News

On 30/11/2020, the European Commission published a climate progress report stating that greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 reached their lowest level in 30 years. Emissions in the EU fell by 3.7% year on year, while gross domestic product rose by as much as 1.5%. Compared to 1990, the number of emissions is 24% lower. Emissions covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) have decreased by 9.1% compared to 2018, with the largest share of the energy sector, where emissions have fallen by almost 15%. Greenhouse gas emissions in sectors not covered by the EU ETS (agriculture) in 2019 were comparable to 2018.
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On 02/12/2020, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) introduced a new tool developed by EFSA to help food businesses label the expiry date and the date of minimum durability. The new tool takes the form of a decision "tree", including a series of questions set up to help producers decide which label is right for their product. The text is supplemented by guidelines for marking the expiration date and minimum durability. According to EFSA, the use-by date concerns in particular the maintenance of food safety, the date of minimum durability concerns in particular the maintenance of the quality of the food. EFSA has developed new guidelines and a labelling tool to reduce food waste in the EU.
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On 02/12/2020, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Janusz Wojciechowski supported the introduction of a harmonized European animal welfare labelling system. The European Commission has so far stated, including the Farm to Fork strategy, that it will consider introducing the label. Wojciechowski's statement is thus the first direct support for the introduction of animal welfare labelling by the Commission. According to Wojciechowski, the Commission is now determined to present proposals as soon as possible. Labelling should cover the welfare of animals at all levels of the chain - from farms to treatment to transport and slaughter in slaughterhouses. Wojciechowski also said that welfare rules should be strengthened within the CAP, including through eco-schemes. For example, local production should be encouraged to prevent long transports of live animals. The Council of Agriculture Ministers has already drafted its preliminary proposals, which will be discussed during the Council meetings on 15/12/2020 and 16/12/2020.

Germany has confirmed a new outbreak of bird flu in a poultry farm in the Mecklenburg Lake District. 29,000 laying hens were killed. Within a radius of about 10 km, a protection zone was established extending to Brandenburg. There are another 23 poultry farms in the protection zone with more than 600,000 pieces of various poultry, so far without infection. Bird flu was also confirmed on a turkey farm in North Yorkshire, UK, where 10,500 turkeys were killed. A temporary protection zone of 3 and 10 km was established. On 27/11/2020, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) reported the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N5 in Belgium on a farm near the border with France.
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German Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner called on representatives of the meat industry to allow the slaughter of animals even on holidays and weekends. In Germany, around 590,000 livestock are currently awaiting slaughter. Slaughter has been slowed in the country since the spring due to the introduction of new rules to maintain workers' health during the coronavirus crisis. The slowdown in the slaughter process was subsequently exacerbated by the outbreak of African swine fever in Germany.
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