On Monday 19 July, the EU Agriculture Ministers will meet in Brussels to discuss the priorities of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency, adopt conclusions on organic farming, and take stock of progress in international trade negotiations.
The ministers will exchange views with the US Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, on the challenges facing agriculture in the face of climate change.
Slovenian Minister of Agriculture Jože Podgoršek will present his priorities and work programme. HIs main objective will be to finalise the technical discussions on the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) so that the three regulations can be finally adopted before the end of the year.
Organics. The EU Council will adopt conclusions (https://bit.ly/3BaTXiZ ) on the action plan for organic production, which aims to reach the 25% organic area target by 2030. The Member States emphasise in their conclusions the “voluntary” nature of the National Action Plans and the need for balanced development between supply and demand. On this occasion, Belgium will present a declaration on border controls in the framework of the new organic regulation that will come into force in 2022.
International trade and the United States. Another issue on the agenda is international trade, with the European Commission taking stock of the negotiations underway with New Zealand, Australia and Chile, as well as the discussions underway at the WTO with a view to the ministerial meeting at the end of the year and relations with the United States.
On this last point, at lunch, the ministers will discuss with Tom Vilsack the challenges for agriculture in the face of climate change and the need for sustainability.
Animal welfare. Ministers will also discuss animal welfare issues.
The European Commission will present its proposal (https://bit.ly/3wK0fCK ) to phase out cage farming.
These new provisions will be included in the forthcoming revision of EU animal welfare legislation.
Austria, supported by the Belgian, Cypriot, German, Luxembourg and Slovak ministers, will propose ways to improve the welfare of turkeys. Austria would like (https://bit.ly/2UST7qw ) the European Commission to establish specific minimum standards, including maximum stocking densities.
France and Germany, supported by several other countries (Austria, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg and Portugal) will ask (https://bit.ly/3rgCLnq ) the European Commission to start work on a ban on the systematic killing of male chicks in the EU.
In a joint proposal (https://bit.ly/2UgNylH ) on beekeeping, led by Hungary and supported by Croatia, France, Greece, Italy and Romania, these Member States will ask the European Commission to consider extending the powers of Member States to use available resources from national beekeeping programmes in a more flexible way to support measures to improve the health conditions of bee colonies.
These countries also want the European Commission, when drawing up the implementing rules for the CAP, to provide for the possibility of aid based on the number of bee colonies to maintain the good health of the hives.
Exceptional measures. Greece will discuss the situation of its olive oil sector (https://bit.ly/2UKHbqF ), which has been affected by extreme weather conditions following frost episodes. Athens will seek exceptional financial assistance to support producers in the affected areas.
Croatia will discuss its livestock sector (https://bit.ly/3xMsCBF ), which is facing rising feed costs. The Croatian minister will call on the European Commission to examine “all available options to stabilise the sector, whether in the form of financial support or other effective mechanisms”.
Finally, Cyprus will request (https://bit.ly/3hJcDP5 ) EU assistance following fires that caused severe damage to certain crops (field crops, greenhouses, livestock). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)