Europe Agri articles from May 2003

Europe Agri archives from May 2003

FOOD SAFETY: APPOINTMENT OF EUROPEAN AUTHORITY SCIENTISTS.
May 9, 2003... Following an open call for expressions of interest in membership of the EFSA Scientific Committee and Panels, around 1050 scientists applied for membership. A rigorous evaluation process was carried out over a two month period by EFSA staff,...

ORGANIC FARMING: ORGANIC AND CONVENTIONAL FOODS HAVE SIMILAR NUTRITIONAL VALUES, SAYS AFSSA.
May 9, 2003... Studies have been undertaken in other EU countries with the same agenda in mind, but no overall assessment has been made of organic farming in France in terms of nutrition or health. The thrust of the agency's report is that there is no...

FOOD QUALITY: COMMISSION SLAMS MEMBER STATES' WEAK PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGNS.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... In its answer to the MEP's question, the Commission acknowledged that the first series of promotion and information programmes for agricultural products under Regulation 2826/2000 were only decided in August 2002. It explained that this was...

GENETIC ENGINEERING: MARKED DECLINE IN GM-CROP FIELD TRIALS IN THE EU.
May 9, 2003... Around 22% of respondents cited legal uncertainties as the main reason for having cancelled GM crop research projects. Much of this uncertainty was due to the EU-wide moratorium on new authorisations of GM products in place since 1998,...

PLANT HEALTH: DECISIONS ON FOUR MORE ACTIVE SUBSTANCES.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... On May 2, the European Commission adopted two further technical Decisions on the marketing of plant health products. The first (COM(2003)1421) concerns the non-inclusion of metalaxyl as an active substance in Annex I to Directive 91/414/EEC,...

DAIRY: EU MILK COLLECTION DROPS IN FEBRUARY.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The latest figures from Eurostat, the EU's Statistical Office, show that the collection of cow's milk in the European Union has dropped fractionally to its lowest level since November 2000. Numbers for February 2003 released recently show that...

INFORMAL FARM COUNCIL: MINISTERS MUST BEGIN TO AGREE ON CAP REFORM.(Common Agricultural Policy)
May 9, 2003... CAP reform. Although there is no official agenda for informal Ministerials, CAP reform is likely to be a hot issue at the meeting in Corfu, if only because the deadline is looming. The Greek Presidency has taken the initiative in the final...

CAP REFORM: COPA-COGECA SAYS CAP REFORM MUST WAIT.(Common Agricultural Policy, Committee of Agricultural Organisations in the EU, General Committee for Agricultural Co-operation in the European Union)
May 9, 2003... Two of the best-known and most powerful farming lobby groups in Brussels have reminded the Commission that their members are against a "hurried compromise on CAP reform". The Committee of Agricultural Organisations in the EU (COPA) and its...

EU/IVORY COAST: EURO 6 MILLION AID FOR WAR VICTIMS.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The European Commission announced on May 8 a Euro 5.74 million humanitarian aid grant for the victims of the civil war in the Ivory Coast. The emergency aid - which will also benefit uprooted populations fleeing to neighbouring countries of...

FORESTRY: MINISTERS SIGN VIENNA DECLARATION.
May 9, 2003... Fine words and flowery speeches were to the fore at the Ministerial Conference on Protection of Forests in Europe that took place in Vienna recently. Ministers and top-level representatives met from April 28 to April 30 to pass five Resolutions...

BRITISH CENTAUR GRAIN AGREES TO BUY FRENCH GROUP SOUFFLET.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... British farmer-owned grain marketing firm Centaur Grain agreed on May 1 to buy the UK grain marketing arm of French-based agri-business Group Soufflet, extending consolidation in the sector. Centaur Managing Director, Jonathan Cowens, said that...

AGRO-INDUSTRY GROUPS CONSOLIDATE IN UNITED KINGDOM.(Agricultural Industries Confederation formed)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Two groups representing Britain's agricultural supply industry said on May 1 that they had formed a single organisation to voice their interests, the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC). The AIC will replace two existing organisations -...

ITALY IN THE DOCK OVER HIGHWAY CODE FOR FARM TRAILERS.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Italy is being taken to the European Court of Justice for restricting imports of agricultural trailers that are legally manufactured in other Member States, the European Commission announced on April 28. The Italian highway code regulations...

COMMISSION CLEARS MOTORWAY FOODSERVICE JV BETWEEN COMPASS AND CREMONINI.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The European Commission has cleared plans to set up a joint venture between British foodservice company Compass Group Plc and Cremonini SpA, an Italian food producer also active in concession foodservice. The joint venture, which will take...

UK GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO TAKEOVER OF FIRST AQUA BY VIVENDI.(Vivendi Environnement)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The British Government gave the green light on April 28 to the takeover by French giant Vivendi Environnement of First Aqua Limited, the parent company of the British energy group Southern Water, announced the British Trade and Industry...

THOMESTO CLEARED TO BUY STAKE IN GERMAN INDUSTRIAL TIMBER FIRM SCA HOLTZ.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The European Commission has granted regulatory clearance for Thomesto Ltd, SCA Hygiene Products AG and SCA Hygiene Products GmbH to acquire joint control of SCA Holtz GmbH, it said on May 6. SCA Holtz buys and trades industrial timber in...

