News

The European Union and the United States plan to launch a new joint platform to secure food and agricultural commodities due to limited access to staple crops and fertilizers due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The new platform will be part of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council to strengthen their economic ties. Although the EU does not have major food security problems, it faces problems with the availability of some foods. These issues could be addressed within the new platform.
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The European Parliament's Environment Committee (COMENVI) voted on 16/05/2022 to phase out the use of wood as a fuel under the new Renewable Energy Directive (RED), which also calls for a five-point increase in the green energy target by 2030 (primary wood biomass). is excluded from renewable energy targets). Forests should, in the Committee's view, no longer be considered a sustainable energy source. This is only the Committee's opinion so far; the EP plenary will vote on the package on 13/09/2022.
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The European Commission has unveiled a plan to help Ukraine with blocked Black Sea ports to boost agricultural commodity exports, especially wheat and corn. According to the Commission, the main solution should be corridors to Baltic ports, to this end the Commission plans to facilitate the loading of Ukrainian agricultural commodities into trains and trucks, and entry into the EU should be facilitated by easing controls.
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The European Commission published a new study on 11/05/2022, focusing on the possibilities of CAP rules to strengthen animal welfare. According to the Commission, the instruments and measures of the Common Agricultural Policy can contribute to animal welfare and can help to reduce the amount of antimicrobials used. Most Member States have reflected these issues mainly through rural development measures. According to a European Commission study, the measures are most effective combined with investment in better housing, feeding and healthcare.
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The representative of the European Commission (DG AGRI) Michael Scannell announced to the members of the Committee on Agriculture (COMAGRI) on 10/05/2022 a plan to change the rules defining free-range eggs to address the problem of the loss of status of eggs from poultry holdings that have been closed for more than 16 weeks due to protection from avian influenza. The Commission plans to propose that, after 16 weeks of holding in a closed area, eggs be sold as litter eggs at a price up to 50% below the price of free-range eggs. The changes are proposed in view of the increasing outbreaks of avian influenza with a longer duration on commercial farms, notwithstanding the very strict biosecurity measures taken by the poultry sector.