The European Union has launched a campaign in the United States to promote food and beverage products.
The communication campaign highlights the safety, quality, and authenticity of European products.
The EU is the third largest supplier of agricultural and agri-food products to the United States after Mexico and Canada.
Product categories featured include cheeses, olive oil, fruits and vegetables, chocolate and confectionery products, pasta and bakery products, wine, beer, and spirits.
The EU has several quality schemes, including Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), to protect the names of specific products and to promote their features. Items are tied to these origins and cannot be reproduced elsewhere. For PDO-designated products, every part of the production, processing and preparation process must take place in the specific region, while PGI is less strict.
Use of pesticides, herbicides, additives, flavorings, and enzymes is regulated in the 27 EU member states. There are strict health and safety standards across the supply chain – from field to the consumer – covering areas from pesticides to packaging, disease prevention and hygiene.
More information can be found at events in March such as Charleston Wine + Food and South by Southwest in Texas or Vinexpo in New York in June, and the American Cheese Society conference in Buffalo in July.
State aid to Czech Republic
Meanwhile, the European Commission has approved two Czech schemes with a budget of around €1.46 billion ($1.6 billion) to help prevent the spread of certain poultry and pig diseases.
Czech Republic notified the EU Commission of plans to support farmers in preventing the diseases and adopting biosecurity measures. The aim is to stop the spread of avian influenza, Salmonella and poultry campylobacteriosis, and porcine brucellosis, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, and salmonellosis.
Measures will run until December 2029 and are open to small, medium and large farmers in the Czech Republic who put in place steps for disinfection, extermination of insects and rats and other biosecurity measures.
Aid will be direct grants to support the additional costs of cleaning of farm premises and equipment, treatment of feed and water and veterinary interventions. It will cover up to 50 percent of eligible costs.
“These €1.46 billion Czech schemes will ensure the production of healthy and safe food. They will support farmers in adopting measures to prevent the spread of certain animal diseases, and will contribute to achieving the EU agricultural objective of ensuring long-term food security, without unduly distorting competition,” said Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president in charge of competition policy.
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