Brussels, 11 March 2010 – Almost two years after the European Commission launched a voluntary lobby transparency register, sixty per cent of EU lobbying consultancies are still not registered, a survey published today by the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU) reveals. [1] The group has called on EU officials, including the responsible …
EU plans to allow GM crops in through the back door
Brussels, 6 September – Friends of the Earth is calling on the European Commission to halt proposals that would allow farmers to commercially grow up to 17 different types of genetically modified (GM) maize seeds in fields across the whole of Europe. The Commission, which is meeting in Brussels on Wednesday 8 September, also wants …
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European Parliament agriculture experts call for more self-sufficiency in animal feeds
Brussels, January 26 – The European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee voted today on a report calling for European farmers to be given more support to grow their own feed crops and to reduce their dependency on imported animal feed. Currently European livestock farming is dependent on imported soy as an animal feed, whose production is a …
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EU fuelling human right disaster in Indonesia
Brussels, 11 February, 2008 – Palm oil production for food and agrofuels is resulting in widespread human rights abuses in Indonesia according to a report released today by a coalition of international environmental groups [1]. Losing Ground exposes the huge social problems being fuelled by EU targets to increase the use of agrofuels (often called …
European Parliament votes for strong law to stop illegal timber trade
Strasbourg, 22 April – This afternoon, the European Parliament voted to support an improved illegal timber law when a majority voted in favour of significant strengthening of the weak draft proposed by the European Commission last year. The European Commission disappointingly continued to defend its weak position during the plenary debate on Tuesday evening. Milieudefensie/Friends …
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EU votes to test all US rice imports
Brussels, 24th October – Friends of the Earth Europe has welcomed the decision to test all rice imports from the United States for genetically modified material before allowing them to enter the EU. EU member states voted for the tougher controls in a meeting of national food experts yesterday. [1] Reacting to the decision, Adrian …