Europe Agri articles from July 2005

Europe Agri archives from July 2005

IASDA EXPANDS ITS GLOBAL FOOD SUPPLEMENT NETWORK.(International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations )(Brief Article)
July 7, 2005... The International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations (IADSA) recently welcomed its fiftieth member. New member associations from France, Turkey and Bulgaria have allowed IADSA to expand its network to all the major world markets....

FOOD STANDARDS: VITAMINS AND MINERALS, PARMESAN CHEESE ON MENU FOR CODEX COMMISSION MEETING.
July 7, 2005... Vitamins and minerals. Whilst the guidelines on vitamins and minerals proposed by the Codex Alimentarius, a joint body of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation, would not replace existing national...

CIAA LAUNCHES EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM ON FOOD FOR LIFE.(Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the EU)(European Union)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2005... A European Technology Platform on Food for Life was officially launched on July 5 under the auspices of the Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the EU (CIAA). Unveiled by CIAA President Jean Martin, with the support of the...

FOOD SAFETY: NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WILD AND FARMED FISH, SAYS EFSA PANEL.(European Food Safety Authority)
July 7, 2005... It was following a request from the European Parliament that EFSA's food safety experts carried out a scientific assessment of the health risks related to human consumption of wild and farmed fish. An Interpanel working group focused on salmon,...

NINE COUNTRIES WARNED FOR BREACHES OF EU LEGISLATION ON BIOFUELS.(European Union)
July 7, 2005... Nine member states were sent letters of formal notice or reasoned opinions from Brussels on July 6, for failing to meet their obligations under the EU Directive on biofuels (2003/30/EC). The Directive should have been transposed into national...

UK PRESIDENCY PUTS SUGAR REFORM HIGH ON AGENDA.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2005... Following the presentation of the European Commission's proposals for reforming the EU's sugar regime on June 22, the incoming UK Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers has said it hopes to "achieve a consensus on a market-based,...

CEREALS: WORLD GRAIN MARKET SITUATION UNCERTAIN.
July 7, 2005... At its meeting in mid-June, the IGC predicted that this year's yields would not match the high levels seen last year, mainly due to lowered crop forecasts in Australia, India, Europe and the United States following dry weather conditions. This...

CALENDAR OF EVENTS.
July 7, 2005... July 18-19 Brussels, Belgium - EU Farm and Fisheries Council September 3-7 Bonn, Germany - "Agricultural Engineering Contributions to Solve Future Agricultural Problems": a workshop to be staged in the context of the World...

FOOD SUPPLEMENTS: COURT OF JUSTICE RULES IN FAVOUR OF VITAMIN CONTROLS.(Health Food Manufacturers Association )
July 22, 2005... British uproar. Since their inception, the Commission's plans to regulate the vitamin market have sparked controversy in the United Kingdom, by far the EU country where food supplements (primarily vitamin capsules) are most popular. A...

PARLIAMENT APPROVES PROPOSALS ON ORGANIC FOOD PRODUCTION.(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development has approved Commission proposals on organic production of agricultural products. The proposals were approved without any modifications being tabled, and will be adopted...

CODEX AGREES NEW FOOD SUPPLEMENT STANDARDS BUT STALLS ON PARMESAN CHEESE.(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The Codex Alimentarius Commission adopted more than 20 new food safety and quality standards during its annual meeting in Rome from July 4 to 8. The most significant are global guidelines on vitamin and mineral labelling, which include measures...

PUBLIC HEALTH: BETTER INFORMATION AND HEALTHY FOOD ON BRITISH PRESIDENCY'S MENU.(European Union and the World Health Organisation)
July 22, 2005... On a general level, Mrs Hewitt emphasised the importance of the health sector, a privileged instrument in bringing European institutions closer to citizens, but also the fact that health concerns cross borders, both national and European:...

HUMAN TISSUE-ENGINEERED PRODUCTS ARE NOT MEDICINES, SAYS EUCOMED.(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... Eucomed, the Federation of Medical Technology Manufacturers, has warned against the risk of associating human tissue-engineered products with pharmaceuticals, and emphasised that requirements regarding these new therapies should take account of...

