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Thu 7 November 2024| View online Estimated reading time: 4-5 minutes |
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Welcome to your daily Agrifood Pro Briefing. Today’s issue is packed with the latest on the Commissioner-designate hearings, but also news on EU anti-deforesation rules and a reshuffle of competences among Parliament committees.
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| | | EPP seeks to reopen EU deforestation rules ahead of plenary vote |
| The EPP has tabled 15 amendments to change some elements of the EU's anti-deforestation rules (EUDR), as the text is due to be voted on by the European Parliament at its next plenary session, in Brussels on 14 November. The amendments, seen by Euractiv, were tabled by German MEP Christine Schneider on behalf of the EPP group and propose to delay the entry into force of the rules by two years.
Background: On 2 October, the Commission proposed a one-year extension of the transitional period for the enforcement of the EUDR, which applies to soy, livestock, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, rubber and timber produced both inside and outside the EU. The Council has already approved the Commission's proposal, on 16 October.
In an effort to exempt EU countries from the rules, the EPP wants to create a 'no risk' category for countries where the risk of deforestation is 'negligible or non-existent', with simplified requirements. The centre-right group is also seeking to exclude traders from the EUDR requirements to avoid “unnecessary administrative burden and the additional costs implied,” reads the text.
Left-wing groups had repeatedly called on the centre-right not to reopen the legislation and to stick to the one-year delay proposed by the Commission. Speaking to Euractiv, Greens/EFA coordinator for agriculture Thomas Waitz accused the EPP of breaking the original pact, in which the Greens agreed to an urgent procedure only to get a one-year delay.
"This is clearly not what we actually signed up to," said Waitz, adding that the EPP wanted to "water down the regulation".
Today, a coalition of food and commodity giants including Nestlé, Ferrero, SIPH, Michelin and Carrefour is calling on policymakers not to weaken the EUDR. “The threat of reopening the regulation caused by the delay leaves companies uncertain and risks disrupting compliance efforts and investments,” reads a joint press release. |
| | | Várhelyi fails 1st shot to secure Commission job |
| AGRI and ENVI coordinators decided last night (6 November) to send additional written questions to Health and Animal Welfare Commissioner-designate Olivér Várhelyi after the Hungarian failed to convince MEPs during a tough grilling on issues ranging from human health to the ban on cages for farm animals and food innovation.
Maria brought you the key takeaways from the hearing, including his go-to answer when asked about controversial lab-grown meat and crops and gene-edited crops: opt-outs for member states.
The candidate was pressed on his plans for animal welfare, to which he responded by repeatedly stressed the need for a “balanced” approach that protects livestock farmers’ competitiveness.
Parliament sources told Euractiv that the additional questions, including on animal welfare, will be sent today. The coordinators will give Várhelyi until next Monday (11 November) to reply, after which they will meet again to take a decision.
Ahead of Várhelyi’s hearing, NGOs unveiled a petition - signed by 260.000 people – calling on the next EU executive to place pesticide reduction high in the agenda.
The promoters of the initiative, Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe and environmental activist platforms Ekō and WeMove, issued a press release denouncing “the current course” of action in agricultural and environmental policy and calling for ambitious reduction targets. |
| | Cypriot Costas Kadis is set to become the new Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, after Parliament's political coordinators backed his candidacy late yesterday (6 November) evening. As was the case with agriculture commissioner-to-be Christophe Hansen, only the Patriots for Europe, the Left and Europe of Sovereign Nations parties voted against.
“My background in science, in government posts and as an islander myself have prepared and motivated me for this role,” the Cypriot said during his hearing. Read the full report by Hugo. Following the hearing, the NGO Oceana congratulated Kadis but regretted that issues such as bottom fishing were not addressed. “This hearing makes it look like the same harmful practices that have damaged our seas will just carry on,” added on X Cyrielle Goldberg, Marine Policy Officer at BirdLife International.
On the fishermen's side, the European Association of Fish Producers Organisations (EAPO) welcomed the Kadis' emphasis on the importance of increasing producer aggregation. |
| | Environment Commissioner-designate Jessika Roswall (EPP, Sweden) was confirmed yesterday (6 November) by the required qualified majority of ENVI coordinators, including her own party, S&D, Renew and the nationalist ECR. But the confirmation procedure took longer than expected.
