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The European Commission plans to expand the group of food products for which the country of origin is mandatory (fruit, vegetables, honey, olive oil, unprocessed pork, poultry, lamb, and mutton). As part of the Farm to Fork strategy, the Commission plans to present proposals on country of origin labelling in the fourth quarter of 2022. The extension of designations of origin should cover, for example, milk, but also milk and meat as raw materials in food. Mandatory origin labelling could, according to the Commission, promote more sustainable regional food chains.
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In 2016, France introduced national legislation on mandatory labelling of the country of origin of milk and dairy products. The food company Lactalis opposed the legislation as early as 2016. Although the legislation has continued to apply since then, and although the European Commission has authorized its extension until the end of 2021, Lactalis has continued to fight the legislation. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled on 01/10/2020 on the introduction of mandatory origin labelling for milk, so that such labelling is only possible in cases where it is proven that the reason is specific product characteristics or that the labelling is beneficial for economic competition in the single market. The CJEU stated that the introduction must also be supported by evidence that most consumers consider the provision of this information to be important. The opinion was subsequently sent to the French Council of State, which ruled in favour of Lactalis and the CJEU on 11/03/2021 - the Council stated that there was no difference between French milk and milk from other countries, so it was not possible to use the exceptions for introducing country of origin labelling defined by the CJEU in October 2020. The decision of the French Council of State has already been welcomed by the European Dairy Producers' Association (EDA), which has called on the Commission to protect the EU's single market and to end support for nationalist measures.
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Roberto Cingolani, the newly appointed Italian Minister for the Environment, focusing on ecological transformation, pointed to excessive meat consumption, and recommended reducing the consumption of animal proteins and replacing them with plant-based alternatives. He sees the change in diet as a benefit for improving public health, reducing water consumption, and lower CO2 production. He aims to translate the Italian food system into a more sustainable model and, as part of the Farm to Fork strategy, to reduce the environmental and climate impact of livestock production. The minister's statements have already been sharply criticized by Italian agricultural organizations.
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On 05/03/2021, the German Minister of Agriculture announced the resumption of exports of fresh pork to Vietnam. Some of the third countries have agreed in the negotiations to the so-called principle of regionalization, i.e., they allow the import of pork from regions that are not affected by African swine fever. The agreement was recently approved by Singapore, and exemptions from the total ban on pork exports have also been negotiated with South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa. Following the outbreak of African swine fever in Germany, a few third countries banned imports of German pork, causing the price to fall from €1.47 / kg to €1.19 / kg in January 2021 at the beginning of September 2020. The reopening of markets should alleviate pressure on pork prices.
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The European Commission plans to limit imports of crops in the production of which neonicotinoids have been used. Measures should be put in place in the framework of the Farm to Fork strategy and the European Green Deal, to prevent the imminent extinction of pollinators in other parts of the world. Almut Bitterhof from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) announced these steps at a webinar organized by CropLife Europe on 10/03/2021.