EFSA OPENS CONSULTATION ON GM MICRO-ORGANISM RISK ASSESSMENT.(European Food Safety Authority)(genetically modified)(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The European Food Safety Authority on July 18 launched an open consultation on its risk assessment for genetically-modified micro-organisms (GMMs). EFSA says it wants feedback on its GMM guidance document, which is designed to help applicants...

EFSA DECLARES GM-MAIZE HYBRIDS SAFE.(European Food Safety Authority)(genetically modified)(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... Genetically-modified maize hybrids are safe for both humans and animals, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said in an opinion published on July 15. Three types of GM maize hybrids - obtained by crossing individual GM lines - were...

PATENTS: COMMISSION MONITORS PROGRESS WITH BIOTECHNOLOGICAL INVENTIONS.
July 22, 2005... The European Commission on July 18 adopted a second report (COM(2005)312) to the Council and European Parliament covering developments and implications of patent law in the field of biotechnology and genetic engineering. It focuses on issues in...

FARM COUNCIL: STRONG OPPOSITION TO SUGAR REFORM PLANS AS BEET FARMERS STAGE HUGE PROTEST.
July 22, 2005... Member states: blocking minority. As expected, the ministers' first formal debate on the new proposal revealed a clear blocking minority. Italy and Poland, in particular, hardened their line and confirmed that they are in the group of...

REGIONAL POLICY: PARLIAMENT DEMANDS MEASURES FOR FAR-FLUNG REGIONS.
July 22, 2005... In the context of 2007-2013 cohesion policy, the European Commission proposes a specific compensation policy for ultra-peripheral regions with additional costs covered by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This programme should...

STATE AID: COMMISSION INVESTIGATES FRENCH AID TO FRUIT AND VEGETABLE SECTOR.(price support for fruit and vegetables)(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... A formal investigation into dubious French aid to the fruit and vegetable sector was launched by the European Commission on July 20. The aid, worth euro 50 million per year, includes price support for fruit and vegetables, support for temporary...

STATE AID: COMMISSION CLEARS ITALIAN MEASURES TO TACKLE "SAD" CITRUS DISEASE.(programmes approved by the Commission)(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... Italian measures worth euroa3.6 million against citrus disease tristeza were cleared by the European Commission on July 20, giving the country the green light to finance the battle against the highly destructive viral bug. But the EU executive...

MEPS SLAM SLOW PROGRESS ON ILLEGAL LOGGING INITIATIVE.(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The European Parliament has condemned the slow progress on a European Union initiative aimed at ending illegal logging in poor countries. The MEPs voted in Strasbourg on July 7 on a motion on the EUs year-old Forest Law Enforcement, Governance...

POLAND IN INFRINGEMENT OF ENTERING AND EXITING FORMALITIES IN EU PORTS.(European Commission)(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... Poland has been charged by the European Commission in the form of a reasoned opinion, addressed on July 11, to apply the Directive on reporting formalities that are carried out when a ship arrives in and/or departs from European Union ports...

BELGIUM AND HUNGARY IN INFRINGEMENT FOR PORT RECEPTION FACILITIES.(use of port reception facilities )(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The European Commission has given Belgium and Hungary a final warning before lodging a formal complaint with the Court of Justice for failure to respect EU legislation on the improvement of the availability and use of port reception facilities...

FISHERIES: FRANCE GIVEN MASSIVE FINE FOR POOR ENFORCEMENT OF EU RULES.(fishery conservation measures)(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The case started back in 1991, when the Court had ruled that France did not carry out the necessary checks to ensure compliance with the EU's fishery conservation measures. Inspections in the subsequent 11 years convinced the Commission that...

SHIPPING: COURT RULING MAY INFLUENCE NEW ANTI-POLLUTION RULES.
July 22, 2005... The Directive was proposed following the loss of the Prestige oil tanker off Spain's Galician coast in November 2002. The Council of Ministers then took more than a year and a half to adopt its common position. This was because the Commission...