MINISTERS FAIL TO REACH AGREEMENT ON TOBACCO ADVERTISING BAN.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... EU Health Ministers failed to reach an agreement on tobacco controls at an extraordinary Council in Brussels on May 6. The German delegation still refused to join the other 14 Member States in supporting the World Health Organisation's...

GREEN LIGHT FOR EXTENSION OF REDUCED EXCISE-DUTY REGIME FOR TOBACCO IN CORSICA.
May 9, 2003... The European Commission put forward a proposal for a Directive on April 16 authorising France to extend the application of a reduced rate of excise duty on tobacco products sold on the island of Corsica until December 31, 2009. The aim of this...

CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN SPRING/SUMMER 2003.(Calendar)
May 9, 2003... MAY 12-13 Corfu, Greece - Informal Farm and Fisheries Council 13-15 Kyoto, Japan - Land Conservation Indicators, experts meet to further develop land conservation indicators for policy purposes. Organised by the OECD's Agriculture...

CATERING: SORTING OUT AUTHENTICITY LABELS FOR ITALIAN RESTAURANTS IN EU.
May 23, 2003... A recent survey conducted by the Italian Institute for External Trade established that there exist between 55,000 and 60,000 "Italian" or "Italian-style" restaurants over the world's five continents, among them more than 25,000 in the EU...

DAIRY SECTOR: STORAGE PRICES SLASHED FOR CHEESE.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Storage aid for certain EU hard cheeses has been drastically cut by the European Commission, after a decision on May 13 to lower the subsidies available for storage in 2003/04. The EU Budget has traditionally paid out to privately store certain...

VETERINARY POLICY: LABORATORY WILL EXAMINE BSE EVALUATION METHODS.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... A British laboratory has been paid Euro 170,000 to analyse the results of the European Union's monitoring programme for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). The Veterinary Laboratories Agency at Weybridge in England has been made the...

CAP REFORM: ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE WARNS AGAINST RED TAPE.(European Union's Common Agricultural Policy)
May 23, 2003... While the European Commission justifies the need for a fresh reform of the CAP by the fact that the existing payment system often dissuades farmers from producing farm produce that the market wants, does not provide adequate incentives for...

ANIMAL HEALTH: ANDORRA TAKES UP EU LEGISLATION ON TSES.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Strict EU-wide legislation designed to halt the spread of Transmissible Spongiform Ecephalopathies (TSEs), such as mad cow disease and scrapie, will be taken up by Andorra, the Pyrenean principality. The measures were agreed by the EU-Andorra...

EU/US: ZOELLICK, BUSH SLAM EUROPEAN FARM BARRIERS.
May 23, 2003... Mr Zoellick said reform of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was critical to successful negotiations in the World Trade Organisation. Mr Zoellick's testimony before the US House of Representatives Agriculture Committee came just weeks...

SOGECO INVESTS IN ROMANIAN COFFEE MAKER FACTORY.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Italian group Sogeco International, one of the main producers of coffeemakers, has invested Euro 7 million in the construction of a factory in Orastie, Western Romania, according to a report from Reuters. At present, the factory employs 200...

CHUPA CHUPS TO CLOSE FRENCH PLANT.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Spanish confectionery company Chupa Chups will close down its plant in Bayonne, South-Western France, in one or two months, it was reported on May 21. The move is attributed to the financial difficulties which the company is currently facing...

GEEST ON TRACK THIS YEAR.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Fruit trading groupGeest has reported that trading in the current year is in line with its expectations, reflecting sound growth across all major business streams. In the UK, the customer-focused organisation is showing its worth and the...

SWISS DAIRY CREMO POSTS 13% RISE IN PROFITS.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Swiss dairy Cremo posted a profit of 2.45 million Swiss Francs (Euro 1.6 million) for 2002, up 13.3% year-on-year, it was reported on May 21. The company's turnover totalled SF 422.6 million (Euro 279.7 million), up 1.6% year-on-year. Butter...

NORWEGIAN BEER SALES DOWN 5%.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... Beer sales in Norway fell by 5% year-on-year for January to April 2003, Norwegian brewers' and mineral water producers' association reported on May 22. The beer sales fall was mostly attributed to lower taxes on alcohol sales, which resulted in...

DUTCH POULTRY COMPANY FINDS BUYER.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... The Dutch Investment and Development Agency for the Northern Netherlands (NOM), Dutch recruitment company Sterk Advies BV and Dutch poultry processing company Berg Holding BV will jointly buy bankrupt Dutch poultry processing company Storteboom...

GERMAN DRINKS FIRM IN GOOD HEALTH.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... German beverage company Eckes AG posted a Euro 24.2 million net profit for 2002, compared to 24 million in 2001, the company said on May 21. The company earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) rose by 13% to Euro 48.4 million . Eckes turnover...

NEW PUBLICATION.(Brief Article)
May 23, 2003... EuroLobbying: Editions Delta recently published their latest "EuroLobbying" (2003) publication listing all professional organisations created throughout Europe (EU and candidate countries). Some 700 federations are included with their full...