German farmers stage tractor protest over climate measures

Yahoo – AFP, October 22, 2019

Convoys of tractors held up traffic in Berlin (AFP Photo/Tobias SCHWARZ)

Berlin (AFP) - Thousands of farmers drove their tractors into German cities on Tuesday, in protest at the government's new agricultural policies which they say will hurt their livelihoods and make them scapegoats for climate change.

Long convoys of tractors held up traffic at the main protest sites in Berlin and Bonn, both home to federal government offices, while thousands more honked their horns and blocked roads in cities including Munich, Hanover and Stuttgart.

"Agricultural regulations are becoming ever more strict... and threatening our existence," said 19-year-old Tom Hollstein, who hung a doll dressed as a farmer from a makeshift gallows on the back of his vehicle.

The protesters are furious at a new package of regulations introduced by Chancellor Angela Merkel's government last month, which includes plans to ban the controversial weedkiller glyphosate by 2023 and limits the use of fertiliser to reduce nitrate levels in groundwater.

The protesters are furious at new regulations introduced by the German government, 

which include plans to ban the controversial weedkiller glyphosate by 2023 and limits 

the use of fertiliser (AFP Photo/Ina FASSBENDER)

Glyphosate, sold under the trade name Roundup, has been blamed for plummeting insect populations and according to some studies causes cancer in humans, but supporters of the widely used product insist it is a safe and effective tool to ensure agricultural productivity.

The new restrictions "mean we would have to start working as an organic company, which is very difficult in our region," said Bernard Kalies, a fruit and vegetable farmer near the border with Poland.

One of the demonstrators in Bonn held up a sign that read "Tuesdays for Farmers", DPA news agency reported, in a play on the "Fridays for Future" strikes calling for action against climate change.

Many farmers have said they are fed up with "farmer bashing" by environmental activists, who they say have made agricultural businesses the bogeyman in the climate debate.

German Agriculture Minister Julia Kloeckner voiced support for the farmers.

"They make the food we eat, they work hard, but they are seen by some as nothing more than 'polluters' or 'animal abusers'. And that is neither right nor fair," she told the Bild daily.

Angry farmers took to the streets in similar protests in France on Tuesday, while Dutch farmers have staged two nationwide demonstrations in recent weeks.

EU green lights trade talks with Washington to defuse tension

Yahoo – AFP, Lachlan CARMICHAEL, April 15, 2019

The EU's 28 member states had struggled for months to agree on a mandate to open
 trans-Atlantic talks, with some fearing the delay would restart a trade war with
President Donald Trump (AFP Photo/STR)

Brussels (AFP) - European Union countries on Monday overruled France and gave the green light for Brussels to open trade talks with Washington as soon as possible and defuse trans-Atlantic tensions.

The EU's 28 member states had struggled for months to agree on a mandate to open the talks, with some fearing the delay would restart a trade war with US President Donald Trump.

But EU ministers meeting in Luxembourg approved a mandate to negotiate "an agreement limited to the elimination of tariffs for industrial goods only" and another accord designed to remove non-tariff barriers.

The ministers said the mandate would exclude agriculture products, which EU trade minister Cecilia Malmstrom said amounted to a "red line" for Europe.

US officials have pushed for farm products to be included.

"I will now get in contact with our American partners with a view to organising a date for the first round as soon as possible," Malmstrom told a press conference in Brussels.

"If we agree to start, I think it can go quite quickly," the Swedish commissioner added.

Malmstrom underlined the determination of the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, to finish the talks before its five-year term ends on October 31.

'Climate chaos'

EU sources said France voted against the mandate and Belgium abstained during the Luxembourg meeting.

Pursuing a limited trade deal is a key element of a truce negotiated in July that came close earlier this month to imploding after the US threatened $11 billion in fresh trade tariffs against Europe.

Paris voted against the mandate over worries about domestic blowback just months ahead of European elections, set for May 23 to 26.

EU trade minister Cecilia Malmstrom said she w"ill now get in contact with our 

American partners with a view to organising a date for the first round as soon 

as possible" (AFP Photo/EMMANUEL DUNAND)

French President Emmanuel Macron has insisted the US first sign back up to the Paris climate accord after Trump dumped the pact in 2017, infuriating Macron.

