British dairy officials are lobbying the European Union to stick to
its 2013 deadline for scrapping export subsidies, after nations
outside the bloc called for aid to end faster.
Europe's top dairy firms are at the centre of the row over European
Union export subsidies, after a new report revealed which UK
dairies are lapping up the aid.
Following plans in Europe to harmonise health claims in food
labelling, experts at Eversheds law firm claim any new rules will
have to overcome historical scepticism to be truly effective.
Levels of the cancer-causing PAH compounds in infant formula milk
on sale in Britain are below the limits set by the European Union
and pose no health risk, says the UK's food safety watchdog.
More upheaval in Britain's dairy sector looms over the next few
years as more than one in ten milk producers say they will leave
the sector, according to a new report.
The EU's legislators yesterday came up with a compromise deal on
nutritional claims, further watering down requirements originally
proposed by the European Commission, according to a newspaper
report.
The French government has set aside an extra €10m to aid
consolidation and restructuring in the country's dairy industry so
far in 2006, continuing its interventionist strategy for the
sector.
A new European Court of Justice ruling should provide Bank of
America with a degree of comfort over its recent travails with
Italian dairy giant Parmalat.
Self-regulation has become the mantra of food groups who argue that
laws are not always necessary - but can industry be trusted when it
has failed so spectacularly in the past?
The European Commission has raised export subsidies available for
butter for the second month running, bowing to pressure from member
states concerned at volatile markets.
Lactalis has the European Commission's blessing to complete its
takeover of Italian cheese producer Galbani, opening up new avenues
for the French giant in speciality cheese.
The UK dairy industry could profit from a drop in milk production,
said the chief executive of Arla UK on Tuesday, enabling the
industry to add value and raise earnings through the supply chain.
The European Commission's cuts to export subsidies for dairy
ingredients have survived a series of rows between Member States,
as tension grows on how the bloc can meet its commitments to the
World Trade Organisation talks.
Events over the past few months might have shaped the future of GM
food in Europe for decades to come. FoodNavigator looks at the
decisions that have influenced the proliferation of this
controversial technology.
Various quality assurance schemes used in the food industry should
remain voluntary, the bloc's food industry association says in
attempting to forestall planned EU legislation on the subject.
The EC has cleared Cargill's acquisition of Degussa's food
ingredients business after ruling that the move would not stifle
competition within the lecithin market.
Greencore, the ingredients and food service group, said EU sugar
reform would force it to pull out of the sugar sector this year,
effectively spelling the end of sugar processing in Ireland.
European members of parliament are due to vote today on proposed
changes to the bloc's geographical indications (GI) system in a bid
to comply with a World Trade Organisation decision.
The EU's packaging industry association has called on the European
Commission to crackdown on members states who break the rules under
the bloc's harmonised system of law.
Europe has no time for national champions if it is to compete in
the world, warned the European Commission president Wednesday, as
French president Jacques Chirac dismissed claims that France was
protectionist.
A top economic expert has warned against growing economic
nationalism in Europe, as reports say the French government will
move to protect 20 companies, including Danone and Carrefour, from
foreign takeovers.
Danisco says that the finalisation of the new EU sugar regime and
the recently announced transitional measures will not affect the
firm's planned efficiency drive.
The Czech Republic's dairy industry is facing a €7m (CK 200m) fine
as milk output is forecast to exceed the national quota for 2005/6
of 2.682 billion kilos.
Those demanding quicker CAP reform should bear in mind the current
speed of change and take into account the successful legacy of the
EU's food policy, argues the European agriculture commissioner.
Added value dairy products are the only path open to European
dairies if they are to stay competitive in the future, says Peter
Mandelson to the UK National Farmers' Union conference.
Regulators and industry representatives from across the EU
yesterday wrapped up a meeting in Rotterdam debating standardised
system for food labelling across the bloc.
Commodity products like butter and skimmed milk powder are likely
to lose out to higher value products in Europe, as the Common
Agricultural Policy reform takes hold, predicts the European
Commission.
The European Parliament yesterday approved legislation deregulating
package sizes for most pre-packed products, but excluding staple
beverages and foods.
The British pint of milk is unlikely to be at risk when the
European Parliament votes on proposals to change EU packaging laws
for consumer goods this week, says a spokesperson to
www.DairyReporter.com.
The first agriculture and fisheries council meeting under the
Austrian presidency of the EU, held today in Brussels, will set the
agenda for food industry reform in 2006.
Britain's dairy industry wants the government to extend its school
milk subsidy to secondary schools, after it emerged an extra €11m
in funding might still be available from the European Union.
It is ten years since the first large-scale planting of genetically
modified (GM) crops. Food Navigator looks at both sides of
the argument to assess the future of the technology and its
implications for the European food industry.
Designated food "clusters" in the EU will receive a boost in
funding to help the bloc's researchers develop innovative foods and
processing techniques.
Britain's dairy sector will hold a special, industry-wide meeting
to discuss how it can defend school milk subsidies, after a report
commissioned by the government said they should be scrapped.
The EU's food industry association is calling for a raft of changes
to proposed laws, calling some of them unworkable and misleading,
including those that would regulate additives and enzymes,
flavourings, additives, chemicals...
In a bid to meet World Trade Organisation demands, the European
Commission plans to make it easier for non-EU companies to gain
geographical indications (GI) protection for speciality brand
names.
The UK dairy industry has leapt to the defence of school milk
subsidies in Britain after a report commissioned by the government
said they were wasting money and should be scrapped.
With the ushering in of new hygiene laws at the start of this year,
food companies are now under tougher regulatory scrutiny to ensure
they do not send out poisonous products from their plants.
Kraft Foods, the US snack and dairy firm, has agreed to remove all
genetically modified ingredients from its products in China, in a
sign anti-GM attitudes are on the increase.
The last-minute deal to scrap export subsidies by 2013, agreed at
last week's WTO meeting, has been greeted with a sense of
inevitability and caution in Europe's dairy sector.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has received the primary
data for Ramazzini Foudation's recent study on the sweetener
aspartame and is commencing its risk assessment as a matter of
priority.