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The European Parliament's Committee on International Trade will vote in February 2019 on rejecting the trade negotiations with the United States of America

In February 2019, the European Parliament's Committee on International Trade will vote on a resolution approving the Commission's previous decision not to negotiate trade agreements with the US, not only in the context of the US withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement but also in the context of US President Donald Trump's pressure policy. The Committee does not approve the shift in the position of the European Commission, which suggested, in the end of 2018, the negotiations with the US to be restored. According to the Trade Committee, the negotiations with the United States will not be successful in coming to such end that would be in the interests of European citizens, and therefore calls on the EU Council not to support the European Commission's recommendation to restore negotiations with the US. From the point of view of agri-food trade, the US has introduced higher tariffs for Spanish olives and would welcome greater access to EU markets. In January 2019, the EU reinforced imports of US soybeans, as they have been recognized as a kind of crop suitable for biofuel production.
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Negotiations on the trade agreement with Mercosur will continue in mid-March 2019

Negotiations on the trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur will continue in the period from 11/03 to 15/03/2019. Last year, the negotiations on the issue of food labelling regulations partly advanced, yet a number of agricultural issues have remained unresolved. Negotiations will also be attended by newly elected representatives of the Brazilian government with whom the EU will discuss in particular sensitive issues concerning tariffs, dairy products and geographical indications. Mercosur, on the other hand, will ask the EU to abolish the 99,000-tonne annual beef quota. The decision of the newly elected Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to allow deforestation in the country in order to support the agricultural sector might mean complications for setting up future trade relations. EU negotiators do not expect an agreement to be reached before the EP elections in May 2019.

The European Commission has approved an offer to sell 584 tonnes of skimmed-milk powder from intervention stocks

The European Commission approved on 05/02/2019, within the 32nd wave of intervention sales, an offer to sell 584 tonnes of skimmed-milk powder (SMP) from intervention stocks at a minimum price of 162.2 € / 100 kg. The offered prices ranged between € 150.00 / 100kg and € 170.10 / 100kg, the offers came from the ES and FI. Since 13/12/2016, the Commission has approved sales of 391,476 tonnes of SMP, 376,625 tonnes of SMP being sold in the end. Intervention stocks should now hold around 3,000 tonnes of SMP. The next tender will take place on 19/02/2019.
More information is available here.

Organic area made up 7% of total EU agricultural land in 2017

The area of the farmed land within the regime of organic farming in the EU increased by 25% between years 2012 and 2017, with 12.6 million hectares (7% of EU farmland) in the organic farming regime in 2017. The area of organic farming has grown the most in Austria (+23.4%) and Estonia (+19.6%), the least in Malta (+0.4%) and Ireland (+1.7%). A large increase in the area of organic farming applies also to Bulgaria and Croatia. On the other hand, declines occurred in Poland (-24.5%), the United Kingdom (-15.6%), Greece (-11.3%) and Romania (-10.3%).
More information is available here.