Europe Agri articles from September 2003

Europe Agri archives from September 2003

COMMISSION TIGHTENS UP RULES ON PATULIN CONTENT IN APPLE JUICE.(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... Measures aimed at limiting the presence of the mycotoxin patulin in apple products were adopted by the European Commission on August 12. Patulin is a toxic substance with suspected carcinogenic properties that is found in fruit juices, but...

SIX NEW CATEGORIES ADDED TO PROTECTED FOOD NAMES LIST.(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... Six new categories were added to the lists of European Union protected food names, the European Commission announced on August 25. The categories were either a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO - used to describe foodstuffs which are...

FOOD SAFETY: EU BACKING FOR 24 PROJECTS AND RESEARCH NETWORKS.
September 12, 2003... Announcing the new research projects, European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin said: "In Europe, we are proud of the quality food we produce. I am encouraged by the great response we get from our researchers across Europe to work...

BIOTECHNOLOGY: GM RESIDUES IN NOVEL FOODS DO NOT PREVENT THEIR SALE.
September 12, 2003... In 1997 and 1998, Monsanto Italia S.p. notified the Commission, under the "simplified procedure", of its intention to market products derived from genetically-modified maize, such as cornflour. EU Regulation 258/97 on novel foods and novel food...

FOREST FIRES: SOLIDARITY FUND MOBILISED FOR PORTUGAL.
September 12, 2003... The fires, which started on 20 July and raged throughout much of August, have affected 356,000 hectares including 300,000 hectares of forest, some 6% of Portugal's forest. The fires claimed 18 lives and are reported to have caused the loss of...

DRIED FRUIT PRICES FIXED FOR 2003/2004.(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... The buying-in prices for dried grapes and figs have been fixed for the marketing year 2003/2004 by a Regulation adopted by the Commission on August 25. Euro 542.70 will be paid per tonne of dried figs, and Euro 378.54 per tonne of dried grapes....

MEPS IN BID TO CUT BUREAUCRACY IN MILK SURVEYS.(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... The European Parliament has approved a report by Joseph Daul (EPP-ED, France) that aims to cut down on bureaucracy in a proposed update to the Directive on statistical surveys of milk and milk products (96/16/EC). The Commission wants to...

SWEDEN ALLOWED TO USE SET-ASIDE LAND FOR FODDER.(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... Certain regions of Sweden will be allowed to use their arable crop set-aside land for the production of cattle forage, according to a decision taken by the European Commission on August 25. The regions of Kalmar and Jonkopings have been hit by...

CAP INFORMATION: COMMISSION ISSUES CALL FOR TENDERS FOR 2004/2005.(Common Agricultural Policy )(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... The European Commission has launched its annual call for tenders on independent projects aimed at informing the European public about the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The call was published in the Official Journal at the end of July, and...

GERMANY, FRANCE AND AUSTRIA SELL OFF BEEF STOCKS.(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... Germany, France and Austria have been given the green light to sell off thousands of tonnes of beef fillet currently held in storage, after EU experts on the Beef Management Committee voted in favour of the move. According to Regulation...

EU/WTO: CANCUN OPENS WITH NEW ATTACK ON CAP.
September 12, 2003... The G-21 emerged as the surprise package at Canc[pounds sterling]n - indeed, up to September 9, it was still the G-20, until Egypt added its name, and others are expected to join the ranks as the meeting progresses. It marks the first time in...

EU/US: DEAL ON AGRICULTURE CLINCHED IN RUN UP TO CANCUN.
September 12, 2003... The WTO schedules Ministerial meetings every two years, but the Cancun gathering is conveniently being held at the halfway point of the Doha round of talks, and should give all the 146 members a good idea of the progress in negotiations. But...

WINE: MALIC ACID ALLOWED IN ARGENTINIAN WINES.(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... Argentina has been given a temporary waiver which allows the country to export its wines to the European Union even though they do not strictly conform to EU rules. The decision was taken on August 29, and allows Argentina to export to the EU...

EU/MARTINIQUE/GUIANA: EURO 28 MILLION PINEAPPLE AID APPROVED.(Brief Article)
September 12, 2003... Pineapple producers in the French overseas departments of Martinique and Guiana will benefit from up to Euro 7 million of EU funding each year until 2007, under a Decision adopted on August 27 by the European Commission. The bulk of the money...

FOOD SAFETY: EFSA NEEDS MORE STAFF TO FULFIL ITS MISSION.(European Food Safety Authority)(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... "It is fundamental that we keep pace with developments by putting the necessary support staff in place", the Chairman of the European Food Safety Authority Management Board Stuart Slorach, told the Board's 10th meeting on September 16. He...

GASTRONOMY: "SLOW FOOD" MOVEMENT TO SET UP GASTRONOMIC SCIENCES UNIVERSITY.
September 26, 2003... The international "Slow Food" movement, which claims to be fighting against "the degrading impact of the fast food industry and culture which are standardising taste", is planning to set up a University of gastronomic sciences by October 2004...