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS: BECKETT PRESENTS UK PRESIDENCY'S PRIORITIES TO SCEPTICAL MEPS.
July 22, 2005... Budget. Mrs Beckett was at pains to tell MEPs that the Presidency wants to have a discussion on the overall budget, not the contentious question of funding for agriculture as such. This is a sensitive point as budget discussions are...

SUGAR: REFORM PLAN COMES IN FOR STRONG CRITICISM AT EP HEARING.
July 22, 2005... Ten member states against proposal. The proposal, unveiled on June 22 by Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel, includes 39% subsidy cuts over two years for sugar growers, restructuring funds for those who leave the industry and...

BUDGET: THINK-TANK REPORT ATTACKS NET BALANCE oNONSENSEo.
July 22, 2005... The reports author, Jacques le Cacheux, professor of economics from the Paris Institute for Political Science, said that he had not been surprised by the failure of the recent summit of EU leaders to reach a deal on a financial framework of the...

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: MEPS SET OUT PRIORITIES FOR 2006 BUDGET.(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... On July 6, the European Parliament endorsed the negotiating mandate with the Council before its first reading of the 2006 budget, approving a report by Italian Socialist Giovanni Pittella. The EP's position is in response to the Commission's...

RURAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY PRESENTED TO EU FARM MINISTERS.(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The EU's Agriculture Ministers were presented with the Commission's proposed new strategic guidelines for rural development at their July 18 Council meeting in Brussels. The strategy, which should be adopted in the autumn, follows through from...

ENVIRONMENT: CLIMATE CHANGE AND CHEMICALS DOMINATE BRITISH PRESIDENCY'S PRIORITIES.
July 22, 2005... Climate policy. Combating climate change and preparations for the next Conference of Parties to the Convention on Climate Change (Montreal, November 28 - December 9) will lie at the heart of the Presidency's action, both internally,...

COMMISSION TURNS DOWN FRENCH REQUEST TO RE-OPEN ANCHOVY FISHING IN BAY OF BISCAY.(rules for fisheries)(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... France failed to secure a re-opening of anchovy fishing in the Bay of Biscay at the July 18 Fish Council in Brussels. Following new scientific evidence of dwindling stocks, the Commission recently closed the fishery for three months until...

DUTCH CALL FOR CLEARER POULTRY LABELLING.(clearer labelling rules for poultry)(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The Netherlands called for clearer labelling rules for poultry during the July 18 Farm Council, insisting in particular that poultry meat which has been frozen should not be allowed to be labelled as "fresh". EU Farm Commissioner Mariann...

NORTH SEA AND SKAGERRAK SANDEEL FISHERY CLOSED UNTIL END OF YEAR.(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The European Commission on July 15 adopted a Regulation to close fishing for sandeel in the North Sea and Skagerrak, the strait between Norway, Sweden and Denmark, until the end of 2005. This decision was taken after experts from the...

FOOD SAFETY: COMMISSION ADOPTS ROADMAP ON BSE.(Bovine spongiform encephalopathy)(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The European Commission on July 15 adopted a reflection paper, entitled the TSE Roadmap, outlining potential changes to EU measures on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies such as BSE in cattle and scrapie in sheep and goats. The Roadmap...

CAP MONEY : COMMISSION TO RECOVER MIS-SPENT CAP EXPENDITURE FROM MEMBER STATES.(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The European Commission is to claim back a total of euro 244.4 million in EU farm money wrongly spent by member states due to inadequate control procedures or non-compliance with EU rules on agricultural expenditure. This is the nineteenth such...

COMMISSION FORECASTS DROP IN CEREAL PRODUCTION DUE TO WESTERN DROUGHT.(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The European Commission said on July 15 that it was forecasting a drop in cereal production compared to 2004's record yields. Scientific analysis provided by the advanced crop yield forecasting system predicts that production will be down by...

BUDGET: COMMISSION, PRESIDENCY AND PARLIAMENT BATTLE OVER SPENDING PLANS.
July 22, 2005... At the meeting on July 15, the Council agreed its position in first reading on the draft 2006 budget of euro 111.4 billion (in terms of commitments), a cut of 1.1 billion compared to the Commissions April proposal. The UK Presidency minister...

