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In the past week, France has confirmed additional outbreaks of bird flu. On a farm in the municipality of Céré-la-Ronde in the French department of Indre-et-Loire, 36,000 poultry were killed after an outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu was detected. An outbreak of bird flu was also confirmed on a farm in Somma Prefecture on 13/09/2022 where 27,000 turkeys were culled. A 3 km wide protection zone and a 10 km wide surveillance zone were established around the outbreaks on 17/09/2022 to limit the risk of the virus spreading to nearby farms in the area. Strict hygiene measures must be observed in these areas, the transportation of poultry, hunting of waterfowl and game birds is prohibited.
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A total of twenty ministers of agriculture supported on 16/09/2022 at an informal meeting of the Council of Ministers of Agriculture the possibility of relaxing the rules for crop genome editing - new genomic techniques. New precise techniques allow simpler and faster modification of plant DNA, which could lead to strengthening the food sector in the EU and increasing resilience to climate and geopolitical crises. The remaining six ministers (the Czechia maintains neutrality with regard to its Presidency) emphasized the need to maintain a cautious approach due to earlier protests against genetically modified organisms (GMOs), particularly emphasizing the need to properly educate the public. The representative of the European Commission's Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) Claire Bury on 21/09/2022 also highlighted the need to strengthen the education of EU citizens in the field of GMOs and new genomic techniques. One of the first steps to break the stigma will be the upcoming legislation on new genomic techniques, which should be presented by the European Commission in the second half of 2023 (the European Commission is currently working on an impact assessment).
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On 14/07/2021, the European Commission presented the Fit For 55 climate package, which also includes a revision of the directive on renewable energy sources. The European Commission has proposed increasing the binding target for renewable energy sources at EU level to 40% by 2030. The Commission also aims to increase the consumption of advanced biofuels to 2.2% in transport and presented a proposal to ban the extraction of woody biomass for energy production from primary forests, peatlands, and wetlands, and its extraction should only be allowed from forests with high biodiversity. The Plenary of the European Parliament discussed a draft of its own opinion on 14/09/2022, supporting a de facto ban on soy and palm oil as raw materials to produce fuels and refusing to tighten the existing 7% limit for the use of first-generation biofuels. Parliament also decided to back an increase in the transport sector's GHG reduction target from 13% to 16% and to lower the thresholds for Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC), which estimates the extent to which production risks endangering land with high carbon stocks (forests, wetlands, bogs). Currently, this limit is set at 10%, which in practice means that it only applies to palm oil. However, by tightening the threshold to a new 7.9%, the measure also applies to soybeans. According to the opinion of the European Parliament, the ban on the use of palm oil and soy should be implemented immediately after the entry into force of the directive, i.e., probably in 2023.
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Last year, the European Commission submitted a legislative proposal, which aims to ensure that products and commodities (soy, beef, palm oil, wood, cocoa, coffee) imported into the EU are ‘deforestation-free’ – that is, that they do not contribute to deforestation anywhere along the value chain. The European Parliament voted on its opinion on 13/09/2022, according to the European Parliament, the new regulation should also apply to corn, palm oil derivatives and poultry and pork. The inclusion of other commodities, such as sugar, should be considered in the future.
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The Plenary of the European Parliament adopted on 15/09/2022 a non-binding Resolution of the European Parliament on the consequences of drought, fires and other extreme weather events; increasing the EU's efforts to combat climate change. The resolution was adopted by a large majority of 469 votes for, 39 against, 44 MEPs abstained from voting. In the resolution, MEPs supported the creation of a legally binding framework for adapting to climate change, and a European conference on water should also be organized. According to the resolution, Member States should create strategic stockpiles of fodder and food and use irrigation systems independent of surface or groundwater.
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