News




France seeks the post of Commissioner for Trade

According to preliminary information, France will seek to win the post of Commissioner for Trade, a position that the current Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan, has been keen to pursue. France might also be interested in the post of Commissioner for Competition. Among the candidates for the post of FR Commissioner are Michel Barnier, EU Brexit Negotiator, or Pascal Canfin, MEP for Renew Europe, Chairman of the EP Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.

The European Commission will provide Italy with extraordinary support of EUR 32.1 million for the poultry sector as compensation for losses caused by bird flu

The European Commission has confirmed that it will provide extraordinary support to the Italian poultry sector, which has suffered losses related to the spread of avian (bird) flu in 2017 and 2018. A total of EUR 32.1 million will be provided from the European Union budget, while Italy may increase support from national sources.
More information is available here.

Commissioner for Health and Food Safety urged Member States to intensify activities to eradicate African swine fever in the European Union

During the Council of Agriculture Ministers on 15/07/2019, Ministers of Agriculture discussed the current situation of the occurrence of African swine fever in the EU. Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis urged Member States to strengthen activities to eradicate this disease in the EU. According to Andriukaitis, the situation in the EU is still not under control, as evidenced by recent cases of new outbreaks in Bulgaria. Moreover, the disease is spreading uncontrollably in countries outside the European Union, especially in China, Mongolia, or Vietnam. The Belgian Minister of Agriculture Denis Ducarme also commented on the situation, criticizing the lack of action by the European Commission to fight lifting of the ban on imports of pig meat from the EU affected by African swine fever, which has been introduced by about 20 third countries, including China, the Philippines and South Korea.
More information is available here.

Romania faces criticism for transporting live animals at high outdoor temperatures; Member States support a ban on the transport of live animals when outside temperatures exceed 30 °C

Romania has exported over 70,000 live sheep to the Persian Gulf countries over the past few weeks, with outdoor temperatures up to 40 °C. According to the Romanian representative of Permanent Representation, Achim Irimescu, Romania respected the welfare rules set by the European Union, but Irimescu said that the ban on transporting live animals would be a great economic loss for Romania. Animal transport was also discussed during the Council of Agriculture Ministers on 15/07/2019. According to most EU Member State ministers, the transport of live animals should be banned if outside temperatures exceed 30 °C, some Member States (such as NL) have already introduced strict national rules for the transport of animals during the summer months. NL representatives endorsed the adoption of harmonized rules at EU level to ban animal transport at temperatures above 30 °C across the EU. Denmark supported the limitation of transport time to 8 hours and called for the transport of meat, not live animals. But, according to Irimescu, animals in the southern countries are commonly used to temperatures in excess of 30 °C.
More information is available here.

Romania faces criticism for transporting live animals at high outdoor temperatures; Member States support a ban on the transport of live animals when outside temperatures exceed 30 °C

Romania has exported over 70,000 live sheep to the Persian Gulf countries over the past few weeks, with outdoor temperatures up to 40 °C. According to the Romanian representative of Permanent Representation, Achim Irimescu, Romania respected the welfare rules set by the European Union, but Irimescu said that the ban on transporting live animals would be a great economic loss for Romania. Animal transport was also discussed during the Council of Agriculture Ministers on 15/07/2019. According to most EU Member State ministers, the transport of live animals should be banned if outside temperatures exceed 30 °C, some Member States (such as NL) have already introduced strict national rules for the transport of animals during the summer months. NL representatives endorsed the adoption of harmonized rules at EU level to ban animal transport at temperatures above 30 °C across the EU. Denmark supported the limitation of transport time to 8 hours and called for the transport of meat, not live animals. But, according to Irimescu, animals in the southern countries are commonly used to temperatures in excess of 30 °C.
More information is available here.