Food safety
Organic farmers oppose separate framework for new plant breeding techniques
Any attempt to exclude the so-called new plant breeding techniques from the GMO legislation would deal a severe blow to consumers, farmers and processors, according to the EU organic farmers’ movement (IFOAM).
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.
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.
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.
CETA and Mercosur meat quotas expose France’s double standards
While France is challenging the meat quotas provided for in the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, it plans to ratify the EU-Canada free trade agreement (CETA), which has been criticised by French beef producers. EURACTIV France reports.
Farming innovation debate heats up as Greens grow in Europe
The rise of Green parties in the last EU elections has raised eyebrows in Brussels, where agriculture stakeholders try to find out what is next in the debate about the future of EU farming.
Syngenta foundation official: Asia and Africa will feed the world sustainably
If we’re going to feed the planet sustainably by the middle of the century, the food has to come in much larger volumes from Asia and Africa, told EURACTIV.com in an interview Simon Winter, head of Syngenta Foundation.
Andriukaitis vs Salvini: Back-and-forth on ‘nationalist’ food policy
EU health boss Vytenis Andriukaitis criticised last week (7 June) the "political use" of food safety concerns and country of origin labelling, spurred by nationalist leaders like Italy's Matteo Salvini, who replied he was only defending Italian farmers and fishermen.
Poll: Europeans care more about food origins than safety
Coinciding with the first International food safety day, a Eurobarometer poll about food safety published on Friday (7 June) found that food awareness among Europeans is high, as 50% of them consider safety to be an important factor in choosing food.
23 million people fall ill every year because of contaminated foods
Despite tight control networks, foods contaminated with pathogens continue to be regularly sold in the EU and their effects on health can be deadly. Consumer protectors are therefore requesting greater transparency and a rethink of what is considered 'healthy'. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Companies seek clarity on breeding innovation to stay in EU
A number of breeding companies have promised to relocate their advanced mutagenesis breeding programmes outside Europe and others will follow if nothing is done to change EU rules, Garlich von Essen, the secretary-general of the European Seed Association (ESA), told...
Netherlands launches 2030 vision to protect biodiversity in agriculture
The Dutch government has launched a new vision for the country’s agriculture, which prioritises the protection of natural resources and the reduction of the sector's environmental impact.
Chorus of approval over new EU food safety transparency rules
On Wednesday (17 April) a large majority of MEPs gave a thumbs up to an overhaul of the General Food Law (GFL). The increased transparency of the EU risk assessment, already acknowledged as one of the most stringent in the world, has now been hailed.
Katainen: Same level of priority for food and medicine in no-deal Brexit
Medicine supplies and food safety standards are both vital and the EU cannot prioritise one over the other in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Vice President of the Commission Jyrki Katainen said on Thursday (4 April).
Genetic innovation: ‘Nothing that we eat is natural’
The world is in constant need of more food and new genetic engineering methods such as the CRISPR gene editing method offer a solution. However, these remain contested, EURACTIV Germany reports.
Food safety: Midnight deal for revised General Food Law
All it took was three inter-institutional meetings and less than one month of negotiations to reach a deal on new European Food Safety Agency transparency rules, as EU co-legislators kicked into high gear in order to wrap up the file before the end of the mandate.
Poland reports atypical case of ‘mad cow disease’
An atypical case of BSE -- commonly dubbed "mad cow disease" -- has been discovered in Poland, though the isolated case posed no risk to human health, Poland's chief veterinarian said on Monday (4 February).
Poland admits exporting suspect beef to ten EU countries
The European Commission will send a team of inspectors to Poland on Monday after a TV report showed sick cows being butchered for food in a Polish slaughterhouse.
EU agriculture Commissioner ‘surprised’ by gene editing court ruling
The European governments have to decide whether science or politics are applied when it comes to issues such as new plant breeding techniques (NPBTs), EU's Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan said.
France takes Roundup weed-killer off market after court ruling
French authorities on Tuesday (15 January) banned the sale of a form of controversial weed-killer Roundup following a court ruling that regulators failed to take safety concerns into account when clearing the widely used herbicide.
Europe’s food safety system ‘overstretched’, auditors say
The European Union’s food safety system is respected across the globe but it’s now “overstretched”, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) said in a report published on Tuesday (15 January), urging policymakers to bolster implementation capacity.
German MEP: Politicians should trust EFSA, set aside their personal views
EU politicians should show trust in the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and put their personal opinions on food safety assessments on hold, centre-right MEP Peter Jahr told EURACTIV Germany in an interview.