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The German Ministry of Agriculture reported further cases of the finding of wild boar infected with African swine fever (ASF) last week in the Brandenburg region. The total number of cases has risen to 55. Commercial pig farms have not yet been affected. The Association of German Agricultural and Food Cooperatives (DRV) warns of a deteriorating market situation due to the combination of Covid-19, ASF, and a reduction in slaughter capacity. The DRV Association calls for the possibility of temporarily lifting the ban on working on Sundays and extending working hours so that it is possible to deal with the surplus of pigs. According to a new Commission forecast, pork exports from the EU will fall by 10% next year due to the ASF outbreak in Germany.
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On 06/10/2020, the French parliament approved a bill allowing exemptions from the ban on the use of neonicotinoids. The law, approved by a vote of 313 for and 158 against, will allow sugar beet growers to introduce neonicotinoids into the coating of beet seeds and thus fight against sugar beet diseases. The bill will now be submitted to the Senate. At the same time, on 08/10/2020, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that France had the right to ban 5 neonicotinoids in 2018, although not all were banned at EU level.
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With the launch of the last round of formal talks between the United Kingdom and the EU on their future relations on 02/10/2020, it ended without success, although both parties further declare their interest in concluding an agreement. At the same time, both parties are preparing for the possibility that no timely agreement will be reached. The UK government has published a document containing information on the model situation of border operations and the transport of various goods, explaining the additional requirements for exporters and importers of animal products, pesticides, plants and other goods since January 2021, after the Brexit transition period. The Country Land and Business Association warns that the imposition of tariffs could lead to the collapse of the industry, such as the lamb sector being critically endangered.
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The trialogues of the European Parliament, the Council, and the European Commission on the text of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) agreed by the leaders of the Member States on 21/07/2020 are still going on without much success. The European Parliament is seeking changes in financial allocations, but also during the fifth trialogue, the Council did not submit to the European Parliament a proposal for changes to the MFF. An agreement on the MFF should be reached by the end of October to ensure a smooth continuation of the payment of financial support from the MFF from 01/01/2021.
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The largest political group in the European Parliament - the EPP - blames the second and third largest groups in the EP - S&D and Renew Europe - for slowing down negotiations on CAP reform due to the dissenting position of MEPs within those factions. According to the EPP, part of the S&D is mentally inclined in a very pro-environmental direction, welcoming the steps of the Commission's Executive Vice-President, Frans Timmermans. However, the second part of the S&D puts more emphasis on the protection of farmers. According to the EPP, the S&D coordinator for agricultural issues, Paolo de Castro (IT), belongs to the second group, while the shadow rapporteur for the CAP Strategic Plans, Maria Noichl (DE), belongs to the first. Opinions on the direction of S&D in the field of agriculture differ fundamentally between the two representatives, so reaching any agreement is complicated. Parliament should vote on the CAP in the week of 19/10/2020, and the EPP fears that hundreds of amendments could be tabled in plenary, following complications in other factions, which would in turn weaken Parliament's position in the trilogue negotiations.