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All packets of pasta and rice sold in Italy will have to include labels of origin showing where the produce was grown, the government ruled on Thursday (20 July), in a move it said was aimed at protecting local farmers. Read more.

The Commission launched today (20 July) a market observatory for crops to ensure more transparency and increase availability of market data for European farmers and traders. A range of market information and short-term analysis will be made available on a new dedicated website. The observatory consists of 14 organisations representing various stages of the grain supply chain. A board of 23 market experts will meet twice a year, chaired by the Commission.

The Council discussed the latest developments in trade and the EU efforts to opening up new world markets and to promoting EU agricultural products. Particular attention was given to recent achievements, such as the agreement in principle on a EU-Japan free trade deal, but the Commission and member states also focused on bilateral and multilateral free trade negotiations, their substance, state of play and possible outcome. These include on-going negotiations with Mercosur, Mexico, the Philippines and Indonesia, and future ones. Outcome Document of the Council meeting

The European Commission will not re-authorise the herbicide glyphosate for use in the EU “without a qualified majority of member states”, EU Health and Food Safety Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis has told EU agriculture ministers. Andriukaitis made the comments at the Farm Council in Brussels yesterday (July 17), insisting that “this is and will remain a sharedresponsibility”. Original post: EU will only extend glyphosate license with national backing.

The Presidency presented its work programme and priorities in the areas of agriculture and fisheries, including simplification and the future of the CAP, as well as the monitoring of the market situation and ongoing trade negotiations. Emergency preparedness and antimicrobial resistance will also feature high in the next six-month agenda together with multi-annual management plans and technical measures in the field of fisheries. More details.