EU agriculture ministers discuss food safety and waste aspects of packaging rules

Agriculture

Food packaging

Based on information from the presidency and the Commission, ministers exchanged views on the food safety and food waste aspects of the proposed regulation on packaging and packaging waste, which aims to reduce the amount of packaging waste generated in the EU while also maintaining a high level of food safety.

With regard to the proposal’s aim to significantly reduce packaging and food waste, ministers identified the key factors in ensuring food safety, as well as the functioning of the single market.

The member states also considered the extent to which reuse, refill and recycling could be used as effective measures to reduce packaging waste and increase its circularity, and discussed any relevant links to existing EU legislation.

A number of ministers also took the opportunity to share examples of measures that are already being taken in their member states to reduce food packaging waste.

The outcome of today’s discussion will feed into the work taking place in the Environment Council on the packaging and packaging waste regulation.

Plastic packaging waste: 38% recycled in 2020

Market situation in particular following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

EU agriculture ministers discussed the situation of the market for agricultural products. Topics raised included the ongoing impact of high energy and input prices on farmers and food producers, the challenges posed to farmers by adverse weather conditions in southern Europe, and issues in specific regions and sectors, including dairy, livestock, fruit and red wine.

A number of member states called on the Commission to provide additional funding via the agricultural reserve for the worst-affected regions and sectors, while also adopting a flexible approach that takes into account the specificities of each region.

Other topics touched upon during the discussion included the importance of finding long-term solutions to the issues facing the EU’s agricultural markets; the need for decisions on allocating funds via the agriculture reserve to be transparent, rules-based and data-driven; and the importance of maintaining the stability of the internal market.

Prior to the discussion, the Ukrainian Minister for Agrarian Policy and Food, Mykola Solskyi, joined ministers for an informal lunch to discuss how the EU and its member states might most effectively support Ukrainian agriculture in the short and long term. Minister Solskyi also took the floor at the start of the discussion on the market situation to provide EU member states with an overview of recent developments on agricultural markets in Ukraine.

Agriculture Council: Ministers discuss possible actions to help ease the situation in Ukraine in the short and long term

Other business

During the day, under other business, ministers received information about the EU-Australia free trade agreement, the upcoming conference between EU agriculture ministers and those from the African Union, the marketing of frozen products, crisis management tools to support EU farmers, and extreme weather conditions in southern Europe.

The Council also adopted without discussion the items on the list non-legislative “A” items.

More information: EU Council