News

On 01/03/2020, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) launched a third consultation with stakeholders and Member States as part of the review of the Guidelines for Risk Assessment of Pesticide Effects on Bees. EFSA asks for feedback on the proposed revision scheme for risk assessment systems, focusing on crop attractiveness and risk assessment methodology. The consultation will be closed on 30/04/2020.
More information is available here.

The Association of German Farmers "Land Schafft Verbindung" threatens to reduce food production during the Coronavirus pandemic in the context of a sharp fight for compliance with fertilizer legislation (Nitrates Directive). In a letter to the President of the European Commission, the association asked to suspend the implementation of the amended legislation and not to impose fines on German farmers. Increased farm costs due to the stricter directive may lead to farm closures and thus jeopardize food supply during the Coronavirus crisis. While EU countries have for most years followed the EU nitrate guidelines (in force since 1991), Germany is a Member State that still exceeds the limits. Germany can thus face fines of up to EUR 850,000 per day.
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Coronavirus pandemic threatens to temporarily restrict world trade in agri-food commodities, including rice. Vietnam, the world's third-largest exporter of rice, and Kazakhstan, the world's ninth-largest exporter of wheat, reduced production exports to ensure the availability of food in their own country. In India, national restrictions on the movement of people over the past three weeks have also reduced rice production, because workers cannot come to work (more information here). In Africa, fruit and vegetable production slowed down, and many African countries are also faced with problems of securing their own exports in connection with cancelled flights or a sharp increase in air transport prices (more information here). UN chief economist at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization Abdolreza Abbasian said that despite the shock in the supply chain, the basic food market remains stable. The increase in product prices is likely to be a response to some imports, but the impact on the market should be temporary.

Germany has approved a comprehensive legislative package aimed at reducing the effects of the spread of coronavirus on the economy and in particular to tackle the shortage of seasonal workers. The measure includes an additional budget of EUR 156 billion. The measure consists of eight points that facilitate the financial situation for food producers and create easier conditions for people working in the agricultural sector. The German Minister of Agriculture called on the Croatian Minister of Agriculture Marija Vučković to take measures to support the agricultural and food sectors, stressing the need to maintain food stocks and to facilitate the transport of food.
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During the extraordinary plenary session, the European Parliament adopted almost unanimously the package of measures put to the vote in the context of the current Coronavirus crisis. The package included Specific measures to activate investment in Member States' healthcare systems and other sectors of their economies in response to the spread of COVID-19 (total € 37 billion from available EU resources for citizens, regions and Member States most affected by coronavirus; approved by 683 in favour, 1 against, 4 abstentions); Common rules for the allocation of slots at Community airports (approved by 686 for, 2 abstentions); and Financial assistance to Member States and countries with accession to the Union which are seriously affected by a serious threat to public health (approved by 671 in favour, 3 against, 14 abstentions).
More information is available here, here and here.