Agrifood news this week
Commission wants ‘realistic targets’ for pesticide, fertilisers cuts: Kyriakides
Speaking before the environment committee of the European Parliament, Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides confirmed that Europe’s Farm to Fork Strategy will also feature legislative actions and that there will be specific targets for reduction of both risk and use of pesticides. Read more here.
Struggling beekeepers undercut by cheap honey imports, says new report
European honey producers are calling for an emergency action plan to be put in place to save the sector, pointing to a drop in production across the EU and a rise in cheap imports. Read more here.
LEAK: EU plans ‘common data spaces’ to exploit agriculture and health potential
The EU aims to create common data spaces to increase the quality of services when it comes to agriculture and healthcare, according to a European Commission data strategy draft seen by EURACTIV.com. Sarantis Michalopoulos has the story.
CAP spending faces further €5bn cut in bloc’s budget blueprint
In the latest compromise proposal for the next EU 7-year spending plan, fresh money allocated to the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) was trimmed by €7.5 billion, only partly offset by a €2.5 billion increase in direct payments to farmers. Gerardo Fortuna has the details.
New fisheries committee chair: ‘UK has the fish, but Europe has the market’
In his first interview as the new chair of the parliamentary committee on fisheries (PECH), Renew Europe MEP Pierre Karleskind called for a fisheries agreement with the UK that recreates the current situation whereby EU fishermen can have access to British waters and UK seafood can be sold on the Single Market. Read more here.
DG AGRI backs new breeding techniques for pest management
Tasos Haniotis, the deputy director-general at European Commission’s DG AGRI, views new breeding techniques as a way to manage pests in agriculture, according to a leaked document seen by EURACTIV.com. Read here for more details. |