BIOTECHNOLOGY: STILL NO DECISION ON ACCIDENTAL PRESENCE OF GMOS IN SEEDS.(genetically modified organisms)
September 26, 2003... Contrary to expectations, the European Union's Standing Committee on Seeds failed on September 22 to reach a decision on a draft European Commission Directive aiming to authorise the sale without special labelling obligations of conventional...

MEDICINES: BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY STRESSES NEED FOR SUPPORT.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Commenting on the outcome of the Council, Feike Sijbesma, Chairman of EuropaBio - the self-styled voice of European bioindustries - said: "It is very important that Member States take the decisions needed to build the biotech arena." He...

FISHERIES: EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT REPORT BACKS INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Adopting an own-initiative report by Arlindo Cunha (EPP-ED, Portugal) on September 9, the European Parliament's Fisheries Committee urged the EU to pursue a more active policy on the signing of international Fisheries Agreements. The report...

IRELAND CONDEMNED FOR NON-RESPECT OF SHELLFISH WATERS DIRECTIVE.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... The European Union Court of Justice passed down a ruling on September 11, condemning Ireland's failure to comply with the EU Directive on the quality of shellfish waters. Directive 79/923/EEC requires Member States within two years of...

STATE AID: SPANISH GOVERNMENT SEEKS APPROVAL FOR AID TO NUT GROWERS.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Spanish diplomats have put in a request for permission to pay Euro 67.6 million in subsidy to their nut producers, and are hoping to win support from other Member States to sidestep EU rules on state aid. The request was made to the Special...

SUGAR: EU PRODUCTION QUOTAS TRIMMED.
September 26, 2003... Experts on the EU's Sugar Management Committee voted on September 18 to cut the quota for European sugar production by over 215,000 tonnes, shaving 1.4% off the volume of the EU's production industry. With each tonne of sugar worth over Euro...

DROUGHT: RELIEF MEASURES AGREED FOR SPANISH LIVESTOCK FARMERS.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Spanish livestock farmers will be able to draw on advance subsidy payments from the start of this month to help alleviate the effects of the drought, the European Commission decided on September 16. Spanish authorities will be authorised to...

STATE AID: SCOTTISH SUPPORT FOR MANURE-SPREADING GIVEN THE GO-AHEAD.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Scottish authorities will be allowed to run a 29.4 million (Euro 42.1 million) grant scheme for farmers that want to build or improve manure-handling facilities in sensitive areas, after the European Commission decided on September 16 not to...

FARM PRICES: JUNE PRICES STILL LOWER THAN A YEAR AGO.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Year on year, Denmark was the worst hit by falling agricultural prices in Q1 2003 (-12.7%), followed by Finland (-10.5%), the Netherlands (-10.3%) and Austria (-9%). Italy and Portugal were closest to breaking even, with price falls of -2.3%...

FOREST FIRES: FARM LOBBY CALLS FOR EU FUNDING TO FIGHT FIRES.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... The European Commission should make sure that there is enough EU funding available to help pick up the pieces after devastating forest fires like those seen this Summer, says the EU farm lobby COPA-COGECA. In a press release issued on September...

CAP REFORM: FISCHLER UNVEILS SUGAR PAPER AND MEDITERRANEAN PRODUCT REFORMS.
September 26, 2003... MTR treatment for Mediterranean products. Unveiling the Communication on September 23, Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler described them as "another essential step towards an efficient and sustainable farming policy in Europe....

NEW BSE CASES STILL BEING DETECTED IN EU.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) was confirmed in 73 cattle out of over 712,000 tested in the month of June, according to the latest figures from screenings by Member State veterinary authorities. Of those, the highest number were found...

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES: NEW DEADLINE FOR OPERATIONAL FUNDS.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... A drafting error in the Regulation fixing the deadline for fruit and vegetable producer groups to request changes to operational programmes means that the deadline has been put back to October 15, 2003. The published version of Regulation...

DAIRY PRODUCTS: EU MILK SUPPLY FIGURES RISE MARGINALLY IN JUNE.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... The supply of cow's milk in the EU in June 2003 was up a marginal 0.8% when compared with June a year before, due to increases of over 3% in Belgium, Greece, Germany and the United Kingdom. However, the majority of countries suffered falls in...

SUGAR: PRODUCERS CONDEMN REFORM OPTIONS.
September 26, 2003... Reform choices. The Commission proposed three options for reforming the EU sugar regime in its Communication of September 23 (COM(2003) 554). Broadly speaking, they can be described as the status quo option, price cuts and full...

ANIMAL HEALTH: FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE OUTBREAK IN ARGENTINA STOPS MEAT TRADE.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Veterinary experts in the European Union have taken temporary steps to block the import of meat from parts of Argentina, after authorities in the country reported an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in pigs. The Standing Committee on...

EU/LIBERIA: EURO 8 MILLION FOR PEACE PROCESS.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... The European Commission announced on September 16 a Euro 8 million grant to bolster the peace-keeping efforts in Liberia. In the aftermath of Charles Taylor's resignation as President, the regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African...

EU/KENYA: EURO 225 MILLION FOR FIVE-YEAR STRATEGY.
September 26, 2003... A five-year Euro 225 million package of aid and co-operation with Kenya has been adopted by the European Commission, it was announced on September 16. The Country Strategy Paper (CSP) and an Indicative Programme for Kenya for 2003-07 aim to...

