Executive Agency for Selection and Reproduction in Animal Husbandry chief Prof. Vasil Nikolov and stockbreeding industry groups sealed a sheep breeding cooperation agreement with French colleagues. ‘This cooperation will give a new start to Bulgarian sheep breeding and will open new market niches,’ said Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr. Miroslav Naydenov during the signing....
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New equipment will be purchased through subsidies under Measure 121 Modernization of Agricultural Holdings of the Rural Development Programme. The aid amounts to BGN 18 482 930. The vast majority of the proposals, 62, concern orchard growing holdings such as apples, plums, cherries, apricots, peaches and grapes. A couple of farms will spend the subsidies on organic production of roses,...
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The European Union dropped its ban on some US meat imports on Monday (4 February) in a gesture aimed at starting talks on a free-trade pact that would encompass about half the world's economic output. Brussels and Washington want to deepen a relationship that accounts for a third of global trade, and ending the EU import ban on live pigs and beef washed in lactic acid is meant to show the...
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A combined subsidy of BGN 9 500 698 will be provided to ten projects under three measures of the Rural Development Programme: Measures 313 Promotion of Tourist Activities, 321 Main Services for the Population and the Economy of Rural Areas, and 322 Reviving and Development of Settlements. A mosque will be renovated in the town of Madan, with the aid earmarked for architecture and...
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Members of the European Parliament have paved the way for hundreds of millions of pounds of subsidies to go to Europe’s tobacco farmers — even though Brussels spends huge amounts on anti-smoking campaigns. Tobacco growers could begin receiving extra cash as soon as next year after MEPs voted to amend changes in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The vote, which needs...
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Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Svetlana Boyanova opened the first session of the thematic working group for preparation of the new Rural Development Programme for 2014-2020. The group is tasked with pinpointing the priorities in agriculture and rural areas by 2020, formulating them in the Programme and making sure that Bulgarian legislation is timely harmonized with European law....
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An open public consultation is being held on the European Commission’s website between January 15 and April 10 regarding the revision of Europe’s policy on organic farming. The main topics for discussion have to do with simplifying the legislative framework while securing that standards are safeguarded; improving organic products control systems; enhancing the impact of the new...
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The European Commission (EU) will in no way undertake any legislative initiative to restrict the use of rose or lavender oil in cosmetics products, Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr. Miroslav Naydenov said after meeting with EU Health Commissioner Tonio Borg in Brussels. There will not be any issues involved in production, and the increase in yields is a matter of demand and...
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EU farm policy reform must distribute EU funding more fairly, make "greening" measures mandatory but flexible, better equip farmers to cope with market challenges and cut red tape. So says the Agriculture Committee's opening position for negotiations with EU member states, as set out in texts voted on Wednesday. This will be the first EU farm policy reform shaped by Parliament as a full...
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EU farm policy reform must distribute EU funding more fairly, make "greening" measures mandatory but flexible and better equip farmers to cope with market challenges. So says the Agriculture Committee's opening position for negotiations with EU member states, as set out in texts voted on Wednesday. This will be the first EU farm policy reform shaped by Parliament as a full co-legislator with...
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The European Commission has decided to freeze the approval process for genetically modified food crops through the end of its mandate next year while it works towards an agreement with EU member states, AFP reported. "The Commission, if it wants, could launch a procedure to authorise the farming of one GM soya and six corn strains... but it won't do so," said Frederic Vincent, a spokesman...
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The European Commission has up until now approved nine promotional programmes with Bulgarian participation of a total value of EUR 32 million, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr. Tsvetan Dimitrov told the Promotional Programmes for Agricultural Products forum, which opened at the Sheraton Hotel on Friday. He added that the programmes involve dairy products such as white brine...
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‘Bulgaria will defend the interests of its rose and lavender producers before the European Commission,’ Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr. Miroslav Naydenov said at the opening of the 2013 International Green Week (IGW), the world’s biggest fair for the food, agricultural and horticultural industries held in Berlin. ‘I commit to seeking a meeting with the new...
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The EU's food safety agency challenged its doubters on Monday, making available all the scientific information used to clear a genetically modified corn which a French researcher had linked to cancer. The European Food Safety Authority said that "given the level of public interest ... (it would) make all data on genetically modified (GM) maize NK603 publicly available on its website."...
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As much as half of all the food produced in the world – equivalent to 2bn tonnes – ends up as waste every year, engineers warned in a report published on Thursday. The UK's Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IME) blames the "staggering" new figures in its analysis on unnecessarily strict sell-by dates, buy-one-get-one free and Western consumer demand for cosmetically perfect...
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