Europe Agri articles from September 2004

Europe Agri archives from September 2004

FOOD QUALITY/SAFETY: EURO 200 MILLION PLUS FOR INTEGRATED RESEARCH PROJECTS.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... The call for proposals for integrated projects and networks of excellence covers the following areas: - total food chain; - epidemiology of food-related diseases and allergies; - impact of food on health; - traceability...

Food safety: European authority appoints extra scientific experts.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... A call inviting European experts to apply for membership of selected Panels was published in December 2003 in the Official Journal of the European Union, in selected scientific journals and on the Authority's website. 241 scientists responded...

MOLLUSCS: EXPERTS SUM UP ANIMAL HEALTH CHECKS IN TUNISIA.
September 3, 2004... The objective of the mission was to assess whether Tunisia conforms to Commission Decision 2003/804/EC of November 14, 2003, laying down conditions for health checks and certification requirements applicable to imports of molluscs, of their...

FOOD SAFETY: TRANS FATTY ACIDS INCREASE HEALTH RISKS ACCORING TO EUROPEAN AUTHORITY.
September 3, 2004... In carrying out its risk assessment on TFAs, EFSA's NDA Panel examined data concerning both TFAs naturally present in foods, for instance in some animal fats (fats present in dairy products, beef, lamb and mutton) and those occurring as a...

FOOD SAFETY: EUROPEAN AUTHORITY RECRUITING PESTICIDE EXPERTS.
September 3, 2004... The areas of scientific expertise in which experts will operate include: - identification and physical/chemical properties, analytical methods, - environmental behaviour, - mammalian toxicology, - ecotoxicology, -...

EU/BRAZIL: HIGH ALERT ON ANTIBIOTIC RESIDUES IN CHICKEN STEPPED DOWN.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... The EU's high alert on antibiotic residues in Brazilian chicken was stepped down on September 1. Poultry imports from Brazil will now only have to undergo normal routine testing, the European Commission said. It has adopted a Decision to lift...

EU/RUSSIA: BREAKTHROUGH DEAL ON FOOD SAFETY ROW.
September 3, 2004... Russia banned all EU animal-based food imports for three days in early June when it suddenly refused to accept the current system of veterinary certificates. Food from major EU trade partners in both new and old Member States was held up at the...

CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN AUTUMN 2004.(Calendar)
September 3, 2004... SEPTEMBER 5 - 7 Noordwijk/Lisse, the Netherlands - Informal Agricultural Council. 6 - 10 Gdansk, Poland - 30th Session of the International Baltic Sea Commission. http://www.ibsfc.org/ 13-17aaa Halifax, Canada - Northwest...

EUROPEAN COMMISSION: REPORT TO THE COUNCIL AND EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ON THE SIMPLIFICATION OF THE COMMON MARKET ORGANISATION IN FRUIT AND VEGETABLES.(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... The European Commission's regular review of the fruit and vegetable market looks at how it dealt with requests from the Council of Ministers to deal with shortcomings in the sector in 2002, 2003 and 2004. The report aims to trigger a debate...

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH AND EU REGIONS LAUNCH CAMPAIGN FOR GM-FREE ZONES.(Friends of the Earth Europe, Assembly of European Regions)(genetically modified crops)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... A week after genetically-modified seeds were authorised for sale across all 25 EU Member States for the first time, the Assembly of European Regions (AER) and Friends of the Earth Europe (FoE) have launched a campaign for the creation of...

BIOMASS: OECD CALLS FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY.(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)
September 16, 2004... The OECD report considers that financial incentives for bio-products, currently used in many countries, should be avoided as they distort markets and lead to a long-term dependency on subsidies. The entire farming industry is under pressure to...

NEW RURAL DEVELOPMENT MEASURES FOR YOUNG FARMERS SHOULD BE COMPULSORY, SAYS CEJA.(European Council of Young Farmers)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... New measures to help young farmers get started in business should be made compulsory, the European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA) said on September 7. In its first response to the recent rural development proposal, CEJA said the European...

NEW AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER TO ANSWER MEPS' QUESTIONS.(Mariann Fischer Boel)(Members of European Parliament)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... MEPs will quiz future EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel on her views on genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), her plans for Europe's wine sector and the cost of extending the Common Agricultural Policy to Bulgaria, Romania and...

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES: COMMISSION PUBLISHES ANALYSIS OF EU MARKET.(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Global fruit and vegetable production has increase 36% in volume from 1995 to 2003. China, the world's largest producer, accounts for two-thirds of this growth with a massive 96% leap. The EU-15, with 6%, showed much more limited growth. But it...

INFORMAL FARM COUNCIL: DUTCH SURVEY ON GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR.(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... A hefty 76% said the balance of responsibilities between market and government needs to be reviewed for a more efficient regulatory environment. EU governments feel they have less power over international trade policy. Some 61% said they agreed...

MINISTERS TO DEBATE RECOVERY PLANS AT FISH COUNCIL.(protection for hake, Norway lobster and sole)
September 16, 2004... EU Fisheries Ministers will discuss recovery plans for hake, Norway lobster and sole at the Council of Ministers meeting on October 18. Member States failed to agree on the Commission proposal to protect hake and Norway lobster in the...

PESTICIDES: UN AGENCY WANTS FUNDS TO TACKLE DANGEROUS WASTE.(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... It estimates that Poland has 15,000 tonnes of ageing chemicals. CIS states Ukraine and Moldova have some 19,500 tonnes and 6,600 tonnes each. "Affected countries are calling - ever more frequently and with greater urgency - for assistance to...

CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN AUTUMN 2004.(Calendar)
September 16, 2004... SEPTEMBER 13-17 Halifax, Canada - Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation meeting. http://www.nafo.int 19 - 29 Vigo, Spain - International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) meeting and annual science conference. 21...

