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In a new campaign, the European agricultural organization Copa - Cogeca called for a change in the European rules for labelling honey. Copa - Cogeca calls for transparent honey labelling to ensure better protection for European beekeepers. The #HoneYstLabellingNow campaign was launched on 12/04/2023, following the European Commission's statement from early April 2023, in which the Commission states that a significant proportion of imported honey is likely to be subject to fraudulent practices. Fraudulent practices are not always caught, therefore Copa - Cogeca calls for improved traceability and the creation of a harmonized European framework for laboratory testing of honey. According to Copa - Cogeca, the current legislation, which is being reviewed by the European Commission, is outdated, it needs to be improved and the rules for labelling the origin of honey, especially in mixtures, need to be strengthened.
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The European Commission has allocated €2 million to Algama SAS and Seafood Reboot for the ‘Seafood Alg-ternative’ project aimed at developing imitation seafood from algae. The finance was allocated from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, which is intended to support the implementation of sustainable fishing practices. The aim of the project is to develop imitations of smoked salmon, canned tuna, caviar and fish roe spreads.
More information is available here.

Milk producers across Europe are facing falling milk prices, agricultural organizations across Europe are therefore calling for compensatory measures or corrective instruments. For example, the Luxembourg agricultural organizations have proposed a voluntary reduction in milk production, but only on the condition that the necessary compensation package is put in place. The Irish Agricultural Association (IFA) and the Irish Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) have warned that margins for dairy farmers will be zero if the trend of falling prices continues. Also, members of the European Milk Board (EMB) have already organized protests in, for example, Lithuania or Germany, calling on the Commission to carry out an analysis of market trends and to take appropriate measures, including support for a voluntary reduction in milk production.
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Dutch cooperative bank Rabobank said last week that despite the current drop in food prices, egg prices will remain high in 2023. The reason for the persistently high prices is the spread of bird flu together with the high expenditure of producers on feed and production. The market in the USA, EU and Japan is the most affected by the price increase. The US saw a 155% year-over-year increase in egg prices, the EU 62% and Japan's egg prices are at their highest in 20 years. To support price reductions, Rabobank recommends better coordination of production chains and control of the spread of bird flu.
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The European Commission published the latest monitoring report on trade in agri-food products for the year 2022, according to which the volumes of traded agri-food products did not decrease despite the global price growth, but on the contrary, there was a strengthening in some commodities. EU trade during 2022 reached €401.5 billion with a positive trade balance of €58 billion. Exports of agri-food products from the EU increased by 31% to €229.8 billion compared to 2021. Exports of cereals (+ 7%) and cereal preparations and mill products (+ 10%) increased the most. In line with global food security commitments, the most important destinations for wheat exports are the developing economies of countries such as Algeria (4.9 million tons), Morocco (4.1 million tons), Egypt (2.9 million tons) and Nigeria (2.5 million tons). One of the EU's primary exports remains dairy products worth €20.4 billion and pork worth €13.8 billion. EU imports are set to increase by 32% in 2022 compared to 2021, amounting to €172 billion, largely due to higher world prices, especially for oilseed products and coffee. EU imports of oilseeds and protein crops amounted to €25.8 billion.
More information is available here.