But only a qualified majority of EU members was needed to support the talks, meaning France's "non" remained largely symbolic.

Greenpeace has called on the Commission and national governments not to enter into trade negotiations with any country that rejects the Paris climate pact.

"EU-Trump trade talks would seriously call into question the EU’s resolve on climate change," Greenpeace's Naomi Ages said, warning time was running out to prevent "climate chaos."

In a bid to win France over, its EU partners agreed to insist on environmental guarantees during the talks with Washington.

In another sop, they also made a specific mention that TTIP, a far more ambitious transatlantic trade plan that never materialised, be officially called "obsolete".

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Paratnership talks stalled following widespread protests in Germany, France and Austria over fears it would undermine EU standards on food and health.

At France's demand, agricultural products are also off the table.

'Ease trade tensions'

Berlin wants the limited deal in order to placate Trump and avoid US auto tariffs that would punish Germany's cherished exports.

The mandate from the EU stipulates that the talks would end if the US pursued more levies against Europe, including on cars. It also says the EU cannot conclude the negotiations as long as the metal tariffs remain.

The limited deal concerns only industrial goods, excluding the automotive sector. Fishing is also included, but not agriculture, services or public procurement.

The US however insists its wants to discuss agriculture, while Europeans would like to include cars. Both sides will have to bridge the gaps before the start of talks.

At a meeting last July at the White House, Trump and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker pledged no new tariffs following those on steel and aluminium.

That peace was in danger earlier this month after the US threatened to impose tariff counter-measures of up to $11.2 billion on a host of European products in response to subsidies received by aircraft maker Airbus.

But Malmstrom said: "This is a welcome decision that will help ease trade tensions."

EU states destroy suspect Polish beef as scare spreads

Yahoo – AFP, Michel VIATTEAU, February 1, 2019

Poland's chief veterinarian Pawel Niemczuk confirmed that 2.7 tonnes of the
suspect beef was exported (AFP Photo/CHARLY TRIBALLEAU)

Warsaw (AFP) - Several EU countries on Friday seized and destroyed suspect beef from a Polish slaughterhouse where allegedly sick cows were butchered, despite assurances from Warsaw that the meat did not pose a health risk.

Poland's chief veterinarian Pawel Niemczuk confirmed that 2.7 tonnes of the suspect beef was exported, while the European Commission said the meat was traced to 13 member states where it was being withdrawn and destroyed.

The scare recalls a 2013 scandal in which horsemeat was passed off as beef and used in ready-to-eat meals sold across Europe.

Brussels will send a team of auditors to Poland to assess the situation on the spot, said Anca Paduraru, a spokeswoman for the European Commission.

French authorities said 795 kilogrammes (1,750 pounds) of beef from the slaughterhouse -- which has now been closed -- had been imported.

More than 500 kilogrammes have already been seized and destroyed, said France's Directorate General of Food.

French Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume said nine French companies had been "duped" into importing beef from the abattoir in Kalinowo, a village some 100 kilometres (60 miles) northeast of Warsaw.

Lame or diseased?

Portuguese authorities said they had destroyed 99 kilogrammes of suspect Polish beef, while Romania said it had eliminated 1,432 kilogrammes as a "safety measure".

The cows were slaughtered late at night when veterinary authorities were 

unlikely to visit (AFP Photo/ADRIEN MORLENT)

Sweden's National Food Agency said that just under 100 kilogrammes of the total 239 kilogrammes of suspect Polish beef delivered to the country had already been consumed, while the rest has been seized.

The beef was also exported to the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Spain, according to the European Commission.

Niemczuk said another seven tonnes were sold to about 20 outlets in Poland but insisted that tests found it did not pose a health risk.

Despite the assurances, Polish beef producers are reeling from the scandal with prices falling by around seven percent since an undercover TV report on the slaughter was aired on Saturday.

"All segments of the Polish (beef) market are worried," Jerzy Wierzbicki, head of the Polish PZPBM meat producers' association, told AFP on Friday.

Wierzbicki insisted that the cows shown in the report by the TVN24 commercial news channel were lame but not diseased.

