About: Agrifood
Greek fires decimate honey sector, opening floodgates for cheap, fraudulent imports
The wildfires that swept across Greece this summer have decimated the country's beekeeping sector, leaving it vulnerable to a barrage of cheap and potentially fraudulent honey imports, EU farmers’ association COPA-COGECA has warned.
Germany calls for mandatory labelling of egg products in the EU
German agriculture minister Julia Klöckner has proposed that products containing eggs must carry information on the housing system used for laying hens, but many of her European colleagues voiced concerns about the red tape this could entail.
Gene editing, CAP reform bickering, hospitality sector
Welcome to EURACTIV’s AgriFood Brief, your weekly update on all things Agriculture & Food in the EU. You can subscribe here if you haven’t done so yet. German Green faction pushes for gene editing, overhaul of regulation In an unprecedented...
German agriculture minister: Food supply chains function despite COVID-19
Supermarkets in Germany will not close and there will be no problems with food production, says German Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner. Meanwhile, at the European level, officials are seeking ways to simplify cross-border food transports. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Farm to Fork leak, circular economy plan and COVID-19
Welcome to EURACTIV’s AgriFood Brief, your weekly update on all things Agriculture & Food in the EU. You can subscribe here if you haven’t done so yet. The latest draft of the Farm to Fork strategy, obtained by EURACTIV, features...
Intensive farming, French court ruling and sugar tax
Welcome to EURACTIV’s AgriFood Brief, your weekly update on all things Agriculture & Food in the EU. You can subscribe here if you haven’t done so yet. Intensive farming and the Green Deal In a recent tweet, Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said that...
Italy welcomes bioeconomy, kisses agricultural runoff goodbye
In 2017, Italy’s entire bioeconomy sector had a total turnover of €300 billion and, within 13 years, employed two million people. The country’s Bioeconomy Strategy was taken up a notch and made even more ambitious at the start of 2019. EURACTIV’s partner Agronotizie reports.
Leave nothing to waste in agriculture: Spain’s race to top circular economy
The agrifood sector has no intention of staying behind in the race for leading the circular economy, in which everything, even the tiniest waste from crops and industries, can have an added value and help the economic, environmental and social sustainability. EURACTIV’s partner EFEAGRO reports.
Transitional CAP, German protest, Brexit uncertainty
Welcome to EURACTIV's AgriFood Brief, your weekly update on all things Agriculture & Food in the EU.
Contaminated meat scandal exposes Germany’s food safety flaws
Three people died because bacteria-contaminated food from a meat producer was sold on the European market. Although the authorities knew about the bacterial discovery, the company was only closed after two weeks. EURACTIV Germany reports.
World’s sixty largest meat, dairy and fish farms ranked in new sustainability index
A group of concerned investors has examined the sustainability of the world's largest fattening farms and dairy factories that supply the global food industry. And the results aren't mouth-watering, EURACTIV Germany reports.
No-deal makes no sense, Irish Commissioner says
The worst possible Brexit outcome is no-deal according to EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan, who on Monday (8 April) presented a set of contingency measures specific to certain agrifood products and tailored to the most exposed member states.
EU Commission to crack down on recalcitrant member states over neonicotinoids
The European Commission will trigger a never-before-used option against two member states over the abuse of so-called "emergency authorisations" for neonicotinoids, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis said in a letter sent to NGOs dated 19 February and seen by EURACTIV.
New EU bioeconomy strategy widens scope to solve more cycle problems
The European Commission's new strategy is seeking to create a sustainable bioeconomy and build a carbon-neutral future. Rather than just find a replacement for petroleum-based products, the strategy addresses broader cyclic challenges, including food and nutrition security.
European leaders urged to act on soil sustainability
Soils play a key role in regulating the earth's climate, sustaining agriculture and preserving biodiversity. Yet they have fallen down the EU policy agenda even though tools exist to reverse that trend, according to a new report published today (26 September).
Sales of glyphosate sink to 13-year low in Germany
Sales of the world’s most commonly used weed killer glyphosate in Germany reached 3,800 tonnes in 2016 - the lowest level in 13 years, Spiegel Online reported, quoting governmental documents.
Consumer group urges Germany to stop opposing colour coded nutrition labeling
Consumer organisation Foodwatch has called on German Minister of Food and Agriculture Julia Klöckner to give up her opposition to a Nutri-Score food labelling scheme, after Belgium announced this week it will introduce such a label, following similar moves from the UK and France.
German farmers to get €340m state aid for drought-caused harvest losses
Farmers in Germany who have suffered harvest losses of 30% or more due to the ongoing drought will get a total of €340 million in state aid, a half of the estimated damage, Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner told a press...
Soil is the underrated issue of food waste challenge, says World Biogas Association boss
Food waste processed via anaerobic digestion can significantly improve nutrient recovery in the soil, and the process may have significant use in sustainable agriculture and in fighting climate change, David Newmann, president of the World Biogas Association, told EURACTIV.com in an interview
Reducing meat consumption to reduce CO2 emissions: a sustainable challenge
Eating habits are responsible for carbon dioxide emissions and many countries could improve their carbon footprint by changing them. European countries are not all equal in terms of CO2 emissions, but an effort could be made.
Wood from German forests as climate-neutral fuel?
Germany is the EU's richest country in forest and wood. According to European Commision plans, German forests are meant to be used much more as energy sources in the future. EURACTIV Germany reports.
EU delays vote on renewing controversial weedkiller licence
The EU on Wednesday (25 October) postponed a vote on renewing the licence for the controversial weedkiller glyphosate, which the European Parliament wants to ban in five years' time amid criticism that it may cause cancer.
Agrifood mergers bad for farmers, experts warn
Mergers in the agrifood sector squeeze farmers’ income and consolidate current models of food production, aggravating environmental and social fallouts, according to experts, who warn that they also create barriers for victims of industrial disasters seeking justice.