Reading Time: 2 minutes European Union governments are trying to raise a planned limit on the use of transport fuels made from food crops, despite warnings that the fuels can harm the environment and push up food prices. Last year in response to such warnings, the European Commission, the EU executive, proposed capping the bloc’s use of crop-based biofuels […] Read more
Governments seek to raise EU cap on food-based biofuels
U.S. GM wheat find threatens exports, stokes consumer fear
Reading Time: 3 minutes Unapproved genetically modified (GM) wheat found growing in the United States is threatening U.S. exports of the world’s biggest traded food commodity, with Japan stopping a purchase against a backdrop of high consumer sensitivity to gene-altered food. Japan cancelled a tender offer to buy U.S. western white wheat, while other top Asian wheat importers South […] Read more
EU to ban pesticides blamed for bee losses
Reading Time: 2 minutes The European Union will ban three of the world’s most widely-used pesticides for two years because of fears they are linked to a plunge in the population of bees critical to the production of crops. The executive European Commission said Monday it would press ahead with the ban on a class of pesticides known as […] Read more
France tops EU DNA tests for horsemeat in beef
Reading Time: 3 minutes France found more cases of illegal horsemeat in beef products than any other European Union country, results of official DNA tests ordered in the wake of the scandal showed, with more than one in every eight samples testing positive. Announcing the results on Tuesday, the European Commission said that for the EU as a whole, […] Read more
Horsemeat scandal to spur tougher EU food tests
Reading Time: 3 minutes The European Commission has proposed increased DNA testing of meat products to assess the scale of a scandal involving horsemeat sold as beef that has shocked the public and raised concern over the continent’s food supply chains. "The tests will be on DNA in meat products in all member states," European Union health commissioner Tonio […] Read more
EU extends zero duty on wheat, barley imports
Reading Time: 2 minutes The European Union’s cereals management committee voted Thursday to extend the suspension of the bloc’s import duties on feed wheat and barley until June 30, 2012, the EU’s executive said in a statement. The EU in June suspended its import duties of 12 euros per tonne for low- and medium-quality wheat and 16 euros a […] Read more
EU may extend zero import duty on feed wheat, barley
Reading Time: 2 minutes The European Union’s cereals management committee may vote Thursday to extend a suspension of the bloc’s import duties on feed wheat and barley until June 30 2012, a draft agenda of the meeting seen by Reuters showed. In June, the EU suspended its import duties of 12 euros per tonne for low- and medium-quality wheat […] Read more
EU experts approve trace GM in feed imports
Reading Time: 3 minutes A European Union committee voted Tuesday to allow traces of unapproved genetically modified (GM) material in animal feed imports, the European Commission said, in a bid to secure grain supplies to the import-dependent bloc. EU governments and lawmakers now have three months to either approve or reject the committee’s decision, before the rules can be […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
