News

On 16/07/2020, the European Commission presented guidelines to ensure the protection of seasonal workers in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. The guidelines serve to ensure the rights, safety and health of workers who are more at risk from cross-border movement. Member States should, inter alia, take all necessary measures to ensure decent working and health conditions, to increase field inspections or to raise awareness of safety and health.
More information is available here.

The Advocate General of the European Court of Justice issued a non-binding opinion on 16/07/2020 stating that country of origin labelling for milk and milk products should only be used where it has a tangible impact on product quality. Any other conclusions, according to the Advocate General, could lead to the promotion of nationalism. The quality of some products can fluctuate across member countries, and similar labelling makes sense and is defensible. However, according to the Advocate General, milk and milk products do not fall into this category.
More information is available here.

China has seen a sharp rise in African swine fever (ASF) cases since mid-June. The spread of the disease is probably caused by heavy rains in about 20 provinces of southern China, where medium and large farms have been affected. Farmers bury infected pigs and the infection can spread by groundwater. However, in March and April 2020, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture reported 12 new cases, indicating the spread of ASF before the floods.
More information is available here.

German Minister of Agriculture Julia Klöckner plans to introduce a ban on the killing of male chickens in Germany by the end of 2021. Instead of killing males, Klöckner supports the identification of the sex of chickens while still in eggs (identification is sponsored by the Ministry) or the consumption of female and male chickens.
More information is available here and here.

On 17/07/2020, the scientific journal AAAS published a study on soybean production in Brazil and its export to the EU. According to the results of the study, the production of up to a one-fifth of Brazilian soybeans intended for EU markets is causally linked to illegal deforestation - according to the study, it is 18-22%. Brazil is the second largest supplier of soybeans to EU markets after the USA. The process of approving a trade agreement with Mercosur, including Brazil, is ongoing.
More information is available here.