Agrifood

French mayors ban glyphosate weedkiller, defying government

Some 20 French mayors have banned glyphosate from their municipalities, defying the government, which is now taking legal action to impose national legislation which allows the controversial weedkiller's continued use for now.

EU slaps anti-subsidy duties on Indonesian biodiesel

The European Commission on Tuesday (13 August) imposed countervailing duties of 8% to 18% on imports of subsidised biodiesel from Indonesia, saying the move aimed to restore a level playing field for European Union producers.

EU opens antitrust investigation into PKN’s bid for rival Lotos

Polish oil refiner PKN Orlen's bid for rival Lotos may reduce competition in Poland and neighbouring countries and push up prices, EU antitrust regulators said on Wednesday (7 August) as they opened a full-scale investigation.

Political violence against women at the highest level since 2018

The threat of political violence towards women has grown over the past 19 months and is currently at its highest level recorded since 2018, a new report by the NGO Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) has found.

Bad eating generates huge costs to society, experts warn

The EU should not lower the guard on non-communicable dietary-related diseases such as obesity and diabetes, as they have a relevant economic impact on citizens' daily life, according to food and nutrition experts.

Germany may have to pay €850,000 per day for exceeding EU nitrate levels

The European Commission criticised Germany for its excess nitrate levels in groundwater. If Germany's environment and agriculture ministries fail to put proposals on the table quickly, high fines could be imposed. But this is not the only warning from Brussels. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Andriukaitis raps Bulgaria for failing to act against swine fever

The inadequate reaction of Bulgaria's authorities to a huge outbreak of swine fever puts at risk the entire pig population of the country, the EU Commissioner for health, food and safety has told the Bulgarian National Radio ‘Horizont’ programme.

Is the EU-Mercosur deal being highjacked by premature criticism?

Almost a month ago, the European Commission signed a free trade agreement with the South American trade alliance Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay). Since then, criticism has hailed, and not only from protectionists. EURACTIV Germany reports.

EU close to fining Germany over nitrate pollution

The European Commission will tomorrow adopt (25 July) an infringement decisions package against Germany for continuously breaching the EU’s nitrates directive, an EU spokesperson has told EURACTIV.com.

MEPs urge Commission to rev up work on transitional CAP

Lawmakers in the Parliament's Agriculture Committee are increasingly doubtful that the post-2020 Common Agriculture Policy will be delivered on schedule, considering the delays in moving the reform forward, and want transitional regulation to ensure there are no interruptions.

EU bans cod fishing in Baltic Sea

The EU announced Tuesday (23 July) an immediate ban on fishing cod, the staple of Britain's fish and chips, in most of the Baltic Sea in response to an impending stock collapse.

Two French MPs want their Parliament to discuss Europe’s overfishing problem

Two French MPs presented a report to the French parliamentary committee on European affairs on 17 July. The report recommended 27 measures to prevent the collapse of Europe's fish resources. EURACTIV's partner le Journal de l'environnement reports.

Industry mulls system to verify used cooking oil composition

The waste-based biofuels industry is “actively working” to develop a system to identify the composition of used cooking oil, Angel Alberdi, secretary-general of the European Waste-to-Advanced Biofuels Association (EWABA), told EURACTIV in an interview.

Give the people what they want: Non-GMO sells

For many years leading European food retailers have been following a strict non-GMO policy. Retailers are the parties most concerned when it comes to GMO regulation. For them, the proper implementation of the ECJ ruling is crucial, writes Heike Moldenhauer.

French opposition is strongly united against CETA

The French parliament is supposed to ratify the Canada-EU free trade agreement (CETA) on Tuesday (23 July), but the pending ratification is generating a great deal of opposition in the country. EURACTIV France reports.

‘Environmentalist’ von der Leyen forgot farming in her speech, MEPs say

Ursula von der Leyen' slip-up on agriculture did not pass unnoticed by lawmakers, who voiced regret that the Commission president-elect did not mention at all the farming sector in the first speech she addressed to the plenary in Strasbourg last Tuesday (16 July).

EU ministers struggle to find a ‘practical’ roadmap for a greener CAP

Although all EU ministers agree on higher climate objectives in the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), they still do not know how to put this environmental ambition into practice.

EU farm chief struggles to dispel concerns over Mercosur trade deal

The EU's Agriculture Commissioner, Phil Hogan, sought to address national concerns over the proposed EU-Mercosur trade deal during a meeting with the bloc's 28 farm ministers on Monday (15 July).

The case of babies without arms remains a mystery for France

On Friday (12 July), French authorities published their first report on children born without arms in rural areas of three specific French departments. Although this congenital disability, termed transverse agenesis of the upper limb, is well described, its causes remain unknown. EURACTIV's partner le Journal de l'environnement reports.

EU agriculture chief slams ‘misinformation’ on Mercosur trade deal

There's a lot of misinformation and misplaced facts which have distorted the debate about the recently concluded Mercosur trade deal, EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan has said.

MEP: Green agriculture movement in Germany is growing fast

In an interview with EURACTIV Germany, Greens/EFA’s spokesperson in the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee and member of the Environment Committee Martin Häusling spoke about the potential influence Germany could have on the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

OECD calls on members to speed up reforms, focus on innovation

In its annual growth report, the OECD painted a gloomy picture: rising inequalities, slowing growth and strong headwinds for the global market economy, notably because of trade wars. EURACTIV Germany summarised the OECD's recommendations for Europe.

French MEP: When it comes to the environment, the future CAP is regressive

In an interview with EURACTIV France, French MEP and vice-chair of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group Eric Andrieu spoke about the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and highlighted its lack of environmentally-focused provisions.