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An analysis of the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) has shown that 74 pesticides banned in the EU are present in foods placed on the European market. Pesticide residues were found in 5,800 tested foods, about 6% of all samples examined. Exotic fruits such as guava, cherimoya, or gooseberry had the largest percentage of positive samples, followed by other products, including teas or coriander.
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As of 30/09/2020, the German Ministry of Agriculture had announced two more cases of African swine fever (AMP), with a total of 38 cases in feral pigs in the Brandenburg region. As of 02/10/2020, the number had risen to 40 cases. Brandenburg shall adjust the protection zone accordingly. Conventional pig farming in Germany has not yet been affected. On 12/09/2020, China announced a ban on pork imports from Germany, and shortly afterwards, Japan and South Korea also banned pork imports from Germany.
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The European Citizens' Initiative entitled End the Cage Age, which aims to ban caged livestock, has received the necessary number of signatures by 02/10/2020, so it can submit a petition to the Commission, which is obliged to respond to the initiative. According to the rules, each citizens' initiative must obtain at least one million signatures from at least seven EU Member States within 12 months. The End of the Cage Age initiative received over 1.3 million signatures in the given period, most of the signatures came from DE, NL, IT, FR and ES. The initiative was supported by citizens from 18 Member States. Over the next month, the petitioners will meet with Commission representatives to discuss the initiative, and a public hearing in the European Parliament could take place within the next three months. European Parliament may decide to respond to the initiative by adopting its own opinion. The European Commission does not have to meet the requirements set out in the petition but must state within six months what (if any) action it will take following the initiative.
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On 28/09/2020, the European Commission authorized the use of genetically modified soy in food and feed. The authorization was preceded by a comprehensive authorization procedure, including an expert assessment by the European Food Safety Authority. Authorization to use genetically modified soy is valid for 10 years in the European Union.
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The European Commission could reverse the French government's decision to allow French farmers to use neonicotinoids in sugar beet fields. The Commission will submit for review 20 this year's decisions on the exceptional authorization of the use of neonicotinoids to protect sugar beet production from different EU countries. If the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) does not confirm the need to use these products, then authorizations for neonicotinoids will be revoked.