Latest news with #CemÖzdemir
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
German farms to receive EU aid after foot-and-mouth disease outbreak
German farmers affected by a recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) are eligible to receive financial aid from the European Union, the German Agriculture Ministry said on Tuesday. Germany saw its first outbreak of FDM in more than 35 years when the disease was discovered in a herd of buffalo in the eastern state of Brandenburg, just outside Berlin, in January. The European Commission subsequently ordered a 6-kilometre exclusion zone around the site of the outbreak, restricting the transport of animals from the area, while several countries announced bans on imports of German agricultural products. However, all tests for FMD in domestic and wild animals in the affected region have since been negative, enabling all trade restrictions to be lifted. On April 15, the country was officially declared free of the disease. To help them deal with the fallout, all dairy and pig farmers within the exclusion zone are eligible for EU aid, according to the ministry. Affected farmers can now breathe a sigh of relief, said acting Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir, adding that the payments were "important for them to be able to carry on." He stressed that his goal had always been to prevent any farmer of having to give up due to the outbreak. The state of Brandenburg estimates the outbreak caused some €8 million ($9.1 million) in damages, with farmers forced to kill numerous animals. The European Commission is currently preparing guidelines to determine the exact amounts to be paid out, according to the ministry.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EU to change rules allowing states to cull wolves
The European Commission plans to allow its member states to adopt a stricter stance against wolves. The Brussels authority announced on Friday that the protection status of the wolf would be changed from "strictly protected" to "protected." This would allow EU countries to cull the animals more easily, although they are not required to do so. The proposal for the corresponding legislative amendment still needs approval from the European Parliament and the member states. "In some European regions, wolf packs have become a real danger especially for livestock," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement. "Today, we are proposing a change of EU law that will help local authorities to actively manage wolf populations while protecting both biodiversity and our rural livelihoods." Wolves once exterminated in Germany According to the conservation organization WWF, the wolf was exterminated in Western Europe, including Germany, in the mid-19th century. It survived only in eastern and southern Europe. In recent years, however, populations have markedly recovered. According to the 2023-24 report from the German Agency for Nature Conservation, the number of verified wolves increased by 262 within a year to 1,601. The primary habitats include the states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg and Saxony. The German Farmers' Association (DBV) estimates there are now between 1,800 and 3,300 wolves in Germany. German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir stated in a report that the adjustment is positive news for pastoral farming and not bad for species conservation. "Because sheep, goats and cattle on pasture strengthen biodiversity and the preservation of valuable cultural landscapes," he said.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Germany may export milk to China after foot-and-mouth outbreak
German producers are free to export pasteurized milk and milk products to China following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease if they come from outside restricted areas, Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir said on Wednesday. "With China, we have brought one of the largest and most important markets for our dairy products back on board," Özdemir added. He called the agreement with China a breakthrough and said it will help many companies to gradually return to normal operations. For the first time in more than 35 years, a foot-and-mouth outbreak erupted in Germany in early January, centred on the eastern state of Brandenburg. Some non-EU countries responded by imposing bans on meat and milk imports from the whole of Germany. In the EU, however, the principle of regionalization applies – products from outside the protection zone around the affected farm can be traded normally. On the basis of this regionalization, a new version of a veterinary certificate has now been agreed in negotiations with China, the ministry announced. The Chinese main customs office is therefore now excluding heat-treated milk and milk products from the trade ban. About a quarter of German milk exports go to China.
