Guidance Document on Pig Protection Endorsed
EU - EU Member States endorsed yesterday at SCoFCAH a guidance document on control and surveillance measures to protect pigs against the H1N1 influenza virus.

Monsanto Welcomes EU Approval of its GM Maize
EU - Monsanto's YieldGard VT® corn technologies have received European Union regulatory approval.

EU Moves to Improve Animal Welfare Labelling
EU - A new European Commission report has launched a political debate over animal welfare labelling. The aim is to make it easier for consumers to identify more animal welfare-friendly food products.

EFSA Proposal: Feed Vitamin A Could Risk Deficiency
EU - The UK's National Pig Association (NPA) is calling on European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) to re-consider its latest proposal on maximum vitamin A levels in pig feeds.

European Agricultural Commissioner Steps Down
EU - Mariann Fischer Boel, the European commissioner for agriculture and rural development, has announced that she will not seek a second term in the post.

New Rules for Animal By-products
EU - The European Council has adopted a regulation modernising the EU rules for animal by-products, following a first-reading agreement with the European Parliament.

Feed Shortage Ahead for EU Farmers
EU - The Commissioner has warned agriculture ministers that disputes over genetically modified (GM) crops between Member States will cause imminent feed shortages.

New EU Import Controls on Feed Ingredients
EU - The Commission has adopted a new regulation for import controls on certain food and feed of non-animal origin. It will come into force at the end of January 2010.

Can the EU Uphold Zero Tolerance to GM feed?
EU - A new report out this week implies that the European Union may not be able to uphold their zero tolerance policy agains GM crops and feed, due to soaring market costs for natural products.

Zero-tolerance Could Make Pig Farming Untenable
EU - High prices and supply bottlenecks in Europe due to the low-level-presence of non-authorised GM grains may force livestock farmers to relocate outside the European Union, according to a new study...

Roadmap to Boost European Agro-food Industry
EU - The EU’s food industry is not excluded from today’s economic downturn. To give this important industry sector fresh impetus, European Commission Vice President Günter Verheugen and Commissioners Mariann...

EU Ministers Agree Not to Extend Pollution Directive
EU - At the end of the first stage of negotiations, Environment Ministers have agreed not to extend the scope of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive (IPPC) to cover smaller...

EU Ministers Agree To New Slaughterhouse Rules
EU - Conditions for animals at the time of killing will improve considerably from 1 January 2013, when a regulation, agreed by the European Council and providing for a series of practical measures to ensure...

European Pig Meat Supply Chain Probe
EU - Ministers from a number of European countries are continuing to highlight the discrepancy between producer and supermarket prices.

New EU Feed Rules Will Improve Food Safety
EU - The European Commission has welcomed the adoption of new feed regulation that will further strengthen food safety in the EU. They will simplify and modernise procedures for labelling and marketing...

McDonalds Launches Flagship Farms Programme
EU - Fast food restaurant chain McDonald's Europe has launched a new Flagship Farms programme, designed to promote and share the benefits of sustainable agricultural practices via real case studies from...

Place of Farming Legislation Planned for Next Year
EU - Brussels’ “place-of-farming” communication published last week sets out ideas as to how Europe’s food quality policy should evolve in the years ahead, says farm commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel.

European Commission Proposes New Labelling Rules
EU - Action is needed to improve communication about the qualities of agricultural products — to help reconnect farmers with consumers. Quality labelling schemes must also be easier for people to use and...

Breeding for Profitability
EU - Following on from the article on PIC Profit Equations (4 March 2009), which explained the...

Efforts to Prevent IPPC Extension Stepped Up
UK - The European Commission's bid to extend IPPC to embrace all breed-to-finish pig units above 200 sows will be discussed next week by the European Agricultural Union (COPA).

Measures to Cut Risk of Importing Animal Diseases
EU - A regulation on the introduction into the European Union of small quantities of animal products intended for personal consumption – a measure that will help reduce the risks of importing serious animal...

Completion of Animal Feed Assessment by EFSA
EU - EFSA’s Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) has just completed the final opinion in a series of 30 risks assessments undertaken over the last 5 years looking at undesirable substances...

Stricter Transport Rules Equal More Expensive Meat
EU - The European Commission has admitted proposals to reduce livestock journey times and stocking densities may lead to a “slight increase” in meat prices for consumers.

EFSA RE-Evaluates Ractopamine Safety
EU - European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has re-evaluated the safety of the growth promoter, ractopamine, in pig feed.

EFSA Study MRSA Link of Humans and Livestock
EU - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published an opinion on the public health significance of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in animals and foods.