The hearing took place the day before, during which the candidate showed weaknesses in several dossiers. An agreement was reached yesterday, along with the decision to support another controversial candidate, Hadja Lahbib (Renew, Belgium). Nicoletta and Niko exposed the political compromise behind the double green light.
In the new von der Leyen Commission, Roswall will have to draw up an EU water strategy to tackle the impact of water scarcity, especially on agriculture, and explore the feasibility of a "nature credit" scheme to reward farmers for taking measures to restore ecosystems and peatlands. |
| | | SANT to become fully-fledged committee, ENVI retains food and pesticides |
| The leaders of the centre-right, socialist and liberal groups have clarified the powers of a new European Parliament committee on Public Health (SANT), currently a subcommittee of the Parliament's Environment Committee (ENVI), following on-and-off negotiations in recent months. ENVI would maintain food safety legislation and pesticides, according draft document on the agreement seen by Euractiv. Sofia has all the details on the split. |
| Fruit, vegetable regions call for exemptions from packaging rules |
| There is an "absolute need for a single list of exemptions" so that new packaging rules do not disrupt the European fruit and vegetable market, according to regional representatives, MEPs, growers and the packaging industry attending the first annual forum of the Assembly of European Fruit, Vegetable and Horticultural Regions (AREFLH).
The new EU rules on packaging waste introduce restrictions on certain single-use plastic packaging for fruit and vegetables, but also require the Commission to publish guidelines "containing an indicative list of fruits and vegetables" excluded from the application of the restrictions.
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| EU platform to tackle fraud in honey kicks off |
| The EU “Honey Platform”, an expert group to advise the Commission with advice on honey authenticity and traceability, held its first meeting yesterday (6 November).
Aiming to improve consumer information oncertain food products, the EU adopted the “breakfast directives” last April, which include rules requiring honey blends to show the countries of origin on the label of the jar.
During his confirmation hearing on Monday (4 November), Agriculture commissioner-to be Christophe Hansen acknowledged the progress made in increasing transparency in the labelling of the origin of honey and pledged to continue working to combat food fraud. |
| | | Farm Europe, Trump to affect trade and the Green Deal |
| With the return of Donald Trump to the White House, the EU agri-food industry is bracing for increased tariffs and rising costs for exports to the US, the bloc's second most important market for shipments, worth €27 billion in 2023 (with €11.7 billion in imports). Trump's plan, repeated as a mantra throughout the campaign, is to impose tariffs of 10-20% on "everything" entering the US market (60% for Chinese goods).
Such a scenario would affect EU companies and farms, but is not the most likely, according to an analysis of the think tank Farm Europe.
Instead, the US could increase its tariffs on selected products and countries. "The outlook for EU agriculture exports to the US would depend on which products would be targeted by US higher tariffs," Farm Europe’s Joao Pacheco wrote, "but the prospect is real".
According to the former deputy director general of Dg Agri, the new US administration could "provide an opportunity" to "retool the Green Deal" and its pillars, such as the Emissions Trading System (ETS), launched in 2005, and the ETS-based Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) for imports, due to become fully operational in 2026. |
| OECD, support to farmers totaling €800 billion yearly |
| In 2021-23 the total support to farmers and the agricultural sector in over 50 countries in the world averaged $842 billion per year (€784,5 billion), the OECD reported in their annual report assessing global agricultural policies. Support remains concentrated in a few large economies, with the Union sharing 13% of the pie, less than the US (15%), India (14%) and China (37%).
In the 54 countries covered by the report the support to agriculture declined if compared to the post pandemic peak (2021), but remains record highs although still “not sufficiently” directed at innovation, productivity and sustainability, the report states. |
| | | NGO says EU must lead by example in fight against illegal fishing |
| In a few hours' time, the NGO Fondation de la mer will present a report highlightingthe scale of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, showing that between 11% and 19% of the world's fish is caught illegally.
While the EU already uses a system of sanctions that allows termporary access denial to the single market to the seafood coming from countries that do not fight illegal fishing properly, the bloc could use it "more systematically" while remaining "exemplary" on its side, Sabine Roux de Bézieux, president of the Fondation de la mer, told Euractiv.
The foundation recommends that the EU train diplomats to influence third countries and international organisations - the FAO, IMO, WTO, etc. - as part of a"fisheries diplomacy" strategy. The survey will be available at 11am on the Fondation de la merwebsite. |
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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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