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After experiencing severe shocks and high volatility in the previous years, EU agricultural markets are showing positive signs of stabilising as input costs have steadily declined over the past months and food inflation has returned to a moderate rate. The general macroeconomic and food price environment points to possible improvements in demand for agri-food products in most sectors. Nonetheless, the outlook remains subject to a high degree of uncertainty, linked to weather events, geopolitical conflicts and animal and plant diseases.

The names of the finalists for the 2024 EU Organic Awards have been revealed today. For each of the eight categories, the top three projects have been selected, representing 24 finalists from 11 EU countries. The winners of the eight awards will be unveiled at the official ceremony in Brussels on 23 September, as part of a series of events and activities celebrating the annual EU Organic Day.

The EU agri-food chain Observatory (AFCO) held its first meeting on Wednesday 17 July. Its objective is to better understand the functioning of the supply chain and bring increased transparency on prices, structure of costs and distribution of margins and added value, while respecting confidentiality and competition rules. The launch of this Observatory was first announced in March 2024 as one of the measures to strengthen the position of farmers in the food supply chain and reinforce the trust between all actors throughout the chain.

The finalists of the 2023 edition of the EU Organic Awards have been announced today. The three best projects have been selected for each of the 8 individual awards, with a total of 24 finalists from 11 EU countries.

The finalists were selected from a pool of close to 100 applications from all over Europe, with a higher presence of Central European and Baltic entries compared to last year.

The winners will be announced at the official award ceremony to be held in Brussels on 25 September.

According to reports seen by the Irish Independent, in order to meet the ambitious climate targets the Irish government has proposed putting up EUR 600 mln to pay for the culling of 65,000 cows per year over a three-year period.

The Irish government intends to have the country functioning with zero carbon emissions by 2050. In order to meet such lofty aims 10% of all livestock in Ireland would need to be “displaced” in the years ahead.

The 2023 EU AgriResearch Conference, taking place in Brussels from 31 May to 2 June 2023, will provide helpful guidance and reflection on the future priority research and innovation investments needed to support agriculture, forestry and rural areas.

On 02.02.2023  the Commission adopted new rules which will, once applicable, lower the Maximum Residues Levels (MRLs) of two pesticides in food. Assessments by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have shown that the two chemicals, belonging to the group of neonicotinoid pesticides, clothianidin and thiamethoxam, pose a high risk to bees and contribute to the global decline of pollinators. For this reason, their outdoor use has already been banned in the EU in 2018.

Today, the European Commission launched the European CAP Network during an event in Brussels gathering more than 300 participants, from the public and private sector. The EU CAP Network aims to optimise the flow of information about agriculture and rural policy within the EU, to support the implementation and evaluation of the CAP Strategic Plans,  as well as boosting innovation of the sector.