Brussels in brief

Friday, 20 May, 2022

EU to lift remaining import tariffs on Ukraine products

The European Commission has proposed temporarily lifting all remaining tariffs and quotas on goods imported from Ukraine for one year. Most of the tariffs on trade between the EU and Ukraine had already been suspended as part of the 2014 Association Agreement with Ukraine. The full liberalisation of Ukrainian imports would affect remaining tariffs and quotas on industrial goods and some agricultural products, including poultry, eggs, dairy and sugar. Copa-Cogeca have released a statement saying they support the proposal, and that EU farmers and agri-coops express full solidarity with fellow Ukrainian farmers and agri-coops, but that safety standards must still be respected and market disruption, particularly for sensitive sectors, avoided.

UK & Ireland invited to consult over Irish beef PGI

The European Commission has invited the UK and the Irish Ministry for Agriculture to engage in three months of "appropriate consultations" regarding the UK's "opposition" to the Irish Grass Fed Beef PGI. The consultations are also expected to determine whether qualifying beef from Northern Ireland can also benefit from the PGI.

EU public consultation on new genomic techniques
The Commission launched a public consultation on April 29 seeking views and evidence on how best to regulate plants obtained from 'new genomic techniques' (NGTs). This time last year, the Commission published a study highlighting that NGTs "have the potential to contribute to sustainable agri-food systems, in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy," while concluding that the current regulatory framework for GMOs was not fit for purpose for certain NGT plants and their products. In the coming months, the Commission will develop a policy action on plants obtained using NGTs and conduct additional analysis, including an Impact Assessment. The results of this public consultation will feed into the establishment of a new legislative proposal, to be tabled by mid-2023.
Leaked EU report gives nod to mirror clauses
A leaked EU Commission legal report has indicated that the bloc could press ahead with introducing reciprocal "mirror clauses" into trade deals, for instance on the environment and animal welfare, but only if it complies with a series of legal checks. The report also warns that greater reciprocity could expose Brussels to trade retaliation and disputes with the World Trade Organisation. It is expected to be recommended that mirror clauses should be looked at only on a case-by-case assessment to ensure the EU does not break international trade rules, but if the EU can argue that the mirror clauses would improve animal welfare or environmental standards across the globe then it would have a strong case to act. There is little detail however on how the EU would go about checking trade partners are complying with standards. The EU's agriculture ministers are set to discuss the report at their last meeting under the French presidency on 13 June.

YARA calls for EU Crisis Reserve Funds to be used to ensure fertiliser and AdBlue supply

Norwegian fertiliser manufacturer Yara, which also produces the 'AdBlue' chemical needed for the operation of modern diesel vehicles, has warned about the potentially dire consequences of the Ukraine conflict for agricultural production and road transport. They are calling on the EU and Member States to ensure the supply of natural gas, using the crisis reserve to make sure fertiliser is available. In YARA's new paper 'Ukraine invasion: Addressing food, fertilizer & AdBlue supply risks' they make recommendations for what it calls short-term crisis management, starting with ensuring continued, undisrupted access to natural gas: "Considering the need for the EU to offset the lack of crops from Ukraine, we believe it is becoming even more important to optimize the ratio between crop yield and nutrient supply, securing good harvests & long-term soil fertility," Yara notes. The best way to do that Yara believes is to "support farmers with agronomic advice, precision farming and digital tools to make every nutrient count," which "can be done via dedicated eco-schemes in the CAP National Strategic Plans and incentives to upscale precision farming."