATES.
February 10, 2005... New members "should not blindly follow the old intensive model". The report points out that in comparison to the EU-15, agriculture in the new member states currently "employs more people, uses lower amounts of pesticides and fertilisers,...

RECENT BSE CASES IN CANADA AND US WERE "ISOLATED INCIDENTS", SAYS FAO.(food and agriculture organisation)(Bovine spongiform encephalopathy)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... Three recent cases of mad cow disease in Canada and one in the United States are "isolated incidents" and "should not cause panic among consumers and producers", the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on February 7. The...

FAO LAUNCHES ONLINE FORESTRY NEWSROOM.(www.fao.org)(Brief Article)
February 10, 2005... The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has launched a newsroom dedicated to forest issues on its website (www.fao.org). Intended for journalists and others with a specific interest in the FAOs work on forestry, the newsroom has links to...

BIRD FLU IS STILL A THREAT, SAYS FAO.(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)
February 10, 2005... Bird flu "remains a constant threat and could worsen", the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned on February 1. In view of the latest resurgence of the virus - which killed 13 people in Vietnam in January - the FAO said...

NEW PUBLICATIONS.
February 10, 2005... * Objective 2009: A giant leap for Europe, one small step for the regions. Edition de l'Aube, 2004, 137 pages, 11 Euros (in French, English, German, Spanish and Italian). A study published in association with the Conference of Peripheral...

CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN WINTER/SPRING 2005.(Calendar)
February 10, 2005... February 10...Brussels, Belgium - "Crop protection products: people and policy, supported by science": Conference to be held on February 10 in Brussels by the European Crop Protection Association. Information: tel: 00 32 2 663 15 52 or...

FOOD& FEED SAFETY: EFSA PANEL LOOKS AT USE OF IODINE IN ANIMAL FEED SUPPLEMENTS.(European Pharmaceutical Student' Association)
February 24, 2005... Iodine is an essential trace element for humans and animals. It is incorporated in the thyroid hormones that have multiple functions as regulators of cell activity. Iodine deficiency affects reproductive capacity, development of brain and...

FOOD CONTAMINANTS: EFSA PANEL NEEDS MORE DATA ON CAMPHECHLOR.(European Food Safety Authority)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2005... The Opinion adopted by the Authority's CONTAM Panel on February 1 explains that there are at least 202 different compounds with technical camphechlor mixtures. "Due to its persistence and chemical properties, it has found a widespread...

FOOD COLOURINGS: SUDAN 1 RED DYE CAUSES MAJOR PRODUCT RECALL IN UK.
February 24, 2005... Sudan 1 is a red dye used for colouring solvents, oils and waxes. It has long been classified as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and is therefore not permitted in food. Back in May 2003, after the French...

ORGANIC FOOD: EU ACTION PLAN SHOULD ENCOURAGE MORE ORGANIC FARMERS, SAYS EURO COOP.(European Community of Consumer Co-operatives)(European Union)
February 24, 2005... Although EURO COOP, whose membership is drawn from the national organisations of consumer co-operatives in 15 of the 25 EU countries, welcomes the Action Plan, it believes more action is needed on both the production and consumption side of the...

EU AND US BOOST COOPERATION ON FOOD SAFETY.(European Union)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2005... Transatlantic cooperation on food safety issues was boosted on February 23 during a visit to the United States by EU Health and Consumers Commissioner Marcos Kyprianou. He agreed on a set of guidelines with senior officials from the US Consumer...

MORE ADJUSTMENTS IN VIEW FOR AGRICULTURE, EXPERTS TELL COPA SEMINAR.(Brief Article)
February 24, 2005... The full consequences of the reform of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are only just beginning to show and more adjustments are on the way, experts said on February 17-18 at a seminar organised by the European farmers' organisation...

LOBBY ATTACKS PROPOSAL FOR NEW EU FISHERIES FUND.(European Union)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2005... The European Commission's proposal for a new EU Fisheries Fund (EFF) "offers little perspective for the future of the fisheries sector", European fishermen's lobby Europeche said on February 23. Saying it was "worried" by the proposal, the...

FAO: UN AGENCY LOOKS AT AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY MARKETS IN 2004.(Food and Agriculture Organization )
February 24, 2005... The report examines recent developments and long-term trends in agricultural commodity markets, including changing terms of trade for agricultural commodities. It looks at the risks of depending on just a few commodity exports and considers the...

FISHERIES: TSUNAMI LOSSES CLIMB TO $520 MILLION, SAYS FAO.(Food and Agriculture Organization)
February 24, 2005... The FAO presented the newest figures for the seven countries most affected by the tsunami - India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Thailand: - 111,073 fishing vessels were destroyed or damaged, with an estimated...

YUSHCHENKO CALLS FOR UKRAINE TO BECOME LEADING GLOBAL GRAIN EXPORTER.(Viktor Yushchenko)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2005... Ukrainian grain "must win the world grain market", the country's new President Viktor Yushchenko told farmers at a conference on February 15. The President said his country should become a leading grain exporter and "ought to export 5-10...

FAO MEDITERRANEAN FISHERIES COMMISSION TO BE BASED IN ROME.(Food and Agriculture Organisation)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2005... The new General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) will be based in Rome, the UN agency announced on February 21. The Commission, known as the GFCM, is an inter-governmental organisation...

RAINER GUT TO STEP DOWN AS NESTLE CHAIRMAN.(Rainer E. Gut)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2005... Swiss food giant Nestle's Chairman Rainer E. Gut will retire from his top job on April 14. He will be replaced as Chairman and CEO by Peter Brabeck-Letmathe. Two Vice-Chairmen of the Board will be elected at the General Meeting of Shareholders...

CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR 2005.(Calendar)
February 24, 2005... February 28 Brussels, Belgium - Farm and Fisheries Council March 3-6 Friedrichshafen, Germany - "Aqua-Fisch 2005". International Trade Fair for Aquaculture, Professional and Sport Fishing. Information: http://www.zajac.de/ 4...