Търсене

There is growing interest in the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the agri-food sector, to extract or exploit the information in datasets resulting from the monitoring of products and processes. Artificial intelligence algorithms, and the models derived from them, are used as support systems for better decision making or, in some cases, are implemented in automatic control processes and robotics, to alleviate drudgery. In this study, sensing and data collection in different agri-food ...

Between 2019 and 2021, the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) 'Save bees and farmers!' collected more than 1 million signatures. The ECI calls for a reduction in the use of pesticides, leading to a complete phasing-out by 2035. The European Commission has welcomed the initiative. The European Parliament, after a hearing held in January 2023, will discuss it during its March I plenary session.

Food insecurity remains one of the most pressing global challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine have made the food crisis significantly worse in recent years, threatening millions of people worldwide. Despite some promising trends, food inflation remains consistently high, and it depends on a volatile environmental and geopolitical context. The EU has devoted substantial resources to tackling the immediate effects of the crisis. However, in the long run, the key to food ...

During the 2021-2022 epidemiological year, highly pathogenic avian influenza struck Europe, leading to the death or cull of 50 million birds across the continent, with a considerable impact on the poultry sector. While EU legislation establishes strict biosecurity measures and allows vaccine use in such cases, more research and investment is needed to reach definitive solutions.

One of the earliest policies to have contributed to building the European Union (EU), the common agricultural policy devotes most of its budget to supporting farmers. Direct payments are the main type of support used; they are managed jointly by the European Commission and EU countries through a number of schemes.

People in the EU consume millions of tonnes of meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products every year. Animal products, which many consider essential for a balanced and nutritious diet, account for more than a third of the EU's total agricultural output, and are an integral part of Europe's rich and diverse gastronomic culture. Meeting the high demand for nutritious and affordable products of animal origin is a key task of the EU's agricultural sector, which employs millions across all Member States. However ...

On 18 October 2022, the European Parliament's rapporteur put forward a draft report on the Commission's proposal for a regulation on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, while the discussions continue in the Council on the working party level. The proposal, which the Commission adopted on 31 March 2022, would bring under a single legal document the provisions on the procedures for registering geographical indications (GIs) for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural ...

Food prices in the EU have risen dramatically over the past two years. The chain of disruptions caused by the COVID 19 pandemic, extreme weather events and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 have led to severe shortages in the agri-food chain, resulting in higher consumer prices. The latest European Parliament Eurobarometer survey shows that the cost of living continues to be the main concern for European citizens. During the January I plenary session, Members of the European Parliament will ...

By 2050, an estimated two thirds of the world population will live in urban areas. Could vertical farming help feed this growing urban population sustainably by reducing the demand for agricultural land and shortening the travel distance between food production and consumption?

The current food security crisis is the first to grab the attention of the European Council since it became a formal EU institution in December 2009. Looking at food security discourse in the European Council from 1981 to October 2022, this briefing will consider the main discussion drivers in each decade. Although food security has not been a regular item on the European Council agenda in recent years, it has drawn EU leaders' attention at various points in the past. The shock to the food system ...