News

In the framework of a trade agreement with Australia, the European Union calls for the protection of the geographical origin of food and beverages (GIs) for a number of items. Food and beverages that would be protected under a trade agreement include, for example, Scottish beef, Feta, Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano. From the Czech production, the protection should apply to Budweiser beer, Budweiser brew, Czech beer, České Budějovice beer and Žatec hops. Australian food producers disagree with the European Union's proposal, and criticism is expressed, in particular, by the cheese producers who have described the proposal as hypocritical. According to Australian producers, EU requirements will create an additional obstacle to free trade, according to them; Australia should not accept the offer unless the EU provides exceptional access for Australian food to EU markets. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has launched a three-month public consultation on the EU offer.
More information is available here.

The European Commission will present to the Member States a proposal not to renew the license for the use of the active substance chlorpyrifos. The European Commission is thus responding to the recommendations of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which has recently published an evaluation of this substance, often used for the cultivation of, for example, broccoli or oranges. According to the EFSA assessment, chlorpyrifos may be a genotoxic substance and may therefore interfere with the proper development of children. The current license expires in January 2020.

On 27/09/2019, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) launched a review to determine whether EU Member States are taking full advantage of the opportunities of new modern technologies in agriculture. The ECA will also assess how the European Commission has encouraged Member States to use new monitoring methods (including satellite imaging), whether Member States are making use of the opportunities, and what challenges and barriers are associated with the use of new technologies. According to the ECA, the outcome of the review could also have an impact on the CAP reform post 2020 discussions. The ECA foresees that up to 100% of agricultural controls could be implemented with new modern monitoring methods.
More information is available here.

Last week, British food policy expert Tim Lang said that if the UK left the European Union without an agreement, it could face the risk of not being able to secure enough food for its citizens. Currently, up to 10,000 trucks a day are imported from the EU to the UK market. According to recent government statistics, the United Kingdom is not self-sufficient and is therefore unable to feed its citizens from its own resources, especially if it would have to happen within a few weeks. According to some British figures, the level of self-sufficiency fell from 78% in 1984 to 61% in 2018.
More information is available here.

Last week, representatives of European institutions said that the CAP post 2020 cannot be negotiated until agreement on the budget for that period is reached, the Multiannual Financial Framework post 2020 (MFF). Until the budget is agreed on, the representatives of the institutions will stagnate in the negotiations on the CAP. Finland, currently chairing the Council of the European Union, sent out MFF post 2020 questionnaires to the EU Member States in mid-July, the responses should be sent to the Finnish Presidency at the end of August 2019, the first discussion on the replies should take place in September 2019. It is likely that further discussions on the CAP will only take place on the basis of the Member States’ responses to the MFF questionnaire.