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Thu 31 October 2024| View online Estimated reading time: 4-5 minutes |
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Welcome to your daily Agrifood Pro Briefing. In today’s edition, we’re bringing you a fresh story straight from the farm, plus insights into EU enlargement, the latest on the next Commission, and more.
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| | French organic milk producers struggle as industry cuts purchases |
| After dairy giant Lactalis decided to cut its milk purchases in France by 9%, farmers are sounding the alarm about the stormy conditions facing organic milk producers. Christophe Diss, a farmer in Strasbourg affected by the company’s decision, told Sofia and Hugo that consumers were turning their backs on organic milk.
With collection rates falling in France and other EU countries, farmers are offered an alternative to maintain their income: give up the organic certification and return to conventional milk production. Read the full story here. |
| | | Niinistö warns of 'weaponisation of everything', food security risks |
| Finland’s former president Sauli Niinistö yesterday (30 October) unveiled his proposals on how the EU should brace for security challenges, including “growing competition over food” and the risk of “serious disruptions to supply chains”.
“The EU (...) finds itself in a world that is characterised by the weaponisation of everything and, with this, the securitisation of everything,” the report reads, denouncing Russia’s “deliberated distortions” of Ukrainian grain exports and fertiliser supply chains.
With calls to strengthen the bloc’s food security gaining traction in recent years, Niinistö warned of the food sector’s vulnerability geopolitical tensions, but also of environmental threats like land degradation and limited access to water.
He also proposed a "whole of society" approach, urging EU-level stockpiling of essential resources, including food and basic chemicals for water purification. |
| Ombudsman asks Commission to reopen Wojciechowski's alleged conflict of interest case |
| The way the European Commission handled an alleged conflict of interest case involving EU farming chief Janusz Wojciechowski was "flawed", the EU Ombudsman has found. The watchdog for good administration urged the EU executive to review the specific case and the decision-making process on similar cases.
The decision relates to a case brought by Polish farmers' organisation Dzierżawcy.pl, which asked the Commission in 2022 to check whether a 2016 national law excluding some farmers from CAP payments was in line with EU rules. Wojciechowski’s brother, Grzegorz, was one of the promoters of the law. The Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI), headed by Wojciechowski, was responsible for the infringement procedure.
The farmers' organisation notified the EU executive of a possible conflict of interest in 2023, but received no response. The Commission closed the infringement case in October that year.
Our reporter in Warsaw, Aleksandra Krzysztosze, has dug into the details. |
| | | Várhely’s experience on animal welfare questioned by key MEP |
| German lawmaker Peter Liese (EPP) has expressed doubts on whether Hungary’s commissioner-designate Olivér Várhelyi would be a good pick to oversee EU animal welfare policies, which will again be included in the health portfolio. “He has not worked with animal welfare at all (...) for the moment, it is not at all clear if he has some vision here,” Liese, the EPP’s environment spokesperson, told journalists yesterday (30 October).
While acknowledging Várhelyi’s experience in health policies, Liese said there was concern in the Parliament about giving such “important” portfolio to a member of Viktor Orbán’s party. The MEP warned that the hearing of the Hungarian candidate, taking place next Wednesday (6 November) would not be an easy one.
“The problem is, if we reject him completely, what do we get from Orbán?” Liese asked, suggesting that the Hungarian prime minister could retaliate by not presenting another candidate. “If [Várhelyi] really shows that he is not capable, we need to take that risk. But if he does a good hearing, there may be other options,” he added.
Liese calls on next climate chief to open up CO2 rules for cars to biofuels The EPP lawmaker also told journalists he wanted the climate commissioner-designate Wopke Hoekstra to open up the EU’s future car tailpipe emissions framework to biofuels. “I think the [2026] review should not only look at e-fuels, but also a limited part of biofuels,” he said.
“I'm not saying that all the gasoline and diesel can be replaced by biofuel, but there can be a role for it and that should be clearly defined,” he added, pointing to a city in his constituency where cars already run on biogas from waste. |
| | | Macron in Morocco to boost wheat diplomacy |
| French President Emmanuel Macron dedicated the grand finale of his official visit to Morocco (28-30 October) to cooperation on agriculture. Macron is the first EU leader to visit the Kingdom since the EU Court of Justice annulled the fisheries and agriculture agreement, on 4 October. He sought to strengthen agricultural ties with the Kingdom against the backdrop of the competition with Russia for wheat supplies.
Hugo has all the details. |
| | | | Gijs Schilthuis has been appointed Director for Sustainability at the Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI), the EU executive announced in a press release. Schilthuis, a Dutch national, is currently Head of Unit for Policy Perspectives unit at DG AGRI, where he has worked for 16 years. “The date of effect is to be determined at a later stage,” the release stated.
Elisabetta Siracusa has been appointed Director for International Affairs in DG AGRI. Currently Principal Advisor in the Regulatory Scrutiny Board, Siracusa has worked in DG AGRI for many years. She was on the staff of former Commissioner Phil Hogan as Deputy Head of Cabinet, when he was in charge of the Agriculture (2014-19) and Trade portfolio (2019-20). |
| | | Commission: mixed picture for Ukraine, Serbia’s agri-food sectors |
| The EU executive yesterday (30 October) published its 2024 Enlargement Package, which outlines the steps taken by neighbouring countries seeking to join the bloc. As far as their agri-food sector is concerned, the neighbours must align with a wide range of EU policies and standards, ranging from phytosanitary rules to rural development.
The Commission said Ukraine remains at “an early stage of preparation” in this field and highlighted the importance of the draft national strategy for agriculture that Kyiv promised to adopt by the end of the year. The report also mentioned two key pieces of legislation in the pipeline: a law on the association of agricultural producers to align with the EU’s common market organisation (CMO), and a law on plant health.
The EU executive acknowledged "some progress” in food safety and veterinary policies but said that the production of animal products in Ukraine is, however, still not in line with EU rules.
In its assessment of Serbia, the largest agricultural exporter in the Western Balkans, the Commission reported "limited progress” in rural development and warned that Belgrade risked further losses of the EU’s pre-accession assistance (IPARD) funds. The findings also highlight shortcomings in Serbia’s efforts to match the EU’s CMO and quality policy.
You can check the reports of other neighbouring countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Türkiye) here. |
| | | | Madrid – Devastating floods in Valencia cause millions in damage to agriculture Farmers in the eastern Spanish region of Valencia are bracing for economic losses running into millions of euros after the worst floods of the century destroyed hundreds of hectares and claimed more than 90 lives. According to preliminary figures from the Spanish farmers' organisation COAG, 35,000 hectares of vineyards and 5,000 hectares of almond trees have been flooded in the Requena-Utiel region, while 100% of Valencia's persimmon and mandarin production could be lost. They have also estimated 100% losses in all vegetable farms around the city of Valencia. The organisations noted that most producers have not yet been able to access their crops as the alert is still active.
For more details on the impact of the floods in Spain, see Euractiv's partner media organisation Efeagro's coverage.
Paris – Three Farms fined for spraying glyphosate too close to a river The Court of Valence (Drôme department) issued orders in favour of the Générations Futures against three farms for spraying glyphosate too close to a watercourse, the plaintiff NGO announced in a press release. According to the ruling, the farmers violated the no-treatment zones, introduced by the national government in 2019 to impose a minimum pesticide treatment distance from a water body. For glyphosate, this distance is five metres. |
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| | | Today’s briefing was prepared by the Agrifood team; Angelo Di Mambro, Maria Simon Arboleas, Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro, and Hugo Struna. Share your feedback or information with us at digital@euractiv.com. |
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