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The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has called for a review of the market intervention measures presented by the European Commission on 22/04/2020 to ensure support for the dairy sector. According to the CoR, these measures are not enough to prevent another crisis in the dairy market. The CoR therefore calls for the introduction of a voluntary volume reduction scheme at EU level, which would reduce the pressure on the private storage scheme for milk and milk products, for which the Commission has allocated € 30 million.
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A total of twelve MEPs from the five political factions of the European Parliament and ten Member States of the European Union have called on European Commission Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans to set up a Farm to Fork Strategy to move towards a plant-based diet and plant-based meat alternatives. The letter was also addressed to Janusz Wojciechowski, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Stelle Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, and Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for the Environment. In the letter, MEPs point out the overconsumption of meat and dairy products, which they say is the biggest health risk of the current food system. According to them, the COVID-19 pandemic is caused by animal-borne diseases, and intensive industrial livestock production offers more opportunities for the development of new diseases and their transmission to humans. According to these MEPs, the current CAP supports large industrial enterprises focused on livestock production, reduces animal welfare and promotes the consumption of meat and dairy products. The new Farm to Fork Strategy should change this trend, MEPs call it "a unique opportunity to change and move towards a truly sustainable food system”. One of the steps should be the reduction of companies focused on intensive livestock production.

The Livestock and Meat Commission in Northern Ireland (LMCNI) warned last week that private storage aid, especially for lamb and beef, would negatively affect its price. Private storage will allow temporary withdrawal of products from the market for a minimum of 2-3 months and a maximum of 5-6 months. By freezing meat, especially high-quality beef steaks, its value decreases. To help the agri-food sector, the Commission has proposed exceptional measures worth € 80 million, of which € 46 million is for the beef and lamb sector.
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The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published the results of two pilot studies to evaluate the cumulative effects of pesticide residues in food. The conclusions of the evaluation indicate that there are risks associated with the cumulative effect of pesticide residues in food, but that the risks are so low that, according to EFSA, they do not require regulatory action. Both the assessment of the effects of residues on the thyroid gland and the assessment of adverse effects on the nervous system are the result of long-term cooperation between EFSA and the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). Evaluations will follow in the coming years on the effects of pesticides on other organs and functions of the human body.
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The European Commission announced on 28/04/2020 that a free trade agreement had been reached with Mexico, which must now be ratified by both parties. The EU & Mexico trade agreement will allow most production to be traded duty-free, including agri-food production. The agreement could bring the greatest benefits to the EU in the export of poultry meat, cheese, chocolate, pork and pasta. The European Union will also be able to export skimmed milk powder to Mexico in the amount of 30,000 tonnes after the entry into force of the agreement, this volume will be able to increase to 50,000 tonnes after five years. Practically all pork products can be exported duty free, the current high tariffs on chocolate, dried, apples, canned peaches, blue cheese and pasta will be eliminated.
More information is available here.