The European Commission has approved the registration of a new designation, thereby recognizing its distinctive qualities. The “Oli de Menorca/Aceite de Menorca” (as a protected geographical indication) is an organic extra virgin olive oil produced on the island of Menorca. It is a fruity oil, with a medium to intense flavor, and on the palate, […]
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Geographical indications for craft and industrial products
00As of December 2025, craft and industrial products will fully benefit from an EU-wide Geographical indications (GIs) protection under Regulation (EU) 2023/2411. Geographical indications are an intellectual property protection that links specific products, which are European, local, and authentic, to their geographical origin, ensuring that these products possess qualities, reputation, or characteristics that are inherently […]
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New wolf protection statute proposal approved
The Standing Committee of the Bern Convention today voted in favour of the EU proposal to adapt the protection status of the wolf from “strictly protected” to “protected”. The change will enter into force on 7 March 2025. After this date, the EU may adapt the relevant annexes of the Habitats Directive. The Commission will […]
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Plant health law: Council adopts improved rules to protect against plant pests
Today the Council has adopted a targeted revision of the EU plant health law, which improves the way the EU fights plant pests, ensures that the plants that enter the EU are safe, and simplifies procedures. Main elements One of the ways in which the revision improves the existing framework and better protects the health […]
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Smart farming applications for more sustainable and efficient agriculture
The EU-funded SQAT project is developing a mapping service to tackle soil quality and sustainability issues in the agricultural industry. There has been a large uptake of precision agriculture applications in the past two decades. However, the way most farmers collect information about their soils remains mostly the same. Better data on soil properties would […]
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Decline in EU livestock population in 2023
In 2023, the EU‘s livestock populations were lower than a year earlier. Compared with 2022, the pig and bovine populations decreased by 1%, while sheep declined by 3%, and goats by 5%. In 2023, the EU had 133 million pigs, 74 million bovine animals, 58 million sheep, and 11 million goats. This information comes from provisional data […]
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Short-term outlook of agricultural markets: uncertainty remains a constant feature of EU farming
Agriculture remains impacted by several events outside of farmers’ control, such as climate and geopolitical crises, which continue to exert pressure on farmers. These have implications on productivity, trade, consumer demand, prices and ultimately on farmers’ income. Since the last short-term outlook (autumn 2023) and despite some favourable but limited developments in input costs, their […]
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EU-New Zealand trade agreement enters into force, opening up new opportunities for EU exporters
EU businesses, producers and farmers are now able to take advantage of a host of new export opportunities with the entry into force of the EU-New Zealand trade agreement today. The deal is expected to cut €140 million a year in duties for EU companies. Thanks to this deal, EU-New Zealand trade is expected to […]
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EU agri-food trade achieved a record surplus in 2023
EU agri-food trade balance reached its record level in 2023, according to the latest report published by the European Commission. After a good performance of the EU agri-food trade in 2022, the most recent report released by the European Commission indicates that the EU agri-food trade balance reached its record level in 2023. EU exports reached […]
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