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Last week, a coalition of 30 environmental NGOs published their own priorities for the forthcoming Farm to Fork Strategy, which should be part of the new European Green Deal. According to environmental organizations, the European Union should set clear and ambitious goals for a coherent long-term vision of the European food system; the European Green Deal does not yet reflect the situation sufficiently and does not lead to the necessary changes. According to these organizations, the CAP must be closely linked to the Farm to Fork Strategy. Representatives are calling for clear targets for reducing greenhouse gas production from agriculture, achieving zero soil degradation by 2030, or reversing the trend of biodiversity decline.
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The Italian Government has repeatedly opposed the introduction of the NutriScore food labelling scheme, which could have a negative impact on Italian olive oil and cheese production due to the higher fat content of these foods. Italy is therefore ready to present an alternative nutrition labelling scheme to enhance consumer information and education. Italy will endeavour to implement its system throughout the EU. The Italian system should be based on the recommended daily intake, indicating how much of the recommended daily intake one serving of the food (recommended serving) is.
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German Minister of Agriculture Julia Klöckner said that Germany is ready to deal with a possible spread of African swine fever infection in its own territory. In recent weeks, the disease has spread in Poland towards the German border, according to the European Commission the nearest outbreak is now approaching 40 kilometres from the German border, and the first cases of the disease in Germany could be confirmed as early as Christmas. The state of Brandenburg is considering building fences in order to prevent the spread of the disease to its own territory, the German agricultural organization DBV fears a possible reduction in the demand for German pork by third countries in the event of the spread of the disease. France is also worried about the spread of African swine fever, the disease remains in neighbouring Belgium. France has already built 132 kilometres of fences in three risk areas.

On 18/12/2019, the European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution on an EU Pollinators Initiative. Parliament called on the Commission to include the EU Pollinators Initiative and its outcomes in the development of an EU post-2020 biodiversity strategy; to address pollinator decline at international level and to promote strong measures to protect pollinators and their natural habitats worldwide; to review the revised National Action Plans and take all possible measures to ensure that Member States make a proper commitment to complying with targets for reducing pesticide use; and to extend the ban on imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam to all neonicotinoid-based pesticides.
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Indonesia has filed a World Trade Organisation lawsuit against the European Union because of restrictions on palm oil imports, Indonesia considers the restrictions unfair. The European Union agreed on restrictions at the beginning of 2019 - from 2030, under the Renewable Energy Directive REDII, palm oil biofuels should be excluded; palm oil would lose legal advantage over fossil fuels. Representatives of Malaysia, the second largest producer of palm oil after Indonesia, plan to negotiate with EU representatives before the next steps. The negotiations are likely to take place in March - April 2020.
More information is available here.