EU – UK talks on Northern Ireland Protocol continue

European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic and Lord Frost continue to engage in intensive talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The EU and the UK are striving to reach an agreement that facilitates the continuation of trade, although the UK government is pressing for issues such as the governance of the Protocol to be in the mix. The two sides are aiming to reach an agreement before the end of November.

EU Agri-food Trade

EU exports of agri-food products increased in the first seven months of 2021, with wine acting as a major driver. The DG AGRI document ‘Monitoring EU Agri-Food Trade: Developments January-July 2021,’ shows that EU-27 exports rose by almost six percent compared to the same period in 2020 reaching €111.4 billion. The greatest fall in exports was to the UK, down by €411m or two percent, compared to the same period in 2020.

Imports came to €72.4bn, down nought-point-two percent compared to Jan-July 2020. The reduction was driven by a large-scale fall in the value of EU imports from the United Kingdom (-€2.4bn, -29%). With lower import values from the UK reported for almost all agri-food product categories - except for notably spirits and liqueurs (+19%).

Parliament adopts EU Methane Strategy as part of European Green Deal

On 21 October the European Parliament adopted its report on the EU methane strategy.

The strategy acknowledges the difficulties in measurement, reporting and verification of methane emissions in the agricultural sector. It supports the uptake of mitigation technologies through wider deployment of carbon farming in Member States and the development of an inventory of best practices. It calls for the quick implementation of increasingly advanced technologies and practices to develop the agricultural sector’s full potential in methane emissions’ reduction without endangering food security.