More funding for food and drink promotion

The European Commission has confirmed an increase in the funding available for promoting EU food and drink.

It will rise from 142 million euro to 179m euro in 2018 and will be spent within the EU and third country markets. An additional nine million euro will be made available for trade fairs and overseas export missions.

This comes at a time when the EU is breaking all records for food exports and enjoying significant success in key markets including the United States.

In the funding plan, the Commission says lamb will be singled out for special focus because of a decline in consumer demand.

The EU’s increasing focus on food promotion in export markets will be a challenge for the UK after Brexit, when EU businesses will become well-supported competitors.

The Government has not given any indication of plans for funding to promote British food and drink after Brexit.

The EU’s latest Milk Market Observatory figures show that the milk market remains buoyant in Europe, despite some pressure on commodity prices.

Milk prices were up by 4% in September, compared to August, to average just over 36 cents a litre. This was despite a fall in butter, milk powder and cheese prices which met buyer resistance because they had hit record levels.

The fall in the butter prices was greatest, dropping by 7% in September, although this will take some time to work through to supermarket shelves.

Globally, the picture is of a relatively stable dairy market. The picture for the beef market is also positive, with average prices up by 6% compared to September 2016.

The European Commission has reported some success in reducing the use of antibiotics in agriculture.

It released this information to mark the 10th anniversary of European Antibiotic Awareness Day. This is a major challenge, with 700,000 deaths a year globally as a result of antibiotic resistance.

Countries where there has been a big reduction in antibiotic use in livestock are Denmark, the Netherlands and France, which all reported 40% reductions.

While this is encouraging, the Commission has continued its approach of focusing on countries achieving success, rather than forcing others with less impressive track records to act.

Consumer organisations are pressing for legislation to ban antibiotic use other than for therapeutic purposes in livestock.

Milk prices across Europe were up by 4% in September.