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In June 2018, the European Commission presented legislative proposals for the Common Agricultural Policy after 2020. In Annex III, the Commission proposes that under the norms for good agricultural and environmental condition of land (GAEC), now indicated as the GAEC 9, earmarking a minimum proportion of agricultural land reserved for non-productive features or areas (among others) should be included among the requirements applicable to farmers in order to improve biodiversity on farms. Italian MEP Paolo De Castro has tabled an amendment with order number 5171, in which he proposes to remove this request from the Commission's proposal. De Castro supported his proposal on the grounds that he considered it unacceptable for fruit growers to be forced to cut off part of the orchards just to meet the DZES 9 standard. BirldLife Environmental Representative Harriet Bradley, however, called De Castro's proposal an anti-environmental, weakening chance to prevent further loss of biodiversity associated with intensification of agriculture. According to Bradley, it will not be necessary to cut down the trees in the orchards, enough space reserved for non-productive elements should already ensure free rows of fruit trees. More information is available here.

The European Commission launched calls for proposals for agri-food promotion programs in the EU and third countries in 2019. For the year 2019, a total of € 191.6 million was allocated to the programs, of which € 181.6 million is intended to co-finance programs, and another € 10 million will be saved for cases of emergency. This is an increase of € 22 million compared to 2018. Campaigns focused mainly on areas with the largest export potential - China, Japan, Canada, USA, Mexico, Colombia, South Korea, Taiwan, and Southeast and South Asia (89 € million). Within the EU, programs promoting EU quality systems and brands will be supported; including protected designations of origin, protected geographical indications (PGIs), traditional specialties guaranteed (TSGs) and organic products. Part of the funds is also devoted to specific areas such as rice, olives, beef and veal, and fresh fruit and vegetables. Proposals should be submitted by April 16, 2019 through a dedicated portal. The EC will evaluate the proposals and will report on the results in autumn 2019. More information is available here.

On 14/01/2019, MEPs discussed the implementation and strengthening the EU forestry strategy at the joint meeting of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI), the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) and the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) in Strasbourg. Based on the mid-term review published on 07/12/2018, emphasis was placed on stepping up the protection of forests that face the risk of fires, pests and storms. Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Phil Hogan recalled the important role of forests in relation to climate change, bioeconomy, the environment and the source of income for rural areas. Commissioner Hogan has confirmed that he does not intend to submit proposals for a common EU forestry policy and confirmed the date of the conference on this topic in Brussels on 25-26 / 04/2019. Conclusions on the EU Forestry Strategy were adopted at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 19/05/2014. More information is available here.

On 15/01/2019, the British Parliament rejected the Brexit agreement negotiated by the UK with the EU-27. Following the refusal of the agreement, representatives of the British Federation for Food and Beverages (FDF) requested a prolongation of the UK's transition period. The US National Farmers Federation rejected the proposal by saying that UK’S leaving the EU without an agreement would lead to a trade embargo on exports of animal products (meat, eggs and dairy products) from the US to the EU. MEPs on 16/01/2019 in Strasbourg stepped up preparations for the UK to leave the EU if an agreement was reached, by approving rules that would allow the unilateral introduction of import quotas for food under the World Trade Organization (WTO), the so-called rescue network. EP, Council and Commission representatives agreed to allocate quotas as early as December 2018. The agreement must be approved by EU Member States in the coming weeks. More information is available here.

On 15 January 2019, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) issued a report on the chemical hazard to food in the European Union. The system of consumer protection against chemical hazards in food is, according to the ECA, firmly based, but is currently overloaded, so it is not possible to carry out the system in full. The current EU system is inconsistent in a number of respects, Member States control some chemicals more often than others and their legal framework is often too extensive. ECA has made a number of recommendations on how to improve the current situation. Among the recommendations, for example, to consider possible changes to the regulations governing chemical hazards with regard to the possibility of applying them consistently; to encourage complementarity so that the Member States' authorities can rely more on the controls carried out by the private sector; whether to provide further guidance to Member States on how to enforce enforcement measures and to improve their procedures to monitor compliance with EU food law. More information here and here.