"They were lame cows... such cattle should not be taken to a slaughterhouse but should rather be put down on the farm by a person who is qualified to do so," Wierzbicki said.

A criminal probe was launched after a TV report aired footage of apparently sick 

or lame cows being dragged across the floor and then butchered in Poland (AFP Photo/

Janek SKARZYNSKI)

'Isolated case'

"This is an isolated case, concerning a single company, the concerns are unfounded," he said, conceding that the scandal could deal a blow to Polish beef producers who rely on exports.

A leading pork supplier in the European Union, Poland also produced some 415,000 tonnes of beef last year and nearly 90 percent of it was exported, Wierzbicki said.

Poland's Agriculture Minister Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski said on Friday that "pathologies" in the agri-food industry would be "cauterised with a hot iron".

"A police investigation is underway regarding the owners of the slaughterhouse and anyone involved in this process," he said, adding that there was "zero tolerance" for anything that could harm Polish exports.

The criminal probe was launched after TVN24 aired footage of apparently sick or lame cows being dragged across the floor and then butchered.

The TVN24 report said dealers bought lame or sick cattle at much lower prices. A journalist working undercover at the abattoir used a hidden camera to film the secret late night slaughter when veterinary authorities were unlikely to visit.

The European Commission has not commented on the quality of the meat in question, but issued a statement that raised concerns about the treatment of the sick animals, which it insisted could not be considered fit for human consumption.

"The practice of dragging animals unable to walk, as described (in the Polish report) is prohibited by European Union legislation on the protection of animals in slaughterhouses," it said.

Contaminated eggs scandal spreads from Europe to Asia

Yahoo - AFP, Danny KEMP, August 11, 2017

Contaminated eggs have been found in at least 11 countries since the scare
went public on August 1, with millions of eggs and egg-based products being
pulled from supermarket shelves

A scandal involving eggs contaminated with insecticide spread to 15 EU countries, Switzerland and as far away as Hong Kong on Friday as the European Commission called for a special meeting on the growing crisis.

Ministers and food safety chiefs from around the European Union are set to meet on September 26 in a bid to get countries to stop "blaming and shaming" each other over the scare involving the chemical fipronil.

Millions of eggs have been pulled from supermarket shelves across Europe and dozens of poultry farms closed since the discovery of fipronil, which can harm human health, was made public on August 1.

The issue has sparked a row between Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, the three countries at the epicentre of the crisis, about how long they knew about the problem.

"Blaming and shaming will bring us nowhere and I want to stop this," Vytenis Andriukaitis, the European Commissioner for health and food safety, told AFP as he announced the meeting.

"We need to work together to draw the necessary lessons and move forward instead."

European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said that "this is not, let's be clear, a crisis meeting" and it is being held next month to get "distance to the events".

Fipronil is commonly used to get rid of fleas, lice and ticks from animals but is banned by the European Union from use in the food industry.

The EU insists there is no threat to human health, but the World Health Organization (WHO) says that when eaten in large quantities it can harm people's kidneys, liver and thyroid glands.

Dutch admit 'errors'

Brussels said the 15 affected EU countries were Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Sweden, Britain, Austria, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Denmark, along with non-EU Switzerland.

But in a sign the crisis is going global, Brussels also announced that Hong Kong had received some tainted eggs from the Netherlands, with the southern Chinese city becoming the first place in Asia known to be affected.

As well as dealing with the immediate food safety issue, the EU is also seeking to calm tempers over the egg row after a series of divisive crises in the bloc in recent years, from Brexit to migration.

Belgium earlier this week accused the Netherlands of knowing about the fipronil eggs since November 2016 and failing to notify other countries.

On Thursday Dutch Health Minister Edith Schippers admitted the government had made "errors" but denied a cover-up.

Dutch Health Minister Edith Schippers has admitted that 

mistakes were made in handling the eggs crisis

"We were well aware of a report of the presence of fipronil in the pens of egg-laying hens in November 2016, but there was no indication at the time that fipronil itself was found in the eggs," said Schippers.

