Food safety
Farmers hail new transparency rules in food safety, still want science-based decisions
EU farmers have welcomed the European Commission’s new rules on transparency in food safety assessments. However, it is still uncertain to which extent this will ensure that future decisions will actually be based on science.
Plight of the bees hits unaware businesses
Declining numbers of bees, butterflies and midges could leave companies facing the prospect of reduced crop quality and a shortage of raw materials. A United Nations-backed study found that most businesses surveyed were unsure of what action to take.
Safety first: Food packers shun recycled plastics, for now
Tetra Pak, the iconic Swedish maker of beverage cartons, is currently staying away from using recycled plastics in the inside lining of its packages – the most sensitive bit that comes in contact with drinks.
Survey: Major retailers and producers in Germany back binding meat label
A number of major retailers and meat producers see the idea of a legally binding label on meat in positive light, according to a Greenpeace survey published on 27 March.
Land degradation threatens wellbeing of two-fifths of humanity, major report warns
Land degradation caused by human activities undermines the well-being of at least 3.2 billion people, costs more than 10% of annual global GDP in lost ecosystem services and endangers food security, warn a hundred experts from 45 countries in a three-year assessment report published yesterday (26 March).
Why Poland plans to build a 1,200 km wall
Poland has decided to build a wall on its eastern border by 2020 to effectively tackle swine fever. The aim of the wall is to prevent wild boars carrying the disease from entering the territory, a decision that is far from convincing experts.
Greenpeace: Commission and member states playing ‘hide and seek’ on neonics ban
The European Commission is playing hide and seek with member states regarding a ban on neonicotinoids, and this benefits pesticide manufacturers who keep on killing bees and the environment, Greenpeace claims.
Greece authorises Monsanto’s Roundup for five years
The Greek ministry of agriculture officially approved on Tuesday (6 March) the re-authorisation of the world's most commonly used weedkiller, Monsanto’s Roundup, which contains controversial chemical substance glyphosate.
Salmonella on the rise again, EU officials admit
The incidence of Salmonella in humans was almost halved between 2004 and 2009 but new figures show that it has re-appeared, causing worries for food producers and health workers, but also for EU policymakers.
EU renews toxic pesticide amid safety uncertainty
The European Commission and the member states extended once again the authorisation for copper sulphate, a controversial pesticide used in organic farming, which is on the EU’s “substitution” list and its effects on consumers are still unknown.
France to exempt farmers from glyphosate ban when no alternative
France will exempt farmers from a ban on using the weed-killer glyphosate in three years time where there is no credible alternative to the most widely used pesticide in the world, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday (25 January).
MEPs back down from EU bisphenol ban
MEPs have shied away from demanding a full ban on Bisphenol A, instead approving measures that will lower the amount of the chemical that can be part of food packaging.
EU kebab-ban? All smoke and no roast
An objection aimed at banning phosphate from kebab meat, to be voted in the European Parliament on Tuesday (12 December), has started a Europe-wide controversy, fuelled by a German conservative MEP and fake news. EURACTIV France reports.
Bayer to grant access to product safety studies to rebuild public trust
German chemical firm Bayer will next week launch a transparency initiative providing EU consumers with access to the safety data of its products, aiming to restore the dwindling trust in the sector, EURACTIV.com has learnt.
Spain reports another case of mad cow disease
A case of "mad cow disease" has been discovered in northwestern Spain, the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Monday (27 November).
The ins and outs of the European food chain
The 44 million workers in the EU’s food chain are vital to ensuring European citizens have access to sufficient quantities of high quality food. From farmers to retailers, the sector is constantly evolving to keep up with the major challenges of the future.
Pro-glyphosate states refuse to back re-approval of less than 10 years
The EU member states led by the UK, which are in favor of glyphosate’s re-authorisation for at least ten years, refused at a meeting today (25) to support the renewal of the substance for a less period of time, EURACTIV has learnt.
French MEP: Difficult but possible to find glyphosate alternative in 5 years
It will be really difficult but not impossible to find an alternative to the controversial glyphosate weedkiller by the end of 2022, French MEP Angélique Delahaye told EURACTIV in Strasbourg after European Parliament approved a five-year phase-out.
Not so fast: Macron and his farmers get trade onto ‘full’ EU summit agenda
French President Emmanuel Macron has succeeded in pushing trade onto the agenda of the EU summit which starts on Thursday (19 October), calling for caution in commercial deals that would bring a surge of beef and other agricultural imports.
EU agencies accused of cherry-picking evidence in glyphosate assessment
Lawyers on the “Monsanto papers” case accused the EU agencies responsible for food safety and chemicals of “wilfully sawing off certain studies” in their risk assessment of glyphosate.
MEPs vote down endocrine disruptor criteria, back acrylamide regulation
The European Parliament’s environment committee objected to the Commission’s proposed criteria for endocrine disruptors on Thursday (28 September), and threw out another objection to the executive’s proposal to regulate levels of cancer-causing acrylamide in food.
Commission seeks ‘largest possible’ support for glyphosate re-authorisation
The European Commission is exploring ways to bridge the gap between different member state requests regarding the re-authorisation of the world's most commonly used weedkiller, glyphosate, an EU spokesperson told EURACTIV.
Industry calls on the Commission to ‘show leadership’ in plant breeding innovation
The biotech industry has urged the European Commission to “show leadership and positive commitment” to plant breeding innovation - which environmentalists and farmers largely oppose - and to provide clarity on agricultural innovation in general.