 | | Tue 8 October 2024| View online Estimated reading time: 4-5 minutes |
| Hello Welcome to your daily Agrifood Pro Briefing. We have a packed newsletter with the key questions agriculture MEPs will be asking Commissioners, plus all the latest updates from the Parliament in Strasbourg.
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| | AGRI’s questions for Hansen |
| Euractiv has obtained the list of questions that MEPs on agriculture will pose to Luxembourg’s Commissioner-designate Christophe Hansen, tapped by Ursula von der Leyen for the farming portfolio.
You can read the full list here, but if you're after the key takeaways, here are the highlights:
Farmers and supply chain: Hansen will be asked to outline his “vision on agriculture and food,” set to be revealed within his first 100 days—by March 2025—following President von der Leyen’s directive. There are familiar demands for cutting red tape for farmers and reinforcing their position in the supply chain. The Commission has already slashed several environmental obligations under the CAP this year for the sake of "simplification."
EU enlargement: With Ukraine, an agricultural heavyweight, eyeing EU membership, MEPs want to know how its accession could affect CAP payments and the broader agricultural market, including the issue of food imports. A recent analysis suggests the EU may need to significantly reduce farmer payments or cap them if Ukraine joins the bloc.
Crises and resilience: MEPs will press Hansen on how to bolster resilience in the agriculture sector, which is increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather and geopolitical crises. Water resilience will also be a key point, especially after the Commission shelved its previous water initiative – planned for early 2024.
Sustainability and CAP funding: While MEPs largely assume the sector is contributing to climate and environmental goals, they’ll want to know how Hansen plans to maintain support for farmers - especially since data shows agricultural emissions have barely decreased since 2008. The CAP budget—and whether it should be increased—will also be on the table.
The livestock dilemma: Hansen will have to tread carefully on livestock policy. Right-wing groups, along with some left-leaning MEPs, will expect him to prioritize livestock in EU farming policy. Meanwhile, pro-environment lawmakers will be pushing for a shift towards plant-based diets, as recommended in the EU's strategic dialogue. |
| And same goes for Hungary’s Várhelyi |
| Hungary’s Olivér Várhelyi, nominated for the health and animal welfare portfolio, is set to face questions from both the AGRI and ENVI committees. Euractiv has also secured AGRI’s list of questions.
You can check them out in full or keep reading for a quick summary of what MEPs will be asking.
Animal welfare: The Commission had promised a full overhaul of the EU’s animal welfare legislation, but so far they have only proposed new rules for transport. Whether the Hungarian Commissioner will push through with the rest remains to be seen, but this is a critical issue for many MEPs, as we saw in last year's hearings with Šefčovič and Hoekstra.
Animal diseases: The Hungarian nominee will also face questions on animal disease prevention, member state coordination, and vaccine research, as the EU grapples with outbreaks of at least five different diseases affecting farm animals.
Pesticide use: After the Commission’s failed attempt last mandate to push for a 50% reduction in pesticide use, MEPs are now turning their attention to approving new substances, including biopesticides, which currently face lengthy and cumbersome approval processes. |
| | As a committee invited to the hearing, AGRI will be able to ask one question (here) to Italy’s Rafaele Fitto, nominated for the vice-presidency for cohesion and reforms, and overseeing agriculture and fisheries. He will be questioned about rural areas, improving quality of life for its inhabitants and ensuring that support funds and policies are complementary.
If you haven't had enough of AGRI's, we've also got our hands on ENVI's questions to the Commissioners-designate (including Hansen, Várhelyi, Kadis and Roswall). Check them out here. |
| | | EP committee opposes CAP cuts in 2025 budget |
| The European Parliament's budget committee has adopted its position on the figures for the EU budget for 2025, with a view to approving the final report next week and the mandate for negotiations with the Council at the second plenary session in October (21-24). Compared to the draft budget presented by the Commission last June, MEPs called for an increase of €21 million for the fruit and vegetable sector, €40 million for young farmers, €10 million for the CAP schools' scheme and €25 million for promotion programmes.
MEPs also want the LIFE programme and the other programmes for biodiversity, the circular economy and the promotion of clean energy, as well as the European Environment Agency, to be protected from proposed cuts.The compromise approved on the Heading 3 of the budget (natural resources and CAP) can be found here. |
| Nagy faces grilling from AGRI MEPs |
| Hungarian Agriculture Minister István Nagy yesterday (7 October) reminded the AGRI committee of the state of play on several key dossiers. MEPs from across the political spectrum asked Nagy about the New Genomic Techniques (NGTs) file, which he denied Budapest wanted to block when it submitted further questions to EU countries in July. "We opened up a new negotiation opportunity to get out of the position were stuck in," he added.
