Search Results for: Germany

BY MARK ROWE

RUSSIA’S new-found belligerence and confidence is not confined to the political and military sphere: in recent years Russia has adopted an aggressive, take-it-or-leave it stance when it comes to fish, seafood and other food products.

The country has imposed a number of bans on fish products from its European neighbours, including salmon and other fresh fish from Norway, fishmeal, frozen fish and canned smoked sprats from Poland and a range of fish products from Latvia.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

RESEARCHERS from the Max Planck Institute, Germany, have developed a genetic tool which allows rice breeders to block the action of genes which confer unwanted traits. The discovery could help create speed the development of new genetic varieties of food crops.…

By Alan Osborn

A mighty battle is about to be fought out in Europe over something called "the slope of the curve" and no, it’s not a beauty contest and it has nothing to do with landscaping or geometry – this is all about curbing CO2 emissions from new automobiles.…

BY MARK GODFREY, in Beijing

METHANE recovery is a boom industry in China. A frenetic dig for coal to drive its economy means atmospheric concentrations of methane are growing. And this is a problem – methane is not only a greenhouse gas that retains 25 times more heat than carbon dioxide, it hangs around in the atmosphere a lot longer.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A TEAM of European researchers has developed an innovative traffic control system that allows air traffic controllers to monitor aeroplanes whist they are taxiing at airports. The system developed by the European Union (EU)-funded Euro 2.13 million Ismail project uses a network of small, inexpensive sensors to monitor planes’ own magnetic forces.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Union’s (EU) protected designation of origin (PDO) system that defends scores of EU traditional drinks from being copied outside their home region has been weakened. The European Court of Justice has ruled official consumer watchdogs have no legal duty to police these rules for imported products.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

INTERNATIONAL standards are crucial for the trade in goods, because they allow

importers to have confidence that the foreign product they are buying meets the

specifications they are familiar with at home. So, it may come as some surprise that no

such global standard currently exists as regards the technical definition of biofuels.…

BY ALAN OSBORN

A LOT of confusion has arisen over the European Commission’s proposals for an Agency for the Co-operation of Energy Regulators (ACER) in the EU, published last September as part of a drive to create a common energy policy for the 27 EU member states.…

BY MARK ROWE

THE 21st century is seeing a rapid development in the packaging of oils, scents and fats, instigated in part by the increasing global demand for olive oil, along with the burgeoning industry in essential oils.

One of the key trends has been towards the use of packaging to offer fresh products, a development augmented by the increasing perception worldwide of olive oil as a health food product.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Commission has ordered compulsory GM-free certification for a wide range of Chinese rice products, because of concerns unauthorised illicit exports of the genetically modified Bt63 have been sold into Europe. From April 15, only consignments tested by an official or accredited laboratory using a specific testing method and accompanied by an analytical report assuring they do not contain Bt63, can enter the EU.…