News

The European Commission announced today (11 April) it would prohibit dual quality food across the bloc, following complaints and pressure from Central and Eastern European member states. The European Commission is proposing a New Deal for Consumers to ensure that all European consumers fully benefit from their rights under Union law. Read more

Boosted by the end of sugar quotas in 2017, EU sugar production is estimated to grow significantly for 2017/18. This is just one of the findings of the latest short-term outlook report from the European Commission published on 5 April 2018. EU sugar production is estimated at 21mt for 2017/18, 23% above the average of previous years. EU production is expected to stabilise for 2018/19 despite falling sugar prices.

The Irish government will delay the country’s planned sugar tax for another month so that it can receive ‘state aid approval’ from the European Union. Ireland’s Department of Finance released a statement saying the tax would now come into force on 1 May, allowing the Irish government time to complete “the necessary administrative processes in relation to state aid approval”.

EU farmers should not fear a “re-nationalisation” scenario for the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy as the Commission is set to give member states more powers to implement their own CAP national plans, Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan told EURACTIV. Read more

“Simplification is appealing to investors,” said Pekka Pesonen, the Secretary-General of Copa-Cogeca, the European organisation of European farmers and agri-cooperatives. EU farmers say new generations will return to agricultural fields because they don’t rely only on direct payments. On the contrary, they want to take EU farming forward by involving other business activities, with stronger links to the more creative second rural development pillar. Read the original post