Agrifood
Sowing the seeds of the post-2020 CAP
In June 2013, politicians approved the first major reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in a decade, following months of haggling over quotas, subsidies, and measures to improve environmental accountability.But when the new rules took full effect in 2015, a year behind schedule, some of the same leaders who had approved it called for changes …
Quality food secures Spain’s place in globalised market
Spain is an agricultural powerhouse: agri-food products account for 20% of the country’s exports. And if there is one thing keeping Spanish farmers competitive in the age of globalisation it is the quality of their products. EURACTV’s partner EFEAgro reports.
Who is driving quality in EU agri-food?
The EU’s Southern member states are the leading producers of foods certified by EU quality schemes: between them, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and Greece account for 70% of the total.
US attack on Spanish olive imports is ‘serious’, EU farmers warn Commission
The US authorities are reading anti-dumping measures on imports of Spanish black table olives as of September setting a “dangerous” precedent for CAP-subsided EU agricultural products, European farmers have warned.
Portugal’s ‘vinho verde’ producers seek EU protection for demarcated regions
The ‘vinhos verdes’ (green wines) of northwestern Portugal have no direct international competitors, but their producers nevertheless want the European Union to safeguard the regional demarcations in its trade accords with foreign markets, local officials said. EURACTIV’s partner Lusa reports.
The added value of EU quality schemes
Europe’s farmers are coming under extraordinary financial pressure as shifting export markets and volatile prices take their toll. But new markets are emerging and consumers in Europe and beyond are increasingly choosing to buy high-quality products from the EU.
Quality schemes help EU producers break new markets
The promotion of geographical indications (GI) has helped EU products attract new emerging markets which seek quality food. However, Europol warns that fake GI products are on the rise across the EU and policymakers should not disregard the protection of intellectual rights.
Italy demands origin labels for pasta and rice
All packets of pasta and rice sold in Italy will have to include labels of origin showing where the produce was grown, the government ruled on Thursday (20 July), in a move it said was aimed at protecting local farmers.
EU adopts first restrictions on cancer-causing acrylamide in food
Representatives of the EU’s 28 member states voted yesterday (19 July) in favour of a European Commission proposal to reduce the presence in food of acrylamide, a known carcinogenic substance present in fries, crisps, bread, biscuits, or coffee.
Save our fries! Belgians say EU spares national dish
Belgium's national dish, the deep fried potato sticks that much of the English-speaking world gallingly calls "French fries", has been saved.
From the Monsanto Papers to IARC-gate: A glyphosate story
Renewing glyphosate’s authorisation is still one of the most controversial issues in the EU. The Monsanto Papers saga continues. André Heitz reveals the story behind the scandal.
Looming CETA application undermines Macron’s campaign promise
The provisional entry into force of the EU’s free trade agreement with Canada on 21 September leaves little time for the evaluation committee established by France’s new president to deliver its verdict on the deal. EURACTIV France reports.
Denmark disputes ‘highly unfair’ air pollution limits on agriculture
Copenhagen voted against an EU decision to endorse an amendment to the Gothenburg Protocol on transboundary air pollution, saying it is being unfairly penalised for having taken early action to reduce ammonia emissions from its agriculture sector.
EU, Brazil propose farm subsidies overhaul to help developing countries
The European Union and Brazil yesterday (17 July) proposed to the World Trade Organization a reform of farm subsidies in order to "level the playing field" for emerging economies, an EU statement said.
French anger at CAP co-financing proposal
The European Commission’s suggestion that EU member states co-finance part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the biggest consumer of the bloc’s budget, has met with steady support in Germany and exasperation in France. EURACTIV France reports.
MEPs open the door for waste water operators in fertilisers regulation
The European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee (IMCO) voted yesterday (13 July) on the amendments to the proposed fertiliser regulation and suggested the introduction of more innovative products such as the ones from
France: Four out of ten shops breach pesticides law
A consumer organisation has denounced the lax application of a law governing the sale of pesticides to the public in France, where close to half of shops break the law. EURACTIV’s partner Ouest-France reports.
Global food insecurity: Could the next generation have the answer?
It's no secret - farming is declining in popularity. All over the world, young people are put off by the long hours and low pay and this is a worrying trend. That's why we need a new generation of farmers, explains Adrian Percy.
CAP reform: From sustainable feed to sustainable food
The German-Hungarian ‘Soya Declaration’ finally gets us talking about what matters in CAP reform, write Olivier De Schutter, Oscar Rivas and Karin Nansen.
New trade deals jeopardise EU green transport goals, NGO warns
Upcoming free trade deals with biofuel-producing countries in Asia and South America will undermine the European Union's goals to decarbonise the transport sector, an NGO has warned.
France lays out plan to restrict use of palm oil in biofuels
France will take steps to restrict the use of palm oil in producing biofuels in order to reduce deforestation in the countries of origin, French Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot said on Thursday (6 July).
European agri-food: How Spain and the EU ensure quality
The European Union has put in place strict rules that govern food quality. The prestige this has created around the world has made the bloc competitive at the highest level. EURACTIV’s partner EFEAgro reports.
Nestlé boss: Simplified food labels will better inform consumers
Simplified food label schemes like the UK-style traffic light will provide EU consumers clear and simple elements and therefore, better inform them, Marco Settembri told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Free trade deals ‘at all cost’ frustrate Spanish farmers
Spain’s agricultural sector is eyeing with concern free trade negotiations between the European Union and third parties. The agreement with Canada (CETA) and ongoing talks with South American trade bloc Mercosur are raising doubts in the Iberian countryside. EFEAgro reports.