News




Germany reported 134 cases of African swine fever; The German Minister of Agriculture is proposing changes to the law on hunting and weapons

The German Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) confirmed another 3 cases of African swine fever (ASF) in the district of Oder-Spree and 6 cases in the district of Märkisch-Oderland. The first case was also confirmed in Saxony. The number of cases thus rose to 134 on 06/11/2020. The German Federal Cabinet approved the proposed legislative changes by the Minister of Agriculture Julie Klöckner, which amends the country's legislation on hunting, nature protection and weapons. The changes also include the authorization of certain types of weapons designed to fire at night, which is intended to help combat the spread of ASF more effectively. Planned measures include better training of hunters. Germany is also trying to agree with Poland on the construction of a fence on the Polish side. Julia Klöckner also discusses with colleagues from the PL and the Czech Republic about possible compensations in the event of the spread of the disease to commercial farms.
More information is available here and here.

Bird flu has spread to Germany and the United Kingdom

Bird flu has spread from the affected Netherlands to Germany and the United Kingdom. 13,000 poultry were slaughtered on British farms to prevent further spread of the disease. So far, 57 cases of avian influenza in poultry have been confirmed in Germany. In both countries, measures have been introduced in the form of control of poultry houses within a radius of three kilometres of outbreaks and a ban on the transport of poultry within a radius of ten kilometres. Neighbouring countries, including Poland and France, are taking measures to prevent the further spread of the disease across Europe. Avian influenza can negatively affect the export of poultry products to third countries.
More information is available here, here and here.

The European Food Safety Authority has published an opinion on the welfare of cattle at slaughter; most mistakes are caused by staff failure

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published on 03/11/2020 an analysis of the welfare of cattle at slaughter. The report entitled "Welfare of cattle at slaughter" was prepared by the EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Welfare (AHAW); reports on 40 identified errors, of which 39 were caused by staff fatigue and lack of expertise. EFSA identified the monitoring of animal welfare during the slaughter process as important. Many recommendations include improving buildings and their facilities, as well as better staff training. The report also deals in detail with the types of tools for slaughter itself, and emphasizes the need to stun animals before slaughter.
More information is available here.

Joe Biden was elected the new President of the United States, calling for an end to the trade war with the European Union; The European Commission can introduce retaliatory duties as early as this week

On 26/10/2020, the World Trade Organization (WTO) formally authorized the European Union to increase tariffs on US exports to $ 4 billion as part of retaliatory measures in the context of the Airbus-Boeing dispute, the European Commission can impose tariffs from this week. The US has been addressing $ 7.5 billion in tariffs on EU production since October 2019, with US President Donald Trump supporting the move. Joe Biden was elected the new American president on 07/11/2020, who also called for an end to the trade war with the European Union as part of the election campaign. Customs duties imposed in connection with the Airbus-Boeing dispute should be reviewed by the US in February 2021, until then, the US and the EU have the opportunity to quell the heated dispute.

The Greens' political faction, environmental NGOs and environmental activists have called on politicians to reject proposals to CAP reform

Last week, the Greens' political faction in the European Parliament sent a letter to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen calling for the rejection of CAP reform proposals. According to Base Eickhout (Greens, NL), the proposals should be withdrawn, and the Commission should develop new proposals more in line with the European Green Deal. Environmental NGOs and thousands of activists across EU Member States are also calling for the current proposals to be withdrawn and new ones developed. According to Greta Thunberg, an environmental activist who also promotes a petition to withdraw and recast CAP proposals, the current proposals are merely greenwashing, a "kiss of death" for the European Green Deal. For example, BirldLife, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and WWF are requesting a new draft CAP.
More information is available here and here.