European Union governments are trying to raise a planned limit on the use of transport fuels made from food crops, despite warnings that the fuels can harm the environment and push up food prices. Last year in response to such warnings, the European Commission, the EU executive, proposed capping the bloc’s use of crop-based biofuels […] Read more
Governments seek to raise EU cap on food-based biofuels
EU prepares new GMO maize cultivation approval
If it goes ahead, the insect-resistant maize would become only the second GM crop to be approved for production in the EU
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters / The European Union is on course to approve cultivation of a new type of genetically modified maize for the first time in more than a decade, according to a draft proposal from the bloc’s executive seen by Reuters. The proposal was drawn up after Europe’s second-highest court in October blamed the European Commission […] Read moreU.S. GM wheat find threatens exports, stokes consumer fear
Unapproved genetically modified (GM) wheat found growing in the United States is threatening U.S. exports of the world’s biggest traded food commodity, with Japan stopping a purchase against a backdrop of high consumer sensitivity to gene-altered food. Japan cancelled a tender offer to buy U.S. western white wheat, while other top Asian wheat importers South […] Read more
EU to ban pesticides blamed for bee losses
The European Union will ban three of the world’s most widely-used pesticides for two years because of fears they are linked to a plunge in the population of bees critical to the production of crops. The executive European Commission said Monday it would press ahead with the ban on a class of pesticides known as […] Read more
France tops EU DNA tests for horsemeat in beef
France found more cases of illegal horsemeat in beef products than any other European Union country, results of official DNA tests ordered in the wake of the scandal showed, with more than one in every eight samples testing positive. Announcing the results on Tuesday, the European Commission said that for the EU as a whole, […] Read more
States agree EU farm policy vision to keep reform on track
Reading Time: 3 minutes The European Union is on course to complete reforming its 55-billion-euro-a-year farm policy from the start of 2014, after EU governments agreed a joint negotiating position March 19. Farm ministers from the 27 EU member states backed the main lines of the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP) first proposed by the European Commission […] Read more
EU member states say biofuels limit needs more thought
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters / Limits must be imposed on the use of biofuels made from food crops, leading EU member states France and Britain said Feb. 22, while questioning the detail of an EU Commission proposal for a five per cent cap. Concern that some biofuels create more problems than they solve led to a major policy […] Read more
EU farm subsidy reforms cut payments to the wealthiest farms
Royal treatment The Queen is among the wealthiest landowners who will see deep cuts to their farm subsidies
Reading Time: 2 minutes Europe’s wealthiest landowners, including Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and Spain’s Duchess of Alba, will see deep cuts to their future farm subsidies under proposals from members of the European Parliament Jan. 23. Annual payments to the top recipients of agricultural subsidies should be capped at 300,000 euros from 2014, the European Parliament’s influential agriculture committee said. […] Read moreFarm subsidies still get top share of EU austerity budget
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters / Farm subsidies will continue to gobble up the biggest share of the European Union’s budget to 2020, despite a 13 per cent drop in future agricultural spending, under a deal struck by EU leaders Feb. 8. Agriculture’s budget supremacy was secured after France and other major farming nations thwarted attempts by Britain and […] Read more
Horsemeat scandal to spur tougher EU food tests
The European Commission has proposed increased DNA testing of meat products to assess the scale of a scandal involving horsemeat sold as beef that has shocked the public and raised concern over the continent’s food supply chains. "The tests will be on DNA in meat products in all member states," European Union health commissioner Tonio […] Read more
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