A Dutch whistleblower separately said he had told the authorities that Chickfriend, the Dutch company at the centre of the scandal, was illegally using fipronil in the treatment of lice in chicken pens in The Netherlands.

"I am the anonymous whistleblower," Nick Hermens told the NPO public broadcaster.

A Belgian company, Poultry Vision, has said it provided Chickfriend with the chemical.

Dutch and Belgian investigators carried out coordinated raids on several premises on Thursday, arresting two people at Chickfriend.

However, Belgium itself has been forced to admit that it knew about fipronil in eggs back in June but kept it secret for nearly two months because of a criminal investigation.

Fresh discoveries

Fresh discoveries of contaminated eggs have continued daily.

Denmark said on Friday it had found two tonnes of fipronil-tainted scrambled eggs, bringing the total of contaminated eggs to 22 tonnes, mainly from Belgium.

Poland said it had discovered about 40,000 eggs imported from Germany.

French Agriculture Minister Stephane Travert said that since April the country had sold nearly 250,000 contaminated eggs, imported from Belgium and the Netherlands, but the risk for consumers was "very low" given French eating habits.

The food scare is one of the biggest to hit Europe since the 2013 horsemeat scandal when equine meat was falsely labelled and mis-sold.

Previous food scandals include contamination of chickens and eggs by dioxin in 1999, which began in Belgium, and mad-cow disease -- cattle feed contaminated by the ground-up carcasses of animals infected with a deadly brain disorder -- which ran from roughly 1986-1998 and started in Britain.

Related Article:

Dutch egg probe widens to chicken meat tests

EU, Canada sign delayed trade deal

Yahoo – AFP, Danny Kemp, October 30, 2016

(L-R) European Council President Donald Tusk, Canadian Prime Minister
 Justin Trudeau and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker during
 the EU-Canada summit meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels on October 30,
2016 (AFP Photo/John Thys)

Brussels (AFP) - The EU and Canada finally signed a landmark free trade deal seven years in the making on Sunday, after overcoming last-minute resistance from a small Belgian region that nearly torpedoed the entire agreement.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flew to Brussels for a ceremony that had been pushed back from Thursday after Wallonia with its population of 3.6 million initially vetoed a pact affecting more than 500 million people.

But in a sign of the fierce passions aroused by the giant Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), protesters burst through riot police lines and hurled red paint at the EU's headquarters.

"That I be here today or three days ago is not going to make a huge difference in the grand scheme of the real impact it's going to have for this good deal to move forward," Trudeau said after signing the pact with leaders of the EU institutions.

Cheers and applause erupted as they inked a long-anticipated deal that will remove 99 percent of customs duties between the two sides, linking the single EU market of 28 nations with the world's 10th largest economy.

'Disintegration of West'

The leaders hailed the pact as good news after the Belgian drama, which sparked dire warnings for the EU's credibility as it wrestles with Britain's shock vote to leave, a huge migration crisis and the threat of a resurgent Russia.

The signing was also further delayed when Trudeau's plane from Canada suffered "mechanical issues" and had to turn back for repairs.

"Patience is a tree whose root is bitter, but its fruit is very sweet," EU President Donald Tusk said. "Today's decisions demonstrate that the disintegration of the Western community does not need to become a lasting trend."

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker meanwhile said the deal was an "international standard that will have to be followed by others" -- not least an even bigger agreement that the EU is negotiating with the United States.

But the fate of the Canada-EU deal -- so close to the finish line after seven gruelling years of negotiations -- had been hanging by a thread until just days ago because of Belgium.

French-speaking Wallonia had for two weeks resisted huge pressure to back the deal until it won concessions for regional farming interests and guarantees that international investors will not be able to force governments to change laws.

Following marathon talks led by Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, the Walloons finally agreed on Thursday evening, and a day later, Trudeau agreed to fly in for the delayed signing.

The pact required all EU member states to endorse it and in some cases such as Belgium's for regional governments to agree too, giving tiny Wallonia an effective veto.

Minister-President of Belgium's Walloon Region Paul Magnette leaves the stage

 after a speech about the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement 

(CETA) (AFP Photo/Bruno Fahy)

'Trojan horse'

Concerns in the declining industrialised region in Belgium's south reflect wider worries in Europe about globalisation, as well as fears among activists that such deals erode consumer, social and environmental protections.

