Policy Sections
Mini Sections
A record number of 7,354 of food safety alerts and notifications were sent out through the EU's rapid alert system last year. Over a fifth of the alerts concerned fish products contaminated by heavy metals, while most of the products notified came from China.
An attempt by the EU's trade chief to impress his counterparts at global trade negotiations in Geneva with a pledge to cut the bloc's agricultural tariffs by as much as 60% fell flat as both France and Brazil denied the proposals were anything new.
In a bid to reduce its dependency on imported oil and tackle global warming, EU leaders have committed to raising the share of biofuels in transport to 10% by 2020, but concerns are growing that increased biofuel production could in fact lead to mass deforestation and food shortages. (read more)
Bioenergies are derived from wood, waste and agricultural crops for transport uses (biofuels). (read more)
Further CAP reforms, such as abolishing outdated production quotas, eliminating country-specific arrangements and capping subsidies, will be inevitable in coming years, both to comply with the Commission's Better Regulation Agenda and to obtain a broader societal acceptance of the EU's farm policy. (read more)