EU/CANADA: FISCHLER SIGNS WINES AND SPIRITS PACT.
September 26, 2003... The European Union and Canada signed their ground-breaking Wines and Spirits Agreement in the Canadian town of Niagara-on-the-Lake on September 16, providing better protection for EU wines and spirits and ending the generic use of names such as...

TRADE DEFENCE POLICY: EU ANTI-DUMPING/ANTI-SUBSIDY MEASURES FALL IN FIRST HALF OF 2003.
September 26, 2003... Officials say that the numbers involved do not reflect a more relaxed trade defence policy as the Commission is obliged to investigate when the EU industry complains. They say only 0.5% of the EU's total import trade is affected by anti-dumping...

EU/NAFO: COMMISSION HAILS HALIBUT CONSERVATION SCHEME.
September 26, 2003... The European Commission hailed on September 24 the decision by the North-west Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) to cut quotas to rebuild stocks of Greenland halibut - also known as turbot. The Commission - represented in NAFO - said it...

WETLANDS: NEW MEDITERRANEAN PROJECTS LAUNCHED UNDER RAMSAR CONVENTION.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... MedWet Co-ordination Unit, the committee in charge of the management and co-ordination of activities in the Mediterranean under the Ramsar Convention, has announced the launch of two major new projects in the Mediterranean region. The...

PROTECTED AREAS: WORLD PARKS CONGRESS CALLS FOR "NEW APPROACH" FOR PROTECTED AREAS.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Some 2,500 representatives of the environment sector (scientists, officials, NGOs) from 170 countries painted a bleak picture of the world's natural resource not covered by the 100,000 protected sites, whose numbers are on the rise. The...

CADBURY SCHWEPPES CONFECTIONERY SALES HIT BY HOT SUMMER.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Cadbury Schweppes has become the latest victim of this year's sweltering summer, which affected confectionery sales across Europe. The world's largest confectionery maker said that despite the heat it "expects overall trading performance for...

PERNOD RICARD POSTS BETTER THAN EXPECTED RESULTS.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... French drinks maker Pernod Ricard suprised investors on September 25 with a better than expected half-yearly financial report. Thanks largely to its brands Chivas and Martell, net profit for the group was up 4.7% to Euro 161 million - almost...

INDUSTRY GIANTS INTERESTED IN TURKISH TOBACCO COMPANY TEKEL.(Japan Tobacco)(BAT)(Altria)(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... The world's top three tobacco groups are planning bids of up to $3 billion (Euro 2.6 billion) for Turkish state tobacco company Tekel to fire up their presence in the world's sixth largest tobacco market, industry sources said on September 25....

IAWS SEES US VENTURES BOOST PROFITS BY 17%.(Irish Agricultural Wholesale Society Ltd.)(La Brea Bakery)(Tim Hortons)(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Irish food and agricultural products group IAWS has reported strong progress at its North American food operations after posting a 17 percent jump in adjusted pre-tax profits for the latest business year. IAWS, which has expanded with the...

SLOVAKIAN FARMERS DISAPPOINTED BY STATE COMPENSATION.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Slovakian farmers will get Sk400m (Euro 9.7 million) from the government for the repair of damage they suffered due to adverse weather this year but the amount is much lower than the Sk1.72bn (Euro 41.7 million) which the Agriculture Ministry...

COMMISSION SETS DEADLINE FOR DECISION ON BAT MERGER WITH ETI.(European Commission)(British-American Tobacco Company Ltd.)(ETI)(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... The European Commission has set October 16 as a deadline for an initial review of British American Tobacco's takeover of Italian state-owned tobacco company ETI, it said on September 24. The Italian Government is keen to get the 2.32 billion...

CAPRABO ACQUIRES ALCOSTO FOR REPORTED EURO 300 M.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... The third largest food distributor in Spain, Caprabo, has announced that it has arrived at a deal for the takeover of the Alcosto supermarket, which runs 66 outlets in the centre of the country. Caprabo runs 500 shops with a turnover of over...

HESS FIGHTS ALLIED DOMECQ FOR PETER LEHMANN WINES.(Hess Group)(Allied Domecq PLC)(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... The struggle for control of the Australian wine producer, Peter Lehmann Wines, intensified on September 23 when Hess Group increased its offer a day after a rival bid was made by Allied Domecq. Hess, a family-controlled private company based in...

BUNGE EYEING LOUIS DREYFUS US OPERATIONS.(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... An approach by US company Bunge Ltd to acquire parts of the Louis Dreyfus commodity empire is likely to focus on the French firm's operations in the Americas, at least initially, European analysts have said. Rumours ranging from a local tie-up...

CARLSBERG TAKES OVER SERBIA'S THIRD LARGEST BREWERY.(Pivara Celarevo)(Brief Article)
September 26, 2003... Denmark's Carlsberg Breweries said on September 22 that it would pay 53 million euros for the entire share capital in the Serbian brewery Pivara Celarevo. Carlsberg has taken over 51 percent of the shares in Pivara in a direct placement and now...