Brussels in brief

Federal Agriculture Minister, Alois Rainer, called for strengthened protective measures and has requested that the EU raise the compensation limit for culled animals – from €50 to up to €110. Meanwhile, Belgium has introduced mandatory housing measures for commercial poultry farms.

Lumpy Skin Disease

The French Ministry of Agriculture has announced successful containment of Lumpy Skin Disease in Savoie and Haute-Savoie regions, with no new cases since September. The country has reported 95 cases. Beef exports will resume on 1 November under specific conditions for traceability. Elsewhere in Europe, Spain has reported 18 infected premises, while Italy has reported 78 - 1 in Northern Italy and 77 in Sardinia.

Commission publishes generational renewal strategy

The Commission’s strategy on generational renewal, published in October, aims to double young farmer shares (12%-24%) by 2040. Key initiatives include mandatory national strategies (by 2028), a non-binding recommendation for Member States to invest at least 6% of ring fenced funding in renewal and a ‘Starter Pack for Young Farmers’. Focus areas are land access, finance, skills, rural living standards and succession.

Commission U-turns on EUDR delay

The Commission has u-turned on its decision to delay the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and has proposed changes:

only one due diligence submission is required for the supply chain, micro and small operators from low-risk countries need a simple, one-off declaration, and the application dates are 30 December 2025 for large/medium companies and 30 December 2026 for micro/small enterprises. Read more in our BAB article.

EU-Ukraine agreement enters into force

The upgraded EU-Ukraine trade agreement entered into force on 29 October. It focuses on expanding trade flows, aligning Ukraine with EU production standards, and providing a safeguard clause against market disruption. European agri-food industry has expressed concerns over concessions in sensitive sectors and the safeguard mechanism’s effectiveness.

Read more on the above stories at the British Agriculture Bureau website, https://www.britishagriculturebureau.co.uk/