On the Plant Reproductive Material (PRM) dossier, Nagy said Hungary only expected a progress report due to “many unresolved issues”. Meanwhile, on forest reproductive material, he said the presidency would do its “utmost” to reach a position.
The minister also ruled out a position on new animal transport rules, instead pointing to a progress report by December – one year after the proposal was presented by the Commission. |
| Debate on animal health postponed |
| The “question time” with Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, originally scheduled for today (8 October), has been postponed to the next plenary (21 to 24 October) due to "health reasons" on the part of the EU executive, Euractiv has learned. |
| | | Trade, the future CAP, Baltic Sea quotas in the AGRIFISH agenda |
| According to EU sources, national delegations agreed yesterday (7 October) to hold a debate at the next meeting of agriculture and fisheries ministers (21-22 October, Luxembourg) on how the EU can ensure that farmers benefit from trade. The Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) formulated the question to guide the debate, following a presentation by the Commission to member states on the current agri-food trade balance and the state of play of the ongoing negotiations.
The bloc's executive stressed the positive impact of trade on the EU's agrifood sector. On the negotiating front, the first round with the Philippines will start this month, while talks with Ukraine, India and Thailand are underway. The EU-Chile agreement awaits ratification by Chile. For Mercosur, the Commission reiterated that more time is needed, particularly to address issues concerning deforestation and climate.
The provisional agenda for the October meeting of agriculture ministers includes fisheries, with the annual quotas for the Baltic Sea, adoption of the Council conclusions on the future of the CAP (to be discussed by national delegations next Friday), exchange of views on animal diseases, plant pests, consumer information and labelling. |
| | | Farmer, worker groups call for revision of UTPs directive |
| “To insert purchasing agricultural and food products under the cost of production in the Unfair Trading Practices (UTPs) Directive black list (...) should be the first agricultural policy measure taken by the EU institutions once the Commission starts its new mandate," said a coalition of European farmer and agrifood worker organisations in an open letter sent yesterday (7 October) to the presidents of the Commission, the Parliament and the AGRIFISH Council.
Selling or buying below cost is currently not part of the "black" practices banned by the UTPs Directive, nor is it part of the "grey" practices allowed if agreed between the supplier and the buyer. Four member states (Spain, Croatia, Hungary and Italy) have taken a stricter approach and introduced such a provision. |
| | | Ombudsman urges improved transparency on food labelling |
| The EU Ombudsman has urged the Commission to improve the transparency of its legislative documents after it rejected two requests for access relating to the announced review of food labelling rules (front-of-pack nutritional information, origin, date marking and list of ingredients in alcohol). The complainant, the association FoodWatch, had asked the Commission for access to all impact assessments and other documents, which the Commission's executive refused on the grounds that the decision-making process was ongoing.
Last February, the Ombudsman found another instance of "maladministration" in the handling of lobbying against the front-of-pack nutrition label Nutri-Score, following a complaint by BEUC. "One of the core principles of the EU is its openness in decision-making," BEUC's Emma Calvert told Euractiv, "but the repeated failure to meet these standards on front-of-pack nutrition labelling raises concerns about how decisions are made and influenced." |
| | | | Rome – Italy takes renewed action against African swine fever Italian authorities want to prevent the spread of African swine fever (ASF) building barriers on motorways and closing natural or artificial crossing points for wild boars, the new national contingency plan states. The ordonnance includes guidelines on biosecurity measures for wild boar culling in areas subject to restrictions. Only appointed specialised companies, the army, provincial police, operators qualified in wildlife control, can hunt wild boars, ANSA news agency reported.
Dublin – Ireland kickstarts first ever agrifood trade mission to Thailand State official Pippa Hackett is leading Ireland’s agrifood trade mission to Thailand and Vietnam this week, including ministerial meetings in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to expand economic ties in sectors such as meat, dairy and seafood. Ireland’s total agri-food exports to the two countries amounted to €98.8 million in 2023, with dairy exports being the largest category. |
| | | | | Today’s brief was brought to you by Euractiv’s Agrifood team |
| | | 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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