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The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration has ordered the slaughter of 25,000 chickens following the discovery of the H5N8 bird flu case on a farm on 16/11/2020. Following the confirmation of avian influenza, Denmark has stopped the export of poultry and eggs to non-EU countries for at least 3 months. Also, in Germany, 16,100 turkeys had to be killed after confirmation of the occurrence of bird flu on a farm in the eastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and another 4,500 chickens were killed in the vicinity of the farm. According to the German veterinary administration, it will be necessary to kill up to 70,000 poultry to prevent the spread of the disease. In the Netherlands, 200,000 chickens were killed earlier this month. The French Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed the finding of an outbreak of bird flu in Corsica; following the confirmation of the outbreak, up to 300 hens had to be killed on a nearby farm. In Belgium, bird flu has so far only been confirmed in wild birds, and farmers are now protecting farms.
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Last week, Belgium confirmed the eradication of African swine fever in its own territory. The disease occurred in Belgium in September 2018, Belgium has put in place measures to eradicate the disease, including the deployment of an EU team of veterinary emergency experts, strengthening passive surveillance, awareness raising and cooperation between all stakeholders (especially private and public veterinarians, foresters, farmers and hunters) and with neighbouring countries. The disease did not spread to commercial farms, only cases in feral pigs were confirmed.
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Belgium will allow the use of neonicotinoids for sugar beet growing for 2021. The use of Bayer's Gaucho will be permitted, and the imidacloprid-containing substance may be used to coat sugar beet seeds. Belgium thus follows the decision of France, which has decided in recent weeks to grant an emergency authorization for the use of neonicotinoids in 2021 and 2022. However, Belgian farmers will only be able to use neonicotinoids for sugar beet if they do not grow flowering crops that attract pollinators for the next two years in the area where the neonicotinoids will be used.

At a meeting of the Council of Agriculture Ministers on 16/11/2020, the Agriculture Ministers of AT, BG, LU, RO, and SK expressed concerns about the conclusion of an EU trade agreement with Mercosur. According to the ministers, the competitiveness of EU farmers could be jeopardized, especially in the context of lower environmental, social and climate production standards in Mercosur. However, many European commodities are already facing challenges that are weakening the sectors - falling market prices, the African swine fever, Brexit, or enhanced environmental and climate ambitions under the European Green Deal. The trade agreement with Mercosur should therefore be revised to reflect the current challenges facing the European agricultural sector. The opinion was also supported by representatives of FR, IE, BE, BG, GR, and HU. However, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Janusz Wojciechowski supported the trade agreement, and the Commission will soon publish a study on the cumulative impact of trade agreements on the EU agricultural sector.

EU agriculture ministers discussed the situation on EU commodity agricultural markets at an informal videoconference of ministers on 16/11/2020, together with information from the Austrian delegation on the effects of the EU-Mercosur agreement on agriculture. In the Miscellaneous section, Ministers heard information from the Presidency and the Commission on food losses and food waste, and information from the Commission on the Farm to Fork strategy conference. Ministers were also briefed on preparations for the UN summit on food systems, and on the adoption of Council conclusions on the EU's post-2020 forestry strategy. Finally, the Danish delegation informed about the current state of mink farming in connection with COVID-19, then the Czech and Polish delegations informed about the measures, cooperation, and funding of veterinary programs related to measures in the field of African swine fever.
More information is available here.