Seafish CEO responds to quota announcement from Brussels
EU - In response to today's announcement on 2007 quotas, John Rutherford, Seafish Chief Executive said: "The decision-making process that takes place in Brussels has to take into account very complex fisheries science and strike a balance between the...

Abolish maize intervention, says EC
EU - The system of public intervention purchases for maize should be abolished from the 2007/2008 marketing year, says the EC.

New Developments in Aquaculture Vital for Industry, says Borg
EU - In his speech at the Plenary meeting of the Advisory Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Joe Borg discusses the new trends and recent developments that will be important to the Aquaculture industry over the next few years.

EU negotiator saddled with unworkable mandate
EU - The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) has expressed dismay that the final round of annual talks between the EU and Norway to set Total Allowable Catch (TAC) limits for several species could result in an unviable mixed fishery in the North Sea....

Governments told to improve farmed fish health standards
EU - Improved standards on farmed fish health and aquaculture disease control have been approved by the EU Council of Ministers.

Mackerel merger not a threat
EU - A major merger of three large Norwegian pelagic companies is expected to have only little impact on the operation of Shetland Catch, up to now Europe’s largest pelagic fish processor.

Commission welcomes Council adoption of new rules on the health of farmed fish
EU - Markos Kyprianou, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, has welcomed the adoption of a new Directive on the health of farmed fish and shellfish and disease control in the aquaculture sector, at the Agriculture Council today.

EU approves new health rules for fish farming
EU - EU agriculture ministers approved new rules Tuesday to improve health and safety standards in the EU's ?2.6 billion (US$3.3 billion)-a-year fish farming business.

Joe Borg starts two-day visit to northern Scotland
EU - European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Joe Borg will arrive this evening in Scotland for the first leg of a visit that will take him from Aberdeen to the Northern and Western Isles of Scotland.

Raising the image of the aquaculture industry
EU - A new EU-funded project will help European fish farms produce tastier fish and become more competitive on the world market.

Commission approves ?193 million to fight animal diseases in 2007
EU - The European Commission has approved a financial package of ?193 million to support programmes to eradicate, control and monitor animal diseases in 2007.

The OIE Global Conference on Aquatic Animal Health: shared responsibility and stronger commitment at all levels
EU - The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), in collaboration with the Norwegian government, organised the first Global Conference on Aquatic Animal Health dedicated to reinforcing the commitment of OIE Member Countries to their rights and obligations...

EU restricts accession funding to promote agricultural reform
EU - The EU is to place restrictions on aid payments to farmers in Bulgaria and Romania, unless they succesfully complete reforms in their agricutural policy. Following the decision earlier this week, to allow after many years of discussions Romania...

EU's food agency battles attempts to hijack science
EU - Science and politics make poor bedfellows. Just ask Herman Koeter, deputy executive director at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which has felt the push and pull of national politics ever since the agency began operating four years ago....

Cuts to Baltic cod quota puts squeeze on domestic supply
EU - The European Commission this week proposed cutting quotas on cod, salmon and other Baltic Sea species, in some cases by up to 20 per cent. The cuts, if approved by the bloc's legislators, with further increase the dependence of EU food...

Commission proposes reductions on Baltic cod and salmon
EU - Today, the European Commission tabled a proposal on fishing possibilities and associated conditions for a number of fish stocks in the Baltic Sea for 2007.

Unilever signs agreement to sell European frozen foods business
EU - Unilever today announced that it had reached an agreement to sell the majority of its European Frozen Foods business to the Permira Funds for ?1.725bn.

EU project seeks to improve consumers' knowledge of farm animal welfare
EU - An EU funded survey has found that while consumers are generally concerned by animal welfare, many fail to make the link between it and food products in the shops. Some consumers admit to consciously avoiding information on the welfare of animals...

Sensitive salmonella detection
EU - A new testing kit for Salmonella promises to give the most sensitive detection results in less than a day, its manufacturers claim. Salmonella is one of the food industry's most problematic food-poisoning bacteria. In 2004 the most frequently...

Seabass and seabream - markets stable with untapped potential
EU - The European market for seabass and seabream is growing at a steady pace, but is its full potential is being stifled because producers can’t offer value added seabass and seabream products at a competitive price, says a new report. In its...

EU buyers send back Tk 500m shrimps
EU - The country's export of the frozen food to the European Union (EU) member countries might suffer a setback due to large scale presence of antibiotic in shrimp consignments. The European Commission (EC) rejected nearly 25 shrimp consignments...

Lower herring price reflects oversupply on market
EU - Europe's herring prices look to remain at their current low levels as a high supply and lower demand continue to affect the industry, according to a Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report. Prices for Norwegian herring have dropped...

Commission Proposes Multi-annual Plan To Rebuild Baltic Cod Stocks
EU - This week, the European Commission adopted a proposal on a multi-annual plan for the two cod stocks in the Baltic Sea and the fisheries exploiting those stocks. There are two distinct cod stocks in the Baltic Sea, which are fished by the same fleets,...

Farmed Salmon Industry Booms Despite Concerns
EU - Processors are using more and more Norwegian and Chilean farmed salmon, as stocks of the wild version of the fish plunge worldwide. Meanwhile the EU and US are looking to lower catches of wild salmon or possibly place restrictions on imports...

Launch of global early warning system for animal diseases
EU - A global early warning system for animal diseases transmissible to humans (zoonoses) was formally launched this week in WHO, Geneva by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health...