A traditional defender of the proper treatment of animals in captivity, Sweden intends to make animal wellbeing apriority of its six month Presidency. It is not only for the sake of the animals, says Stockholm, but is also in the interests of breeders to maintain a high level of sanitation in their stocks. The Presidency intends to organise a conference on the subject in Uppsala, on 8-9 October. The dossier on animal slaughter standards, having been completed under the Czech EU Presidency, will no longer be on the table, but Stockholm could use the labelling dossier to re-open the debate.

The European Commission intends to take advantage of an ally, sensitive to the problem of animal treatment, to make several proposals that have been “on hold” for several months, including the re-opening of the highly controversial subject of the conditions of animal transport in Europe, one of the oldest hobby horses of animal protection NGOs. The European Commission is expected to propose a reduction in the time during which animals may be transported and to tackle animal overcrowding in lorries. The proposals will have a major economic impact on the meat industry.

Elsewhere, the negotiations on climate change in Copenhagen at the end of December ensured that the environment became a key topic. The Swedish Agriculture Minister, Eskil Erlandsson, has now chosen to involve agricultural ministers in the debate. His work will begin at the traditional informal meeting of EU agriculture ministers, on 13-15 September. This will take place in one of Sweden’s most important agricultural regions, Växjö, and will be entitled ‘Agriculture and the environment’. A further conference entitled ‘Foodstuffs adapted to climate change’ will be organised in Lund, on 23-24 November.

Under pressure from the European Council, the Commission is expected, at the end of the summer, to present proposals to put an end to the crisis currently affecting the milk market. European agriculture ministers will be expected to analyse the economic report presented to them by the Commission as well as any measures that may go with it.

Finally, the Presidency is expected to continue the discussions on food prices and the distribution of (profit) margins in the food chain. In December, the Commission is likely to present a new report on the subject highlighting certain measures which may help to improve transparency in the sector. In addition, negotiations on the future regulation on foodstuffs and the thorny issue with which it goes hand in hand – cloning farm animals – are expected to continue, as are those on consumer information and the labelling of foodstuffs.