On Sunday, around 100 protesters banged drums and shouted slogans outside the European Council building while Belgian riot police backed by water cannon looked on, AFP reporters said.

The glass front doors of the building were also daubed with red paint after some protesters briefly managed to break through police lines, with a number of them arrested.

The activists also see CETA as a Trojan horse for the even larger -- and more controversial -- deal between the EU and the United States.

Negotiations for that deal, known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), have however stalled in recent weeks, and the goal of approving it by the end of President Barack Obama's term in office now having been abandoned.

The troubles with the Canadian deal have meanwhile been seen as a possible harbinger of things to come for Britain as it tries to negotiate a new trade pact with the EU after it leaves the bloc -- most likely in 2019.

Related Articles:

TTIP is (almost) dead, long live CETA!
Bank of England governor Carney eyes exit: reports

Leaked papers allege US pressuring EU over TTIP free trade deal

German media say secret documents reveal the US has pressured the EU to approve a transatlantic free trade deal. The reports say Washington may block easier car exports if the EU doesn't open up its agricultural market.

Deutsche Welle, 2 May 2016

German media say 240 pages of text from secret transatlantic free trade talks obtained by Greenpeace show that the US is pressuring the EU.

Washington was blocking European car exports into the US to force the 508-million-population EU to buy more environmentally risky US farm produce, claimed the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (SZ) newspaper and two German public television channels.

Greenpeace said it would publish the material later on Monday, contrary to strict secrecy maintained by US and EU negotiating teams during three years of talks on the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

The TTIP is unpopular in Germany. On the eve of US President Barack Obama's visit to a major Hanover trade exhibition last week, tens of thousands of opponents demonstrated.

Documents seem authentic

The German news agency DPA said persons close to the talks had confirmed the authenticity of the documents. Accessibility so far has been strictly limited.

By blocking an easing of car exports into the US, Washington wanted the EU to replace its precautionary consumer safety principle with the liberal US approach of permitting foodstuffs until risks are proven, said the media outlets, including the ARD network's channels NDR and WDR.

The EU's principle that goods must first be certified as safe has often been cited by the EU to constrain imports of American gene-manipulated and hormone-treated produce.

TTIP opponents rallied as Obama headed to Hannover

Public arbitration panels blocked

The German outlets said the documents disclosed by Greenpeace also showed that the US was blocking an EU demand that arbitration panels to handle corporate lawsuits be public not private as sought by Washington.

Greenpeace trade expert Jürgen Knirsch said what had so far trickled out of the talks had "sounded like a nightmare."

"Now we know that this could very much become reality," said Knirsch.

The head of Germany's consumer advisory bureaus Klaus Müller told the SZ that the texts confirmed "pretty much all of our fears in terms of what the US-Americans want to achieve on the food produce market through TTIP."

Merkel and Obama called for 'urgency' on TTIP

Urgency sought by Obama, Merkel

Visiting Hanover last week, US President Barack Obama together with German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for urgency at the TTIP negotiations.

Obama said he hoped it would the talks would be concluded in 2017, beyond the next US presidential election due in November this year.

Last Friday in New York, the lead US and EU negotiators - US Trade Representative Daniel Mullaney and the European Commission's Ignacio Garcia Bercera - said they hoped to reach a deal before Obama leaves office in January.

ipj/jr (dpa, AFP, Reuters)

Related Article:

TTIP: Free trade at expense of the environment?

Lack of transparency is being criticized: TTIP negotiations have been taking 

place behind closed doors

Two-thirds of EU states to ban GM crop cultivation

The European Commission has announced 19 EU member states will be able to ban the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops. Environmental groups praised the news.

Deutsche Welle, 5 Nov 2015

The 19 EU member states will be able to ban GM cultivation on their territory after biotech and agriculture companies dropped objections on Thursday.

GM crops have faced resistance in Europe amid concern over their impact on health and the environment.

Previously, EU member states could only ban GM cultivation based on scientific evidence of health or environmental risks, but under new rules they will also be able to cite other reasons, including political considerations.

