EU farm ministers are meeting Monday (24 June) for their latest round of negotiations on the post-2013 Common Agricultural Policy, under pressure to hammer out an agreement in time for a parliamentary vote next month. EurActiv reports from Luxembourg. Negotiators from the three institutions involved in the CAP talks - farm ministers representing national governments, the European Parliament...
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An annual report published today on Europe’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) revealed that in 2012 almost 50% of notifications related to food and feed rejections at EU borders due to the risk they posed to food safety. Launched more than 30 years ago, RASFF is an IT tool that facilitates the cross-border flow of information between national food safety authorities and plays...
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Farmers’ organisations are pressing EU negotiators to finalise a deal on the future agricultural policy amid growing concern that an agreement will not be reached before the end of June, further delaying implementation of Europe’s biggest programme. Negotiators were hoping to conclude talks on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) this month, before Ireland hands over the...
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Monsanto Co is not pushing for expansion of genetically modified crops in most of Europe as opposition to its biotech seeds in many countries remains high, company officials said on Friday. European officials for the St. Louis, Missouri-based Monsanto told the German daily "Taz" that they were no longer doing any lobby work for cultivation in Europe and not seeking any new approvals for...
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A restriction on the use of three pesticides belonging to the neonicotinoid family was adopted by the Commission. These pesticides (clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiametoxam) were identified as being harmful to Europe’s honeybee population. This restriction will enter into force as from 1 December 2013 and will be reviewed, at the latest, within two years. It targets pesticides used in...
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Monsanto’s “Bee Summits” and Bayer AG’s “Bee care centre” are the latest examples of how pesticide makers are competing to showcase their goodwill to policymakers in Europe and the US that they are taking the necessary steps to protect bee populations. The companies say their pesticides are not the problem, but critics say science shows the opposite,...
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Ministry of Agriculture and Food is organising the first ever participation of Bulgaria in the biggest US and around the world show in the food serving industry. The exhibition Restaurant Hotel-Motel Show 2013 is organised by National Restaurant Association in Chicago from 18th to 21st of May 2013. This is the 94-th anniversary of the show. Each year more than 60 000 profesionals and 2 000...
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The European Commission has adopted a package of measures to strengthen the enforcement of health and safety standards for the whole agri-food chain. Food safety is essential to ensure consumers' confidence and sustainability of food production. The package of measures provide a modernised and simplified, more risked-based approach to the protection of health and more efficient control...
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The European Commission received the go-ahead Monday to slap a two-year ban across the European Union on the use of pesticides blamed for a sharp decline in bee populations, an EU diplomat said. A key committee cleared the way for the European Union executive to implement a two-year moratorium on three pesticides that is expected to enter into force late this year, a diplomat told...
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EU states are to vote shortly on a proposal to restrict the use of pesticides linked to bee deaths in scientific studies. There is great concern across Europe about the collapse of bee populations. Neonicotinoid chemicals in sprays are believed to harm bees and the European Commission says they should be restricted to crops not attractive to bees and other pollinators. But many farmers and...
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In 2011, energy from renewable sources was estimated to have contributed 13.0% of gross final energy consumption in the EU27, compared with 7.9% in 2004 and 12.1% in 2010. The share of renewables in gross final energy consumption is one of the headline indicators of the Europe 2020 strategy. The target for the EU27 to be reached by 2020 is a share of 20% renewable energy use in gross final...
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The European Commission has approved 22 programmes to promote agricultural products in the European Union and in third countries. The total budget of the programmes, the large majority of which will run for a period of three years, is € 71,94 million, of which the EU contributes € 35,97 million. The selected programmes cover olive oil, milk and milk products, meat, fresh and...
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In an acknowledgement that agricultural policy has been knocked off course by prolonged deal-making, the European Commission on Thursday (18 April) announced plans for a year-long transition to give farmers and administrators time to implement the still-undecided policies. Millions of farmers who receive direct payments under the CAP will continue to be paid under existing rules, while...
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The European Commission adopted its School Fruit Scheme implementation strategy for 2013/2014. Bulgaria will receive an extra 1 396 636 BGN, which makes EU funding reach 4 189 910 BGN. This is 50% more than the initially allocated budget. With the national co-financing, the budget will total 5 586 547 BGN. Bulgaria petitioned for extra funding because it reached a high absorption rate in...
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Under the Common Agricultural Policy, EU rural development policy grants are made available to enterprises that process and market agricultural products through a measure called ‘Adding value to agricultural and forestry products’ that aims to improve the competitiveness of agriculture and forestry. The EU budget has earmarked € 5.6 billion in aid for 2007-2013. This financing...
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