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Last week, the European Commission warned against the Council's lack of ambition in environmental and climate protection in the negotiations between Parliament, the Council, and the Commission on the shape of the CAP. According to Commission representatives, some of the Council's proposals could weaken the Commission's proposed enhanced CAP conditionality, including criticizing the Council's efforts to continue earmarking up to €16 billion from the CAP to support ANC areas in specific environmental and climate objectives in the second pillar of the CAP. However, according to the Commission, the continuation of support for ANC areas through these interventions will only lead to a reduction in the resources available for agri-environmental measures; support for ANC areas is, according to the Commission, income support for farmers and not environmental and climate objectives. The next meeting of the institutions on the CAP is scheduled for 26/03/2021, the setting of eco-schemes and the new CAP implementation mechanism should be discussed.

Last week, Austria, Denmark, France, Ireland, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands disagreed with the European Commission's proposal to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of CAP performance data in the Member States. According to these seven countries, no data other than those listed in Annex I of the Strategic Plans Regulation (impact, outcome, and output indicators / indicators) should be required from Member States. Member States should also not be required to provide individual data at the level of beneficiaries, but only aggregated data for individual impact, outcome, and output indicators. The Commission's proposal would increase the administrative burden, which would run counter to the effort to simplify the new policy.
More information is available here.

On 08/03/2021, the Commission launched feedback on exemptions from the requirements for approving state subsidies in the context of the Green Deal and the EU's industrial and digital strategy. The initiative aims to amend the General Block Exemption Regulation to help domestic companies in each Member State. The consultation is open until 05/04/2021, available here.

On 09/03/2021, the Commission initiated feedback on the authorisation to feed non-ruminants with ruminant collagen / gelatine and with proteins from insects, pigs, and poultry. The initiative aims at the efficient use of feed materials due to the zero incidence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Europe and the focus of the Farm to Fork strategy on better use of proteins and other feed materials produced in Europe. The consultation is open until 06/04/2021, available here.

On 10/03/2021, the Commission launched feedback on updating EU rules to allow for checks on antimicrobial use in imported animals and animal products. The consultation is open until 05/05/2021, available here.

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.
More information is available here and here.

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.
More information is available here.