The decision comes after the Brussels - split between pro and anti-GM members -had, after years of negotiations, allowed individual member states to decide whether they would grow GM crops.

"The new approach allows member states to listen to the concerns of many European citizens and have the final say on whether or not GMOs can be cultivated on their territory," European Commission spokesman Enrico Brivio said.

The 19 countries include Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia.

Germany will also ban GM crops, but wants to allow for GM research. Denmark and Luxembourg want to ban four GM crops, while Belgium and Britain have asked for the ban to apply in only certain parts of their countries.

“Over the past 20 years, GM technology has only been taken up by a handful of countries for a handful of crops, so no wonder two thirds of Europe have decided to ban it," Greenpeace EU food policy director Franziska Achterberg said in a statement. "Where GM crops are grown, they lead to increased pesticide use and the entrenchment of industrial farming systems that in turn exacerbate hunger, malnutrition and climate change.”

Monsanto's maize strain MON 810 is currently the only GM crop approved for cultivation in the EU, where it is primarily crown in Spain and Portugal. Eight other approvals are pending.

Monsanto's Roundup Ready line of GM crops has been linked to the massive population decline of monarch butterflies in North America.

Nearly 85 percent of GM crops in the world are grown in four countries: the US, Brazil, Argentina and Canada.

The EU still imports GM products, but a proposal to make it easier to ban or restrict GM imports is still under consideration.

cw/rc (dpa)

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Nineteen EU countries seek GMO opt-out

Scotland to ban genetically modified crops

Monsanto drops Syngenta takeover bid

"The Biggest Filter" - July 18-19, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“..  Health

Normal good health is turning to simple physics for some of the simplest things. New kinds of foods are being grown with new physics, not chemistry. These will be physic-foods [Kryon name] that are not genetically altered or chemically altered, but benevolently enhanced by physics! This causes a new kind of super growth that can feed the planet in a way it's never been fed before. It will create food that is resistant to absolutely everything - insects, bacteria and disease - all through physics. Who thought of that? What you're expecting in the future regarding health is based upon the past. The big filter of past knowledge keeps you from thinking out of the box. You don't know what you don't know.  ….”

Nineteen EU countries seek GMO opt-out

Nineteen EU member states have requested to opt-out of producing genetically modified crops, effectively banning their cultivation. Germany requested a partial opt-out that would allow research into the biotechnology.

Deutsche Welle, 4 Oct 2015

More than half of all EU member states met an October 3 deadline requesting the abilityto opt-out of the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMO), the European Commission reported on Sunday.

European Commission spokesman Enrico Brivio said on Sunday that 17 of the member states requested to fully opt-out of GMO cultivation, while Belgium and Britain asked that the opt-out mechanism be reserved for only part of their country's respective territories.

Meanwhile, Germany requested a partial opt-out that would still allow GMO research.

The full opt-out requests were made by Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, and Slovenia.

The move allows the countries to ban GMO even if the EU provides approval for their cultivation, according to a law signed earlier this year.

The EU has solely approved the cultivation of one GMO, namely Monsanto's GM maize MON 810. However, eight applications submitted to the EU for review are currently pending.

The EU let countries opt out of #GMO crops in their soil- they did. http://t.co/njLZOEAA8X #monsanto pic.twitter.com/jwtHjacuhV

— Greenpeace (@Greenpeace) 2 oktober 2015

The cultivation of GMO in Europe has been widely divisive subject, with environmentalists saying that it would damage biodiversity.

Agricultural biotechnology companies, such as Monsanto, have rebuked such criticism as scientifically baseless.

The more you know: #GMOs explained in 60 seconds: https://t.co/yc9MjhEHoD #video #education

— Monsanto Europe (@MonsantoEurope) 2 oktober 2015

Brivio noted that the number of requests showed that the new law providing opt-outs at a member-state level offers "a necessary legal framework to a complex issue."

