Tag: EU
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EU Legal Services Opinion Could Deal Blow to Proposed GM Laws
According to media sources, the EU Council of Ministers’ Legal Service has expressed “strong doubts” about the feasibility of a proposal that would allow individual member states to set their own policies for regulating genetically modified (GM) crops. The opinion has reportedly raised questions about whether the legislation would violate World Trade Organization rules, especially…
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EC Opens Public Consultation on Nanomaterial Definition
The European Commission (EC) has solicited feedback on its proposed definition of the term “nanomaterial.” In response to a European Parliament request, the EC’s draft recommendation recognizes the need for a definition “at the global level, to serve as a basis also for EU regulation and implementing measures and instruments.” The proposal defines a nanomaterial…
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EC Proposes Limited Ban on Food from Cloned Livestock
The European Commission has reportedly proposed a five-year ban on animal cloning for food production in the European Union (EU), but stopped short of prohibiting meat and milk from clone offspring. According to an October 19, 2010, Europa press release, the plan would also suspend “the use of cloned farm animals and the marketing of…
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Belgian EU Presidency Proposes Labeling Requirements, Registry for Nanomaterials
The Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) has issued five regulatory proposals to respond to consumer and safety needs regarding nanomaterials found in mass-produced consumer products including food, electronics and cosmetics. During a recent workshop in which representatives from 12 member states met to prepare for a regulatory review of nanomaterials by…
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GM Crops Provoke Passions in Italian Countryside
An Italian agronomist, frustrated by the government’s refusal to approve the planting of genetically modified (GM) crops, has apparently engaged in an act of civil disobedience by planting two fields of GM corn and publicizing his action with a news conference and YouTube® video. Environmentalists reportedly responded by descending on the fields near Vivaro, which…
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FSA Investigates Meat from Offspring of Cloned Cow
The U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA) has announced that meat from a cloned cow’s offspring has evidently entered the food supply, sparking concerns about the country’s livestock registration and tracking requirements. The agency apparently traced four female and four male calves to a cloned Holstein cow from the United States. According to FSA, farmers have…
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American Farm Bureau Censures EU for GM Crop Moratorium
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFB) has issued a policy statement urging the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to “initiate a retaliation process” against the European Union over its de facto moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops. Despite a 2006 World Trade Organization ruling that found fault with EU approval procedures for GM…
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EU Snack Industry to Standardize Portion Sizes
The European Snacks Association (ESA) has apparently vowed to standardize product portion sizes, citing dietary recommendations and consumption patterns. In conjunction with an EU trade group representing food and beverage manufacturers, ESA has set a reference serving size that does not exceed 8 percent of the overall Guideline Daily Amount (GDA), or approximately 160 kcal.…