April marked the turning point for the negotiations on some matters in the Strategic Plan regulation, notably on the eco-schemes. In fact, the Portuguese presidency proposed a compromise on the ring-fencing of funds under the first pillar that would include 22% during the learning period (2023-24) to be raised at 25% in 2025. During their […]

March has seen many institutional meetings concerning the CAP negotiations that led, eventually, closer to a general agreement between Council and Parliament. In fact, EP Agricultural Commission discussed the advancement in trilogues, as did the Minsters, before the end-of-the-month “Super-trilogue” which resembled the negotiating teams of all three legislative files at once. The outcomes resulted […]

While in the U.K (England) the debate on changing the legislation on gene editing has started, the U.S Department for Agriculture took some step further to loosen rules on genetically engineered animals. In the EU, the independent group on Ethics that advises the Commission’s executive, published its opinion on gene-editing, according to which an inclusive […]

The month of March 2021 was marked by the 4-month suspension of tariffs between the US and the EU, including products in the agri-food sector; further Brexit-implications for the livestock market and the fate of thousands of cattle on a livestock ship in Spain. At European level, the AGRI Committee met on March 4th to […]

In the month of March 2021, Estonia, Slovenia, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Ireland, Belgium and Cyprus have approved aids for sectors or companies affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The US has announced a new COVID-19 aid scheme for farmers, which will reach a broader group of beneficiaries than previous schemes, putting greater emphasis on […]

In the wine sector, the month of March 2021 was marked by the decision to suspend tariffs in the Boeing-Airbus dispute for four months. After the long-standing dispute, the US will no longer collect 25% tariffs on French, German and Spanish wines, while the EU will no longer collect 25% tariffs on US products, including […]

Researchers at the Illinois University found that Crispr-Cas9 is more efficient in some parts of the genome, notably the less-tightly wound regions of the genome. The distribution of Covid-19 vaccines around Europe reopens the debate on under which circumstances NBTs can be used or not, while in China, cutting-edge research is underway, and scientists may […]

During the month of February 2021, CAP reform regulatory files have gone through little changes and progress during the trilogues negotiations. According to the Parliament, the Council has adopted a “stubborn” attitude towards amendments proposed by the other co-legislator, making it difficult to find compromises on the three files. The Farm to Fork Strategy was […]

The month of February 2021 has been marked by discussions on a French recovery plan for biosecurity and animal welfare, Ireland’s first animal welfare strategy and the proposal of a national animal welfare label in Italy. At European level, the Beating Cancer Plan of the European Commission was published on February 3rd, 2021 – causing […]

In February 2021, several countries have approved aids for sectors or companies affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. At European level, the aid package for winegrowers has been extended by a year on February 4th, 2021. Following outbreaks of COVID-19 in mink farms, the EFSA calls for better monitoring of mink farms by testing animals and […]