Companies are provided one month to comment on the requests.

ls/sms (Reuters, dpa)

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Scotland to ban genetically modified crops

Monsanto drops Syngenta takeover bid

"The Biggest Filter" - July 18-19, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“..  Health

Normal good health is turning to simple physics for some of the simplest things. New kinds of foods are being grown with new physics, not chemistry. These will be physic-foods [Kryon name] that are not genetically altered or chemically altered, but benevolently enhanced by physics! This causes a new kind of super growth that can feed the planet in a way it's never been fed before. It will create food that is resistant to absolutely everything - insects, bacteria and disease - all through physics. Who thought of that? What you're expecting in the future regarding health is based upon the past. The big filter of past knowledge keeps you from thinking out of the box. You don't know what you don't know.  ….”

Monsanto drops Syngenta takeover bid

US agrochemicals giant Monsanto has dropped its unwelcome takeover bid for Swiss rival Syngenta. Antitrust concerns were among Syngenta's reasons for rejecting its American suitor, the company said.

Deutsche Welle, 26 Aug 2015

Monsanto farmer in the US

Monsanto, the giant US corporation that produces pesticides and genetically engineered pesticide-resistant seeds, announced Wednesday in New York that it would discontinue its attempt to take over its Swiss rival Syngenta.

"Without a basis for constructive engagement from Syngenta, Monsanto will continue to focus on its growth opportunities built on its existing core business to deliver the next wave of transformational solutions for agriculture," Monsanto said in a statement. It also said it would resume a share buyback program.

Syngenta confirmed it had rejected Monsanto's latest and last offer, which "significantly undervalued [Syngenta] and was fraught with execution risk."

Monsanto's most recent bid, proposed August 18, was worth about $46 billion (40 billion euros). Over the past weeks, Syngenta had repeatedly said it was worried a merger deal between the two giants would be blocked on antitrust grounds.

Share turmoil

Monsanto shared have droped 13 percent between August 18 and 25 amid global market turmoil. With nearly half Monsanto's takeover offer based on a share swap, the merger would have entailed significant exposure to market volatility.

Syngenta said in its statement Wednesday that "recent market volatility" had "highlighted the significant risk" to Syngenta's shareholders associated with the proposed merger.

After the two companies announced merger talks were over, Syngenta shares dropped 18 percent and Monsanto shares jumped by over 8 percent.

Location, location

Monsanto had envisioned shifting the merged company's headquarters from Monsanto's current home base of St Louis, in the midwestern US state of Missouri, to Britain.

The idea, according to Monsanto chief executive Hugh Grant in an April 18 letter to Syngenta executives, was that "our merger will create a new global enterprise focused on future growth across all geographies... The combination of our companies would redefine the future of agriculture."

Syngenta said Monsanto had failed to provide "sufficient clarity" on a number of concerns, including regulatory risk, the tax consequences of shifting the company's registered headquarters from the US to Britain, and the estimated financial benefits of the proposed merger.

"We engaged with Monsanto in good faith and highlighted those key issues which required more concrete information in order to continue a dialogue. We take note of Monsanto's decision," Syngenta chairman Michel Demare said, adding that "our Board is confident Syngenta's long-term prospects remain very attractive."

Mergers and emerging monopolies

Syngenta was itself formed in 2000 as a result of the merger of Swiss-based Novartis Agribusiness and UK-based Zeneca Agrochemicals, which were the agrochemical, seeds and biotech businesses of pharmaceuticals and agrochemical giants Novartis and Zeneca.

Mergers in the agrochemicals industry have led to a situation where only six companies dominate the bulk of global agrochemicals sales, including Syngenta, Bayer CropScience, BASF, Dow Agrosciences, Monsanto and DuPont.

nz/hg (Reuters, AFP)

Related Articles:

Scotland to ban genetically modified crops


"The Biggest Filter" - July 18-19, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“..  Health

Normal good health is turning to simple physics for some of the simplest things. New kinds of foods are being grown with new physics, not chemistry. These will be physic-foods [Kryon name] that are not genetically altered or chemically altered, but benevolently enhanced by physics! This causes a new kind of super growth that can feed the planet in a way it's never been fed before. It will create food that is resistant to absolutely everything - insects, bacteria and disease - all through physics. Who thought of that? What you're expecting in the future regarding health is based upon the past. The big filter of past knowledge keeps you from thinking out of the box. You don't know what you don't know.  ….”