Minister of Agriculture Ivari Padar met the Minister of Agriculture of Ukraine Igor Shvaika to sign the action plan for strengthening cooperation in the sector of agriculture. Estonia helps Ukraine to adapt to the EU common agricultural policy. „In the sector of agriculture, Ukraine has been an important trade partner for Estonia and we hope that our cooperation will continue....
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The European Commission has published new proposals for a new Regulation on organic production and the labelling of organic products. Consumer and producer concerns are at the heart of this new proposal, which seeks to address shortcomings of the current system. The EU organic market has quadrupled in size over the last 10 years and rules need to be updated and adjusted so that the sector can...
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Over three-quarters (77 %) of Europeans believe the common agricultural policy (CAP) benefits all EU citizens and over 90 % support the main trends of the new CAP, such as making aid fairer and more targeted (92 %) and linking the granting of aid to farmers to adhering to environmentally-friendly farming practices ('greening', 91 %). These are the main conclusions of the Eurobarometer survey...
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A majority of EU member countries backed a compromise agreement on GMO authorisation which maintains an EU-wide approval scheme but allows national cultivation bans. Under the proposals, drafted by Greece, which holds the rotating EU Council presidency, the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) would conduct assessments of GM crops, EurActiv reported. If a...
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Twelve EU ministers have sent an open letter to the health commissioner, Tonio Borg, pressuring the Commission to withdraw its proposal to approve the genetically modified maize 'Pioneer 1507'. The letter was signed by the ministers of Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovenia and Malta and sent to the Commission following a...
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The European Commission today published a proposal bringing together two currently separate school schemes, the School Fruit Scheme and the School Milk Scheme, under a joint framework. In a context of declining consumption among children for these products, the aim is to address poor nutrition more effectively, to reinforce the educational elements of the programmes and to contribute to fight...
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The European Commission today presented a draft reform of the information and promotion policy for European agricultural and food products. This new promotion policy, which benefits from a more substantial budget and will in the future be supported by a European executive agency, is intended to act as key for opening up new markets. With the slogan 'Enjoy, it´s from Europe', the policy...
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Monsanto said on Wednesday (17 July) it would withdraw all pending approval requests to grow new types of genetically modified crops in the European Union, due to the lack of commercial prospects for cultivation there, EurActiv reported. "We will be withdrawing the approvals in the coming months," Monsanto's President and Managing Director for Europe, Jose Manuel Madero, told Reuters by...
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A widely used insect nerve agent that harms bees will be banned from use on corn and sunflowers in Europe from the end of 2013, after member states overwhelmingly backed the proposal in a vote on Tuesday, Guardian reported. However, the UK once again failed to back measures to restrict pesticide use. Fipronil is used in more than 70 countries and on more than 100 different crops, but in May...
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Italy on Friday banned the cultivation of a genetically modified (GM) corn seed made by US company Monsanto, citing environmental concerns. The agriculture ministry said Italian and European scientific studies had found that the insect-resistant MON810 seed could harm biodiversity, possibly posing a threat to “aquatic organisms.” Farming lobby Coldiretti backed the government...
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According to a new survey, most Europeans would be prepared to change their purchasing habits and buy more environmentally-friendly products, but many feel they lack information and distrust manufacturers' environmental claims. The survey on the "Attitudes of Europeans towards building the single market for green products" indicates that more than three-quarters of respondents are willing to...
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Winged insects including bees, moths and butterflies are suffering this year following the UK's late, cold spring, a National Trust report has revealed. The charity warns the drop in numbers of winged insects could lead to food shortages for birds and bats. The six-month review assessed the state of plants and animals in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and came up with a "winners and...
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The European Parliament, the EU Council of Ministers and the European Commission have reached an agreement on reforming the common agricultural policy (CAP) post 2013. "I am delighted with this agreement which gives the Common Agricultural Policy a new direction, taking better account of society's expectations as expressed during the public debate in spring 2010. This agreement will lead to...
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Negotiations on the future of the post-2013 Common Agricultural Policy are to resume on Wednesday (26 June) at the European Parliament in Brussels after three days of talks failed to produce a hoped-for final agreement. National farm ministers, joined in Luxembourg by the European Commission and negotiators from the Parliament, had hoped to wrap up a deal on Tuesday, after three months and...
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