FRENCH FUNDING IN KENYA TO HELP IMPROVE WATER SUPPLY.(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... The French Embassy in Nairobi has announced that France has granted Kenya a low-interest Euro 20 million loan to improve water supply and sanitation in the city of Kisumu (North-West) on the shores of Lake Victoria. Kisumu is the country's...

BOUYGUES CONSIDERS TAKEOVER BIDS FOR ITS SAUR WATER SUBSIDIARY.(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... French utility group Bouygues is currently examining some fifteen offers for the total or partial acquisition of its water services subsidiary Saur (water, energy and cleaning), Chairman Martin Bouygues declared on September 8. "There are a...

BREWERIES: EU FINES FRENCH BEER CARTEL.(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... The Commission fined French food group Groupe Danone/Brasseries Kronenbourg Euro 1.5 million and slapped the French arm of Dutch beer firm Heineken with a Euro 1 million punishment. It noted that the armistice agreement had not actually been...

GM FOOD/FEED: COMMISSION SPECIFIES PRODUCT NOTIFICATION RULES.(Genetically modified food and feed)(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... Genetically modified food and feed which were placed on the market in conformity with European legislation before April 18, 2004 (1) can continue to be placed on the market, used and processed provided that they are notified to the European...

FOOD SAFETY: EUROPEAN AUTHORITY ISSUES MITIGATED OPINION ON THE DANGERS OF PARABENS.(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... Parabens are anti-microbial preservatives allowed for use in foods, drugs, cosmetics and toiletries. The former EC Scientific Committee for Food (SCF) evaluated the parabens in 1994 and allocated a temporary group ADI of 0-10 mg/kg bw...

EU LAUNCHES 2004 CHARM OFFENSIVE TO PROMOTE ITS FARM PRODUCTS ABROAD.(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... The European Commission has selected eight programmes for its annual campaign to promote the EU's agricultural products around the world, which was launched in 2000. This year's initiatives, which include five Italian projects, will be targeted...

FRESH PRODUCE GROUP CALLS FOR REVIEW OF EXPORT REFUNDS ON FRUIT & VEGETABLES.(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... European fresh produce association Freshfel is urging the EU to make export refunds on fresh fruit and vegetables "a true export assistance tool". It said European traders risk losing market share in export markets to increasing competition...

NORTH SEA FISH HAVE DECLINED 65% OVER LAST CENTURY.(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... North Sea fish have declined by 65% over the last century, according to a new mathematical model developed by the UK Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS). In a paper presented to the International Council for the...

SHOPS ARE IGNORING EGG LABELLING RULES, CLAIMS EUROGROUP FOR ANIMAL WELFARE.(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... European retailers are disregarding EU labelling rules which help shoppers select eggs from farms with good animal welfare standards, an animal rights group has claimed. Eurogroup for Animal Welfare said its member organisations surveyed shops...

FISCHLER SAYS WORLD DEMAND FOR DAIRY PRODUCTS WILL USE UP EU STOCKS.(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... The increase in world demand for dairy is a "particularly favourable scenario" which will enable the EU to use up its dairy stocks, according to Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler. In a speech to the Royal Association of British Dairy...

NEWS IN BRIEF.(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... Agriculture and Fisheries Commissioner Franz Fischler has received an award from the British animal-rights organisation RSPCA in recognition of his "services to European animal welfare work". The organisation says his achievements, particularly...

FAO CALLS FOR MORE INVESTMENT IN AGRICULTURE.(Food and Agriculture Organisation)(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... The United Nations agricultural agency has called for increased investment in farming and rural areas in developing countries to improve economic opportunities and reduce hunger where most of the world's poor live. In a statement on September...

CEREALS: GOOD HARVESTS REPLENISH WORLD STOCKS.(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... Europe's wheat harvest was much larger than expected while good growing conditions for North America's major crop, maize, should bring production close to demand. Cereal demand for 2004/2005 is expected to be 1,985 million tonnes. Cereal stocks...

OCEANA CALLS FOR SWORDFISH RECOVERY PLAN.(fishing of swordfish)(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... Over-exploited swordfish stocks need conservation measures to help them reproduce, marine environment lobby Oceana Europe said on September 23. Most fish caught in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea are small juveniles and scientists...

FAO/UNEP: CALL FOR BETTER PROTECTION AGAINST HAZARDOUS PESTICIDES.(Food and Agriculture Organisation)(influence of pesticide poisoning on farmers)
September 30, 2004... In a statement, the two organisations indicate that an estimated one to five million cases of pesticide poisoning occur every year, resulting in several thousand fatalities among agricultural workers. Most of these poisonings occur in the...

FAO SAYS AVIAN FLU WILL "NOT BE ERADICATED IN NEAR FUTURE".(Food and Agriculture Organisation)(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... The Avian Influenza epidemic in Asia is a "crisis of global importance" which will not be eradicated in the near future, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on September 27. The unusually stark warning, which was correlated by...

EXTERNAL RELATIONS NEWS IN BRIEF.(fishing agreements-marine trade by european parliament)(Brief Article)
September 30, 2004... The European Parliament adopted three reports by Philippe Morillon (ALDE, France) on September 15 covering the EU's fishing agreements with Mauritius, Madagascar and Cape Verde. The deals detail the amount of compensation paid by the EU to...

CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN AUTUMN 2004.(Calendar)
September 30, 2004... OCTOBER 5 - 6 Brussels, Belgium - CEA/COPA/COGECA Annual Congress of European Agriculture. E-mail: congress@cea-agri.org, fax +32 2 230 46 77. 5 - 7 Vigo, Spain - Conxemar: 6th International Frozen Seafood Products Exhibition....