Brussels in brief

Friday, 17 June, 2022

French livestock farmers to receive €300m aid package

The French government will give €308.5 million to farmers involved in animal production on the French mainland who are struggling with soaring costs as sourcing animal feed and other key agricultural production materials have become much more expensive in the wake of Russia's Ukraine invasion. Farmers can now apply for this aid for the next four months. Some 100,000 farmers could get funding from this scheme, the government estimated, with the highest amount per farmer set at €35,000. This is the first tranche of a total pot worth €489 million, with €89 million coming from the EU's recovery fund.

European Chemicals Agency maintains Glyphosate not carcinogenic

ECHA's Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) has concluded that the existing classifications for glyphosate as a substance that causes serious eye damage and is toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects should be retained. The committee found that the available scientific evidence did not meet the criteria to classify glyphosate for specific target organ toxicity, or as a carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic substance. The new RAC opinion is consistent with the proposal of the four Member States currently assessing glyphosate: Sweden, France, Hungary and The Netherlands as well as with RAC's 2017 opinion.

New German African Swine Fever detected near French border

A new case of African Swine Fever was confirmed on Thursday on a 35-pig farm in the Emmendingen district of the Baden-Württemberg state, which borders France and Switzerland. The French agriculture ministry issued a statement on the finding, noting that it was the first ASF case found on Germany's western border since ASF started circulating in eastern Germany in the autumn of 2020.

Strategic approach for development of AI vaccine approved

The measures contained in the conclusions are aimed at the poultry sector in the context of the most serious AI outbreaks in recent history in Europe. In their discussions, ministers underlined the cross-border nature of the animal disease and its ability to spread very rapidly, irrespective of national borders, causing serious socio-economic consequences that hamper agriculture and disrupt trade. Ministers invited the Commission to explore the possibilities of a pooled purchase or vaccine bank mechanism to ensure a robust and responsive supply of vaccines. Finally, they called for joint efforts to enhance the acceptability of AI vaccination in international trade.

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