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As part of the International Green Week, a conference was held on 17/01/2020 on the issue of African swine fever in the EU. The aim of the conference was to strengthen coordinated global activities to mitigate the impact of African swine fever on pork production and international trade. A total of 25 EU agriculture and non-EU agriculture ministers underlined the high standards of pork production in the EU, in particular biosecurity measures. Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides called for a global and joint action to eradicate African swine fever, stressing that the spread of the disease has major negative impacts on the environment, ecosystems, agriculture and trade. The conference included support for shared initiatives on the development of the disease vaccine, the development of a strong and effective policy for the management of feral pigs, tighter border controls and increased awareness among tourists. In Poland, 55 new cases were confirmed only during December 2019, some of which were only 30 kilometres from the German border.
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Avian influenza virus is spreading in the European Union. Almost 12,000 poultry have died in Romania following the spread of the disease. The outbreak is also present in the area near Hungary and Ukraine. The occurrence of highly pathogenic avian influenza was also confirmed in the Czech Republic after three years. Last week, Member States unanimously supported the Commission proposal consolidating safeguard measures against outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza of subtype H5N8 in the four Member States concerned (Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania). The virus was first recorded in Poland on 31 December 2019, since then it has been confirmed in 16 outbreaks on poultry farms with different types of poultry (ducks, geese, turkeys, chickens).
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The Ministers of Agriculture of Germany and France announced on 13/01/2020 that by 2022 they would work together to put an end to the practice of killing chickens for commercially unusable cocks. It is estimated that 90 million chickens are killed each year in DE and FR because they don’t lay eggs and are not suitable for meat. DE also approved the use of devices for desensitizing male piglets prior to castration. The German Ministry of Agriculture has earmarked € 28 million for the purchase of anaesthesia equipment. Since 2019, Germany has made mandatory the use of anaesthetics in castration of pigs.
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Luxembourg will be the first Member State of the European Union to introduce a total ban on the use of glyphosate. According to the plan of the Luxembourg Minister of Agriculture, Romain Schneider, the country should introduce a ban by 31/12/2020; it should enter into force from January 2021. Farmers who voluntarily refrain from using glyphosate in the 2019/2020 marketing year will be compensated by the Greening Program and EUR 30 per hectare for arable land, EUR 50 per hectare for vineyards, and EUR 100 per hectare for orchards. Wine producers who decide to refrain from using all herbicides in vineyards will receive compensation from the State of EUR 500 to 550 per hectare. The current license for the use of glyphosate in the EU is valid until 15/12/2022.
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The European Commission decided on 13/01/2020 not to renew the license for the use of the neonicotinoid thiacloprid following the scientific findings of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The current license for the use of thiacloprid expires on 30/04/2020; the transitional period expires on 03/02/2021. Thiacloprid will thus become the fourth banned neonicotinoid out of a total of five originally approved.
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