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Last week, the European agricultural think tank Farm Europe called on the European Commission to prepare an impact assessment for the Farm to Fork strategy and the EU Biodiversity Strategy. In particular, the impacts on production, prices, trade, and food security should be assessed. Think tank Farm Europe emphasized that so far, the only study on the impact of both strategies is a study by the US Department of Agriculture, according to which the implementation of Farm to Fork targets could lead to a drop in EU production by up to 12%, food prices in the EU by up to 17%, to a drop in EU farmers' incomes by 16%, or to a drop in EU exports by 20%, and vice versa, a strengthening of imports by 2%. The European Commission responded to Farm Europe's call, stating that impact assessments would be prepared, but did not provide a timetable.

Rapporteurs of the EP Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and the EP Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, are working together to draft the EP's first draft opinion on the Farm to Fork strategy. The draft opinion should be finalized on 11/12/2020 and presented in committees at the public hearing on 07/01/2021. It will then be possible to send amendments by 15/01/2020, with technical and shadow rapporteurs taking place during February and March. The committees should vote on the opinion in April 2021, and the opinion should be approved by the EP plenary in May.

On 04/12/2020, the European Commission launched a new European observatory for soil health monitoring in the EU. Among the objectives of the European Green Deal is the goal of ensuring that by 2030, 75% of land in the EU is in good condition and that this land can provide key ecosystem services. Another goal of the Green Deal is to achieve zero water, air, and soil pollution by 2030. The new observatory should provide the necessary data to monitor compliance with the objectives of the Green Deal, the main goal being to strengthen sustainable land management and halt soil degradation. The Observatory will be part of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC).
More information is available here.

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.
More information is available here.

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.
More information is available here.