Archive

Keith Nuthall
THE ARGENTINE government has launched the first stage of disputes proceedings at the World Trade Organisation, in a case against the European Union, which it accuses of breaking WTO rules through its wine-making regulations.

Notably, Buenos Aires says that the EU Regulation EC/1493/1999 includes requirements on oenological practices that are “more trade restrictive than they should and could be.”…

BY MONICA DOBIE, in Montreal
NEW BRUNSWICK-based Moosehead Breweries have had to revise a marketing campaign for their Alpine beer brand that features bikini-clad buxom ladies, because the Canadian province’s liquor monopoly labelled it inappropriate. Barbara Winsor, (HONEST – NO RELATION) head of the New Brunswick Liquor Corporation, told the Moncton Times: “Their big boobies are hanging out,” and banned pamphlets from being distributed in provincial alcohol stores; 100,000 will now be pulped.…

BY MONICA DOBIE, in Montreal
NORTH America’s only single malt whisky producer, the Glenora Distillery, in Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island is using its “first and only” status to sell Glen Breton Rare Canadian whisky at high prices.

The distillery which maintains authentic Scottish traditions by using imported Scotch barley, and Scottish-made copper casks, released 1,000 cases of its first release of whisky in 2000 retailing for CAN$75.…

Keith Nuthall
THE EUROPEAN Union’s drinks industry is one of the continent’s key earners according to a report from EU statistical agency Eurostat, which says its productivity is much higher than that of the food processing sector.

The top performing country in the latest pan-EU figures available (1999) in the drinks industry was France, at Euro 103,700 generated in terms of value added by the sector per person in employment.…

BY ALAN OSBORN
BRITAIN may face an action in the European Court of Justice over its tough customs policy over the import of excised drinks from other EU Member States, the European Commission said today (Wednesday). The Commission said it was “concerned” that the controls currently being applied at UK ports, and the sanctions imposed when UK excise duty laws were broken, ” may breach the EU rules which give travellers the right to shop abroad.”…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE DISCOVERY this summer of the hormone MPA in treacle or glucose syrup used for pig feed in the Netherlands, originated in Ireland and were sold on via Belgium because of poor implementation of EU pharmaceutical waste laws and the carelessness of feed producers, the European Commission has claimed.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
EUROSTAT has praised Europe’s food industry for performing well regarding productivity, with growth from 1990-2000 being above that for manufacturing at 2.1 per cent per annum. For meat production, the most efficient country was Denmark, dairy – Germany, and other food industries – Britain.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Food Safety Authority has nominated its choice as its first chief executive; he is Geoffrey Podger, current chief executive of the UK Food Standards Agency. Conformation of the appointment was expected by November.

Its management board has elected Britain’s chair of the National Consumer Council, Deridre Hutton, as its vice-chair and appointed as chairman Codex Alimentarius vice-chair Dr Stuart Slorach, also Deputy Director of the Swedish National Food Administration.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
MEAT from livestock vaccinated against foot and mouth disease will not carry labels within the European Union declaring that they are from injected animals, even after the passage of the anticipated EU FMD directive, EU health and consumer affairs Commissioner David Byrne has said.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EU Court of Auditors has criticised the European Commission’s management of the EU’s oil seeds support scheme, saying it accepted subsidy bids containing overstated yields and the Euro 29.3 million granted 1992-2000 exceeded the legal maximum by Euro 366 million.…