Despite Winter Kill Modest Rebound in EU-27 Rapeseed Production | Oilseeds and Products | Vienna | EU-27 | 4/17/2012 (new) Total EU-27 oilseeds area in MY 2012/13 is forecast to decrease by 1.8 percent and is expected to total 11.4 million ha. The decrease is mainly explained by 4 percent lower acreage of rapeseed due to unfavorable wet conditions during planting in Denmark, winterkill mainly in Bulgaria and Hungary, and drought in Romania. A marginal increase of sunflower area is projected due to re-sowing of winterkill areas almost offset by a decline due to drought in Spain. Soybean area is also expected to de... Oilseeds and Products Annual_Vienna_EU-27_4-5-2012
All eyes on the weather - again | Grain and Feed | London | EU-27 | 4/18/2012 (new) The weather has already made its mark on the MY2012/13 crop and is likely to remain the focus over the coming months. A severe cold spell in late January and early February caused above average winter losses in some parts of the EU27, especially France, meaning some fields will need to be resown to spring crops. A prolonged dry period through March and into April will also become a concern if rains are not forthcoming ahead of harvest. In spite of this, 284MMT of grain is forecast to be harve... Grain and Feed Annual_London_EU-27_4-13-2012
Farmers and Seed Industry Appeal National Biotech Corn Ban | Planting Seeds | Paris | France | 4/5/2012 On March 29, French corn growers and seed companies appealed France’s national ban on MON810 biotech corn before the country's highest administrative court on the grounds that it was scientifically unjustified and economically harmful for farmers. Despite the fact that the State Council lifted the ban last November, per the conclusions of the European Court of Justice, France reinitiated its national ban on the cultivation of MON810 biotech corn on March 18, 2012. The press revealed that the G... Farmers and Seed Industry Appeal National Biotech Corn Ban_Paris_France_3-30-2012
Non-Biotech Labeling Rules in Place and Porposed Rules on Coexistence| Paris | France | 2/21/2012 Contrary to several political statements recently made by several members of the Government, France has not only left its national ban on Bt corn, but is also adopting new rules to secure the cultivation of biotech crops. In the past few weeks, a decree was published in the Official Journal defining "non-biotech" labeling, to be implemented on July 1 of this year. It describes the requirements for products produced in France, but does not apply to imported products. Moreover, a decree setting r... Non-Biotech Labeling Rules in Place - Proposed Rules on Coexistence _Paris_France_2-10-2012
Incentives and Plant Breeding Breakthroughs To Reduce Soy Imports| Paris | France | 2/9/2012 Among European Union (EU) Member States, France ranks above average in being protein-independent. However, despite efforts to reduce dependence on imported North and South soybean meal as the number one source of proteins in animal feed, the amount of soybean meal used in France’s animal feed have remained relatively stable at 4 million metric tons (MT) for the past 25 years. At the same time, the use of rapeseed meal in animal feed has sharply increased from minor levels to more than 2 millio... Incentives and Plant Breeding Breakthroughs to Reduce Soy Imports_Paris_France_2-3-2012
Proposed Bisphenol A ban would impact U.S. exports to France| Paris | France | 2/7/2012 The French food safety agency concluded in its September 2011 preliminary report that Bisphenol A (BPA) had suspected impact on human health. The following month, the National Assembly passed a bill which bans the sales of any food packaging container and food material containing BPA by January 1, 2014. The bill still has to pass the Senate before the parliamentary recess in early March 2012 or become void. The French food industry believes it will not be able to avoid a BPA ban due to the pu... Proposed Bisphenol A ban in food packaging would mean impacts on U.S_Paris_France_2-6-2012
2011 Biotech Outreach Program - Lessons Learned | Paris | France | 1/30/2012 Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)/Paris, in collaboration with FAS/Pretoria and FAS/U.S. Mission to the European Union, invited two South African farmers in June and September 2011, to present their experiences with biotech crops. In June 2011, the first gentleman’s presentation was shown at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) meeting on Agricultural Knowledge Systems, and FAS/Paris organized a seminar on “Agricultural Innovation for Achieving Food Security,” where ...
2011 Biotech Outreach Program - Lessons Learned_Paris_France_1-17-2012
France Transposes RED - Plant Based Industry Moving Forward | Paris | France | 12/14/2011
France is a major producer and consumer of renewable energies and biofuels in particular. France's production and consumption of biodiesel and bioethanol account for more than 20 percent and roughly 15 percent of the European Union’s production and consumption, respectively. Almost a year after the deadline set by the European Commission, the Government of France transposed the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) into national legislation in September 2011. According to the RED, renewable energi... France Transposes RED - Plant Based Industry Moving Forward_Paris_France_11-14-2011
