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The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said in a statement that the leaders of the veterinary services of England, Scotland and Wales had approved a requirement to enclosing poultry in indoor covered areas, from 14/12/2020. The aim is to prevent the spread of bird flu from potentially infected wild birds in the UK to both commercial and domestic farms. Eggs may continue to be marketed and described as 'free-range' for 16 weeks, and poultry meat for 12 weeks after closure.
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The French government will provide financial support to farmers who will not use the controversial pesticide glyphosate. If a farmer proves that he does not use the substance in agricultural production, he will benefit from a tax deduction of EUR 2,500. The scheme will be valid in 2021 and / or in 2022, it is primarily aimed at producers of cereals or vines.

The European Commission has asked the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to assess the authorization for issuing emergency licenses for the use of neonicotinoids in sugar beet production. EFSA will thus examine 21 issued 2020 licenses in 10 Member States. The expert opinion will be published in the second half of 2021, in the event of repeated unauthorized authorization of an emergency use of a substance, a Member State may be prohibited from continuing to grant such licenses.

An agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom, has still not been reached. Disagreements are primarily in fishing opportunities, level playing field provisions, and negotiating the administration of all future agreements. The Commission is preparing transport and fisheries measures to prepare for a possible UK departure on 01/01/2021 without an agreement, but such a situation will affect all sectors across Europe. The EP's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development draws attention to the catastrophic impact of Brexit without an agreement on the agri-food sector, in which case Ireland would be most affected. The United Kingdom is a major consumer of EU products, so members of the committee are calling for trade restrictions and the introduction of a new British food safety control system. Negotiations between the EU and the United Kingdom continue.
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Portugal will take over the Presidency of the Council from Germany in January 2021. Last week, Portugal presented the first brief document summarizing the Portuguese Presidency's priorities. Strengthening Europe's resilience and strengthening European citizens' confidence in the European social model were among the main priorities. Portugal has also included negotiations on the Common Agricultural Policy among the priorities, an agreement on the CAP could be reached by June 2021. According to PT, in the field of agricultural policy, PT will focus mainly on innovation, knowledge sharing, digitization and sustainability of the agricultural sector. It will also focus on the forthcoming proposal for a long-term vision for rural areas, and PT should seek to reach Council conclusions on the proposal. In the context of the Farm to Fork Strategy, PT will focus on food security, animal health and welfare, plant health, and phytosanitary issues. The PT presidency will also address the implementation of the rules of the Multiannual Financial Framework and Brexit and the ratification of the trade agreement with Mercosur.
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