Public Resistance Ousts GM Crops From EU
EUROPE - Public resistance to genetically modified crops has ensured that the area grown in Europe in 2011 remained at 0.1 per cent of all arable land, shows figures released yesterday by Friends of the...

EU Sets New MRL for Altrenogest
EU - A new maximum residue limit (MRL) for altrenogest in pig tissues has been set.

New Report Reveals Use of Irradiation in EU Foods
ANALYSIS - A new report published by the European Commission (EC) recently reveals that more than 9,000 tonnes of food were irradiated in the European Union in 2010. The main findings are summarised by...

Only Seven Countries Ready for Sow Stalls Ban
EU - Only three member countries — United Kingdom, Sweden and Luxembourg — are already compliant with Europe's partial stalls ban due to enter into force in January 2013, according to the European...

Views Sought on How EU Can Produce Sustainably
EU - By 2050 the global population is set to reach 9 billion people and worldwide demand for food, feed and fibre is forecast to increase by 70 per cent. To thrive in that context, economies will need...

Why Should Spain Call for Moratorium of EC Rules?
ANALYSIS - This week the Spanish farmers issued a plea to their ministry of agriculture to intercede on their behalf to gain time with the European Commission over the introduction of enriched cages for...

Salmonella Cases Reduced by Almost One-half
EU - Salmonella – a bacterium causing salmonellosis in humans – was until 2005 the most common food-borne disease in European Union (EU) with almost 200.000 reported human cases that year. It is estimated...

Guidelines for Risk Assessment of Animal Welfare
EU - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published pioneering guidelines laying out, for the first time, a standardised methodology for the risk assessment of animal welfare.

EFSA Guidance for Food & Feed from GM Animals
EU - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published guidance for the risk assessment of food and feed derived from GM animals and on related animal health and welfare aspects.

Animal Responses Effective for Evaluating Welfare
EU - Animal-based measures to assess the welfare of dairy cows and pigs are effective and should be used wherever possible, according to recent scientific advice from the European Food Safety Authority...

CAP Celebrates 50th Birthday
ANALYSIS - This year, the Common Agricultural Policy celebrates its 50th birthday.

Measures to Manage Markets Needs Strengthening
EU - In the wake of increased market volatility, Copa-Cogeca welcomed yesterdays EU Farm Ministers debate on measures needed to manage agricultural markets, and called for them to be strengthened. In particular,...

Launch of 50th Anniversary of CAP Campaign
EU – The European Commission has launched the CAP@50 communication campaign to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Common Agricultural Policy, a cornerstone of European integration, that has provided...

Does the Animal Welfare Strategy Go Far Enough?
ANALYSIS - Today, the European Commission has adopted a new four-year strategy that aims to further improve the welfare of animals in the European Union, writes Charlotte Johnston, editor of ThePigSite....

Animal Protein Feed for Fish Only, Says FEFAC
EU - Last year, the European Commission put forward a proposal to lift the 11 year old feed ban for non-ruminant processed animal proteins (PAPs) to non-ruminant farm animals on scientific and sustainability...

EU Must Learn from Cage Ban, Say Pig Producers
EU - NFU Scotland has met EU Commission animal welfare staff asking that lessons be learned from the debacle that surrounded recent laying hen legislation ahead of the deadline for implementation of similar...

Agricultural Incomes - Not as Bright as They First Appear
ANALYSIS - The figures released by Eurostat this week on farm workers incomes and farm production in the EU on the surface appear to make happy reading, writes ThePigSite Editor in Chief, Chris Harris...

€14M for EU Reference Laboratories in 2012
EU - The European Commission has adopted the proposal endorsed by the Standing Committee of the Food Chain and Animal health held on 6 December 2011 to earmark €14 million for the support of EU Reference...

€236 Million Reallocated for Disease Control
EU - The Commission has today adopted the Commission's proposal endorsed by the Standing Committee of the Food Chain and Animal health held on 6 December to reallocate €236 million among Member States...

Ag Council Discusses Welfare and MRLs
EU - The Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting last week covered animal welfare during transport – a key area for the incoming Danish presidency - bluetongue vaccination, maximum residues limits...

To Green or Not to Green?
EU - Are farmers not green enough now and is greening of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) compatible with increased food production, were the topics of debate in Brussels yesterday. Charlotte Johnston,...

Greening of CAP Essential
ANALYSIS - Greening of farming often makes farmers see red, which appears to be the case with the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) proposals. Earlier this week, a panelist representing the EU, environmentalists...

UK & Denmark Will Meet Stall Ban but What About the Rest of EU?
EU ANALYSIS - The Danish pig industry will be ready to comply with the EU ban on traditional sow stalls when it comes into force in 2013, writes Chris Harris.

2015: Calls to Cut Antibiotic Use by 50 Per Cent
EU - A new alliance, consisting of Compassion in World Farming, The Soil Association and Sustain has called for the EU to cut the use of antibiotic by 50 per cent by 2015.

EU Cracks Down on Antimicrobial Use
EU - Antimicrobial resistance is a growing problem in the EU, according to the European Commission. Because of this, it has launched an action plan detailing 12 concrete actions to be implemented in close...

Welfare Under CAP Proposals Could be Neglected
EU - Small farmers will not be penalised for neglecting cross compliance, under new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) propsals.

Acquisition of KoroFrance by Cargill Cleared
EU - The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of the French company KoroFrance, the holding company of the animal feed Provimi Group, by the US based...

Need for a More Flexible and Productive CAP
EU - History and budget merge in the Common Agricultural Policy, making it one of the most important action plans for the EU. The discussion about the future CAP is not only crucial for farmers but for...

Ag Council Discusses Direct CAP Payments
EU - At the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, there were discussions on direct payments as the result of the CAP reform.

€214M Earmarked to Protect Human & Animal Health
EU - The EU has earmarked more than €203 million to support programmes to eradicate, control and monitor animal diseases and zoonoses, aiming to further strengthen the protection of human and animal...