Europe Agri articles from January 2003

Europe Agri archives from January 2003

FOOD SAFETY: NEW LABELLING RULES FOR MEAT-BASED PRODUCTS.(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... The EU is tightening up the labelling rules for meat used as an ingredient in meat-based products to give consumers more information on what they are eating. The new legislation came into force on January 1 this year and the Directive obliges...

SPAIN AND ITALY BROKE LAW ON CHOCOLATE LABELLING.(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... The European Court of Justice has found that Spain and Italy broke EU law by requiring chocolate coming from other Member States to be labelled differently from domestic produce. The Luxembourg-based Court said on January 16 that the two...

CARGILL CLEARED TO TAKE OVER BELGIAN EDIBLE OIL PACKER.(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... The European Commission cleared, on December 20, under the EU Merger Regulation United States' farm commodity merchants Cargill Inc to acquire full control of Belgian edible seed oil packer Associated Oil Packers bvba (AOP), which it currently...

GENETIC ENGINEERING: CANADIAN ORGANIC FARMERS ARE "THREATENED WITH BANKRUPTCY BY GMOS".(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... The ecologists argue that even as the European Union is taking on legislation on the labelling and traceability of GMOs, such tools appear derisory for avoiding the contamination of traditional crops by genetically-modified material. There is...

EEB URGES GREEK PRESIDENCY TO STEER THROUGH TIGHTER GMO/PESTICIDE RULES.(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... Having offered a mixed assessment of the Danish Presidency, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) has outlined in Athens its now traditional ten green tests for the incoming Presidency of the Council of Ministers over the next six months....

COSMETICS: MEPS APPROVE CONCILIATION DEAL ON TESTING.
January 17, 2003... The European Parliament approved the report by Dagmar Roth-Behrendt (PES, Germany) recommending endorsement of the agreement. On November 6, 2002, the Council and Parliament had agreed on two key points of the amended Directive: the EU ban on...

GENETIC ENGINEERING: SWISS AUTHORISE EXPERIMENTAL RELEASE OF TRANSGENIC WHEAT.(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... Switzerland's Federal Environment Office (OFEFP) moved on December 20, 2002 to overturn an earlier decision of November 2001 and authorise a request from researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Zurich (EPFZ) for the experimental...

HEINZ TO SPLIT INTO TWO.(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... Ketchup maker Heinz announced on January 14 that it is re-aligning its US business into two business units. This follows the transfer of some under-performing brands to fruit and vegetable processor Del Monte. Pittsburgh-based Heinz will have...

UK NO 1 SUPERMARKET CHAIN REGISTERS 11% INCREASE IN SALES.(Tesco Stores Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 17, 2003... The UK's number one supermarket group Tesco said on January 14 that group sales for the seven weeks ending January 4 increased by 11.1%. The growth was driven by all four parts of the business - a continued strong core UK performance,...

UK SUPERMARKET WAR TO BUY FOURTH LARGEST CHAIN SAFEWAY.(Safeway PLC agrees to all-share offer from William Morrison Supermarkets)
January 17, 2003... The supermarket war is hotting up in the UK as top chains slug it out for supremacy to buy the fourth largest store up for sale - Safeway. The UK's second-largest supermarket chain, Sainsbury, announced a UK 3.2 billion bid for its smaller...

UK UNITED BISCUITS SHOWS SALES GROWTH BUT QUESTIONS OVER FUTURE.
January 17, 2003... The UK's biggest snacks maker United Biscuits reported growth in sales and margins as its four owners including US giant Kraft ponder its future. The biscuit and snacks maker whose brand include McVitie's Hula Hoops, KP nuts and Penguin, said...

NEW PUBLICATIONS.
January 17, 2003... * Organic agriculture, environment and food security Organic agriculture is defined as an environmentally- and socially-sensitive food supply system. This publication examines its many facets, looking at the contribution of organic...

CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN SPRING 2003.(Calendar)
January 17, 2003... 2003 JANUARY 19-26 Cologne, Germany - ISM International Sweets and Biscuits Fair 2003 At ISM, producers and importers from all over the world present the complete spectrum of chocolate, sugar confectionery, fine baked goods,...

COUNCIL DEBATE ON DESIGNATIONS OF ORIGIN BOGGED DOWN.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2003... The debate on amending the Regulation on the protection of geographic indications and designations of origin for agricultural produce and foods within the Council's Special Committee on Agriculture failed to make any headway at the meeting on...

FOOD SAFETY: EUROPEAN FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY APPEALS FOR A PERMANENT LOCATION.
January 31, 2003... On the budget issue, the Management Board gave consideration to the next measures to be taken to try to release the Euro 8.2 million reserve blocked by the European Parliament Committee on Budgets pending a decision on EFSA's permanent...

FOOD SAFETY: COMMISSION QUIZZED ABOUT ACRYLAMIDE IN BABY FOOD.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2003... The European Commission expects the findings to be available for this summer and will then start assessing the risks before trying to find ways of reducing these levels where this is reasonably possible. New, more effective tests succeeded last...

WINE: CALL FOR TAX BREAKS FOR SPECIAL FORTIFIED WINES.
January 31, 2003... AREV members expressed their support for the introduction of an excise movement and control, system (EMCS) for products subject to duties, provided they are associated in the introduction of this system scheduled for 2008. Large-scale reform...

COSMETICS: GERMAN SALES RESTRICTIONS ON SKIN PRODUCTS CLEARED BY COMMISSION.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2003... Germany's Federal Ministry for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture had 13 products (see list below) seized from their distributors or approved representatives in Germany, on the grounds that they were dangerous products within the meaning...

GENETIC ENGINEERING: INDUSTRY EXTOLS VIRTUES OF BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING NATIONS.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2003... In order to fuel the debate, the organisers published a report by ISAAA (International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications). This said that in 2002, Chinese farmers growing Bt (genetically-modified) cotton increased their...

ANIMAL WELFARE: EU DIRECTIVE ON LIVESTOCK TRANSPORT STILL BEING FLOUTED.(European Union)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2003... As the European Commission is currently reviewing Directive 95/29/EC (amending 91/628/EEC), Eurogroup is calling for a maximum journey time limit as this can be enforced and, therefore is the only way to control the transport and to regulate...

DEVELOPMENT: FOOD SECURITY TOP PRIORITY IN STRATEGY FOR FIGHTING RURAL POVERTY.(Brief Article)
January 31, 2003... Meeting in Brussels on January 27, the EU's General Affairs and External Relations Council adopted a set of Conclusions welcoming the European Commission's Communication on Fighting Rural Poverty and once again stressing the importance of food...

COFFEE: SMALL SIGNS OF MARKET PICKING UP.
January 31, 2003... There seems to be a small light at the end of the tunnel for the beleaguered world coffee market, according to the latest statistics released by the International Coffee Organisation in London. The last four months of 2002 actually brought a...

EU/CHILE: MEPS BACK ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT.(members of parliament)(Brief Article)
January 31, 2003... Euro-MPs have unanimously backed the proposed European Union's Association Agreement with Chile. The European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee adopted on January 28 a report drafted by Jose Ignacio Salafranca Sanchez-Neyra (EPP-ED,...

CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN SPRING 2003.(Calendar)
January 31, 2003... JANUARY 2003 * Towards sustainable farming for developing countries: Along with the European Life Sciences Group, the European Commission is staging a conference on January 30 and 31 in Brussels on sustainable agriculture in developing...