Video viEUws.eu: EU Agriculture Briefing: GMO delays, Mercosur, Crisis response & Trade mission
In this latest Brussels Briefing on Agriculture, AGRA FACTS journalists Rose O’Donovan and Ed Bray provide an update on the delayed approval of three genetically modified soybeans for import for animal feed, the latest news on the EU’s trade talks with Mercosur and key upcoming meetings. As EU-Mercosur negotiations go up a gear, the AGRA FACTS team got hold of the EU’s market access offer to the Latin American bloc. Based on the leaked draft text, the EU plans to offer Mercosur an annual Tariff Rate Quota of 78,000 tonnes of hormone-free beef. Twenty Member States slammed the move at the Council meeting on April 11, saying the inclusion of sensitive products such as beef at this early stage in the talks was counterproductive. Meanwhile, EU Farm Commissioner Phil Hogan i is embarking on another trade mission to China and Japan (April 16-22) to stimulate trade in agricultural products. Looking ahead, the future of the CAP will be at the top of the agenda at the Informal Farm Council in Amsterdam at the end of May (30-31).