ACTION AGAINST IRELAND FOR BREACHES OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW.(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The European Commission launched infringement proceedings against Ireland on July 12 in five cases involving breaches of EU environment law. The Commission sent a reasoned opinion (last step before referring the case to the Court of Justice)...

FINAL WARNINGS FOR BELGIUM OVER INFRINGEMENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW.(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... Infringement proceedings against Belgium are being pursued by the European Commission for five breaches of EU environment laws. A reasoned opinion (final written warning) was sent concerning the lack of adequate controls on the release of...

KYPRIANOU PRESENTS BROILER HEN WELFARE PROPOSAL TO MINISTERS.(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... Meeting for their monthly Farm Council in Brussels on July 18, the EU's Agriculture Ministers took note of the European Commission's proposal for a new Directive laying down stricter broiler hen welfare standards, presented by Health and...

ITALY REQUESTS CRISIS DISTILLATION FOR 6 BILLION LITRES OF WINE.(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... Italy took the opportunity of the July 18 Farm Council to ask the Commission to open urgent crisis distillation for 6 billion litres of wine. Under the EU-funded scheme, surplus wine stocks are sold cheaply and used for biofuel production and...

EUROPEAN FISHERIES SECTOR THROTTLED BY DIESEL PRICES.(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... Four European organisations representing the fisheries sector have sent an open letter to EU Agriculture Ministers expressing their exasperation and a feeling of being "completely abandoned by Europe" in light of increasing diesel prices....

Environment: Commission debate on future environment policy.
July 22, 2005... Fears were expressed as early as January 2005 regarding the current Commission's determination to develop and ambitious environment policy. Initial comments by Mr Barroso placed emphasis on the economy and employment rather than the...

TRADE POLICY: MANDELSON SAYS TRADE HELPS MORE THAN AID.(Common Agricultural Policy)(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... He called on the G8 leaders gathering for their summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, to turn opersonal conscience into real political commitmento by backing the World Trade Organisations Doha Round and helping to build Africas capacity to benefit...

EU/ASIA: POST-TSUNAMI RECONSTRUCTION AID WILL MATERIALISE BY END OF THE YEAR.(United Nations Development Programme )
July 22, 2005... Reconstruction projects cannot be put in place as quickly as humanitarian aid, according to Erich Whilhelm Muller, since it is necessary to think long term with a view to rebuilding "better". He believes that settling ownership rights problems...

EU/G8: rich nations acknowledge importance of tackling climate change.
July 22, 2005... The challenge for the Gleaneagles summit - bringing together the leaders of Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom and Russia - was to recognise the role of human activities in increasing greenhouse gases...

BUDGET: COUNCIL AND MEPS DIVIDED OVER TSUNAMI FINANCING.(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... In its draft amending budget for 2005, the European Commission had proposed financing the entire 98 million from the EU's euro 200 million flexibility instrument which is meant to pay for unexpected crises. The Council agreed during the meeting...

COMMISSION REBUFFS BRITISH PUSH FOR CHINESE MARKET-ECONOMY STATUS.(international export market)(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The European Commission has rebuffed a British Presidency call for China to be granted the coveted market economy status in anti-dumping investigations. British Trade Minister Ian Pearson said this status would recognise the transformation of...

EU/WTO: BRITISH TO PRIORITISE DOHA ROUND.(World Trade Organization)
July 22, 2005... Mr Johnson said that in agriculture alone, trade barriers prevent developing countries earning up to $75 billion a year. oIf we cut all trade barriers in half, we could raise the income of developing countries by more than euro 110 billion a...

DEVELOPMENT POLICY: LOUIS MICHEL URGES MEMBER STATES TO BACK JOINT STRATEGY.
July 22, 2005... "Now we'll see who wants what!", said Louis Michel, echoing regular calls from the member states for greater European coordination. He makes no secret of the fact that he is laying down a gauntlet to the member states. A DG Development source...

