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...

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.

Biological Sciences Reinforced to Tackle Big Issues
EU - Three new EU research infrastructures on biological sciences will help tackle climate change, disease and threats to the food supply.

NFU Responds to Livestock Emissions Report
UK - A major study to estimate the emissions from livestock across the EU has been published. Evaluation of the livestock sector’s contribution to the EU greenhouse gas emissions was commissioned...

No Environmental Impact of Zn, Cu Used in Nutrition
EU - Overall, the environmental risks are generally acceptable at the current time with regard to zinc and copper in animal nutrition, according to a new report from the European Food Safety Authority...

EFSA: Cautious Approval of Manure Lime Treatment
EU - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) judges that the treatment of dry pig or poultry manure batch-wise with quick lime and heated was effective in destroying pathogens but it warns that its opinion...

Future of EU's Farming Policy Under the Spotlight
EU - The share of the EU's budget for Europe's Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) has been cut from 75 per cent in 1985 to around 40 per cent today.

IPPC Changes Threaten Pig Farm Viability
EU - A new round of red-tape threatens the viability of European pig and poultry farms, warned farmers union Copa-Cogeca today.

CAP and Agriculture Held in High Regard
EU - The Eurobarometer results of EU citizens' views towards the CAP have been published. A cursory glance indicates that the UK responses are broadly in line with the European results, possibly the biggest...

Agriculture Can Help Slow Climate Change
EU - Agriculture can help to slow climate change, but should be ready to adapt to the impact of global warming, said Agriculture Committee MEPs and scientists at a public hearing on yesterday (27 Janu...

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...

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...

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...

IPPC Should Not Include Smaller Pig Farms
EU - The pig industry has had some success with its amendments to the proposed "recast" IPPC. However it failed to persuade sufficient MEPs from other countries that IPPC should not be extended to include...

Ministers Reject Industrial Pollution 'Safety Net'
EU - A proposal, backed by Germany and Austria, to place a cap on noxious emissions spewed out by a wide range of industries, including steel, chemicals and processed food plants, is set to be voted down...

EC Orientation Debate on Animal Cloning
EU - The College of Commissioners held an orientation debate on 13 January 2009 regarding the cloning of farm animals for food production to see if the EU’s current regulatory framework is sufficient...

EU Says Livestock Emissions May Mean Less Meat
EU - The European Parliament warned about the livestock industry’s emissions while stopping short of urging a reduction in meat consumption to fight global warming.