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The European Commission has officially established the European Board on Agriculture and Food (EBAF), fulfilling a key recommendation of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture. Chaired by Commissioner Christophe Hansen, EBAF aims at sustaining a new culture of dialogue, trust and multistakeholder participation, at high level among the actors of the food supply chain and civil society, as well as with the Commission.

The Commission has today launched a new Biotech and Biomanufacturing Hub to support companies – particularly start-ups and SMEs - in bringing innovative products to the EU market and increase their competitiveness. The Hub will also help companies identify the support available to them at EU level and how to access this support to help them to expand and grow.

The Biotech and Biomanufacturing Hub explains in an easy, accessible way and in all EU languages:

In 2023, agricultural output in the EU was valued at €537.1 billion (bn) in basic prices, a 1.5% decrease compared with 2022 (€545.4 bn). This slight drop from the peak value of output in 2022 ended the upward trend that had started in 2010. This change in nominal value reflected the balance of a fall in the volume of output (-2.3 %) and slight rise in the nominal price for agricultural goods and services (+0.8 %).

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.