FERRERO-WALDNER AIMS TO STRENGTHEN EU/LATIN AMERICA TIES.(Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva)(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner met Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brasilia on July 12 on the second day of her tour of Latin America aimed at boosting ties with the European Union. The Commissioner...

COMMODITIES: WORLD TEA PRODUCTION REACHED NEW HIGHS IN 2004.
July 22, 2005... Dramatic increase in Turkey. Most notably, production in Turkey was reported to have expanded dramatically in 2004 as output increased by 32% to reach around 205,500 tonnes. Tea production in Kenya also rose by over 11% in 2004 to reach...

AGRICULTURAL TRADE: DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO GET RISING SHARE OF WORLD TRADE IN NEXT DECADE.(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... Cereal output to rise, wheat prices to drop. With increasing export supplies by low-cost non-OECD countries and a continued high degree of protection in many of the OECD markets, rising demand in developing countries will result in an...

EU/WTO: DALIAN MEETING REVIVES HOPES FOR DOHA ROUND.(World Trade Organization, European Union)
July 22, 2005... The two-day WTO mini-ministerial was supposed to deliver some momentum to the beleaguered Doha Round in the final months before the December ministerial of all 148 members in Hong Kong. The G20 - a group including China, India, Brazil,...

FERRERO-WALDNER HOPES FOR EU/MERCOSUR DEAL BY 2006.(Benita Ferrero-Waldner)(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The European Union hopes to reach a free trade agreement with Latin American trade group Mercosur by May 2006, EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Meeting with local business leaders, she said a...

DEVELOPMENT: MILLENNIUM GOALS, AFRICA AND AIDS - PRIORITIES FOR THE NEW PRESIDENCY.
July 22, 2005... The purpose of the summit is to review what progress has been made in meeting the millennium development goals (MDG). Mr Benn believes that to achieve these MDGs, new and innovative financing mechanisms would be necessary and assured MEPs that...

CROPS: WORLD TEA PRODUCTION REACHED NEW HIGHS IN 2004.
July 22, 2005... Dramatic increase in Turkey. Most notably, production in Turkey was reported to have expanded dramatically in 2004 as output increased by 32% to reach around 205,500 tonnes. Tea production in Kenya also increased by over 11% in 2004 to...

COMMISSION CLEARS ACQUISITION OF SEJET BY CARLSBERG AND DLG.(Carlsberg A/S, Dansk Landbrugs Grovvareselskab a.m.b.a, Sejet Planteforaedling I/S)(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The European Commission has granted clearance under the EU Merger Regulation to the acquisition of joint control of Sejet Planteforaedling I/S of Denmark by Danish firms Carlsberg A/S and Dansk Landbrugs Grovvareselskab a.m.b.a. Carlsberg's...

SALE OF FRENCH PAPER MAKER MATUSSIERE & FOREST CLEARED.(to Matlin-Patterson Asset Management)(Brief article)
July 22, 2005... The sale of French paper manufacturer Matussiere & Forest to US-based investment fund manager MatlinPatterson was cleared by the European Commission on July 5 under the simplified merger review procedure used in cases where no competition...

PUBLICATIONS: NEW BOOKS ON EU AGRICULTURE.(A Full-immersion Course on the Landscape)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 22, 2005... * A full-immersion course on the landscape This is a review and contributions presented during a university summer course organised in September 2004 by the European Lawyers' Association (ELA) on the implementation of the Council of...

NEW PUBLICATION: AGRICULTURAL POLICIES IN OECD COUNTRIES: MONITORING AND EVALUATION 2005.(Agricultural Policies in OECD Countries: Monitoring and Evaluation)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 22, 2005... Farm income in the new member states of the European Union is likely to increase significantly over the medium term as a result of accession, according to a new report published on June 21 by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and...

CALENDAR OF EVENTS.(calendar)(Calendar)
July 22, 2005... August 14-19 Campinas, Sao Paulo State, Brazil - 15th International Farm Management Conference. "Developing Entrepreneurship Abilities to Feed the World in a Sustainable Way". http://www.ifma15.org. September 5 Emmeloord, The...