News

The bird flu epidemic has so far led to the culling of more than 50 million birds across the EU, and the end of its spread is not likely in the near future. The current H5N1 bird flu epidemic, which has been ongoing since 2021, is, according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the longest epidemic ever observed in Europe, with occurrences in all Member States. In Germany, 15,000 ducks and millions of eggs were destroyed in January, France is among the most affected countries, having destroyed 3.3 million poultry since the beginning of the epidemic.

China announced on 05/01/2023 the lifting of the ban on Irish beef imports, reopening the multi-million-euro market to Irish farmers. Before the ban, in 2019, the value of Irish beef exports to China was €96 million. Exports of Irish beef to China have been suspended as a precaution in response to the discovery of an isolated case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, in May 2020.
More information is available here.

During the plenary session on 13/12/2022, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the topic ‘A long-term Vision for the EU's Rural Areas - Towards stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040’. The European Parliament mentions in the opinion that only one in six rural residents has access to ultra-fast broadband, with 25% of households having no internet access. This makes it impossible to implement smart farming technologies that would increase not only climate resilience, but also agricultural yields. expansion of digital connectivity is therefore a key point of the text.
More information is available here.

In 2023, the European Commission is allocating €185.9 million for the promotional policy of agri-food products in the EU and beyond. The key criteria for obtaining funds are set in such a way that the promotion is primarily focused on meeting the goals of the European Green Deal and Farm to Fork strategy, on promoting sustainable agriculture, improving animal welfare, and supporting the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables and healthy and sustainable diets. The amount is almost equally divided between promotion in the EU internal market (€83.3 million) and promotion in third countries (€83.1 million). The European Commission's priority is also a campaign aimed at markets with high growth potential, such as China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and North America. Calls for proposals for the 2023 campaigns will be published early next year. The Commission is also still preparing a revision of the legislation for promotional policy, the revision should be published during 2023.
More information is available here.

Scientists from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden presented a study on the nutritional value of plant-based meat imitations. The study showed that phytic acids contained in cereals or plants from the leguminous family (e.g. soy, beans, peas), which are a frequent ingredient in the production of imitations, bind to each other in the digestive tract the minerals needed by the body (mainly iron and zinc) and thus prevent their digestion. Thus, the consumer does not get enough minerals into the body. Scientists therefore recommend the development of new methods of producing imitations that would maximize the nutritional potential of foods.
More information is available here.