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According to the draft opinion of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, the European Commission should develop a harmonized and transparent labelling system for products that meet animal welfare requirements. The draft opinion was supposed to be discussed during the last Council meeting but will probably be discussed only during the December part-session. In its draft opinion, the Council calls on the Commission to develop Europe-wide legal criteria that go beyond current EU legal requirements. These new criteria should be a basic precondition for products to be labelled with the new animal welfare compliance labelling system. The new criteria should also consider the provisions on animal welfare in EU legislation on organic farming. The European Commission should create a standardized logo for animal welfare labelling, and the new labelling system should cover products from the entire livestock sector.

Germany has officially started using the NutriScore nutrition labelling system for food on the front of pack. Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner expects the country's food producers to start using the label later this month. Labelling with the NutriScore system is not mandatory in Germany. The adoption of NutriScore continues to be refused by IT, CY, CZ, GR, HU, RO, LV and SK. These countries are concerned about the negative impact of NutriScore on traditional foods. In contrast, the NutriScore system has been introduced in FR, NL, CH, ES and BE. NutriScore is also used by several multinational producers, including Nestlé, Kellogg´s and Danone.
More information is available here.

On 14/11/2020, the European Commission published a study on the future of livestock production in the European Union. The study was carried out by two independent experts at the request of the Commission. According to the study, the livestock sector has significant environmental, economic, and social impacts. Sustainability must therefore be increased in all three areas. The impact of the livestock sector on the environment is significant, both from a negative point of view (greenhouse gas emissions) and from a positive point of view (maintenance of permanent grassland, carbon sequestration). The study concludes that although the European Union has done much to enhance the sector's positive environmental impact, efforts need to be further strengthened.
More information is available here.

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.
More information is available here and here.

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.
More information is available here.