Submitted by Thomas Pröller, meat-n-more on , Published in Archive
Effective March 1, 2004, Tulip Food Company will take over the activities of Oldenburger Fleischwarenfabrik in Germany. The takeover is part of the strategy to strengthen Tulip's competitive strengths in the German market.
The Oldenburger Fleischwarenfabrik in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony, has a logistically favorable location near Tulip's factory in Schüttorf. The takeover, effective March 1, 2004, is still subject to the approval of the Federal Cartel Office.
Submitted by Thomas Pröller, meat-n-more on , Published in Archive
In 2003, the Wiesbauer Group achieved a total increase in sales of around 5%. As in previous years, there was strong growth in the export of typical Austrian product specialties to Germany. With the opening of the new German central sales office, Wiesbauer now has its own sales hub in Germany, the basis for continued good development here. With the eastward expansion of the EU, the Hungarian and Czech markets are to be worked more intensively. Annual review 2003: important decisions for the future
The takeover of the Teufner company, the successful first presentation of the original Hungarian specialty range "Prímás" at the Anuga in Cologne, the choice of the "Meister Schinken" as the Austrian Product Champion 2003 in the counter area and strong growth in exports to Germany for Wiesbauer Managing Director Komm. Rat Karl Schmiedbauer the highlights of the past financial year.
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Restructuring took effect in the fourth quarter
FRoSTA AG achieved sales of €2003 million in 262,5 (previous year = €284 million). The pre-tax result – before auditing by the auditors – amounts to € -7,9 million. Thanks to profits in the fourth quarter, the operating loss accumulated by the end of September 4 was reduced from €2003 million to €6,6 million. This loss is increased by the amount of €5,5 million due to restructuring expenses for the social plan and severance payments.
Thanks to reduced liabilities, the equity ratio was kept at well over 20% despite the loss that occurred. The Management Board will not propose a dividend payment for the 2003 financial year.
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On the occasion of the research report of the German Science Council, the chairman of the consumer protection, nutrition and agriculture working group, Peter-Harry Carstensen MdB, and the commissioner for biotechnology and genetic engineering of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Helmut Heiderich MdB, explain:
A stronger networking of the federal research institutions with the agricultural faculties of the universities is the goal of a CDU/CSU initiative, which has meanwhile found the support of all parliamentary groups in the Agriculture Committee of the German Bundestag.
Submitted by Thomas Pröller, meat-n-more on , Published in Archive
The text of the judgment can also be read as a pdf file
Germany's fight against the import of Danish boars between 1993 and 1998 could prove expensive for the Federal Republic. In a judgment dated January 30, 01, the district court in Bonn partially agreed with the plaintiff Danes, opening up a possible claim for 2004 million euros in damages.
In 1998, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg announced that Germany had violated EU law with its ban in infringement proceedings brought by the European Commission. In order to protect German consumers from the typical boar odor of sexually mature male fattening pigs, the German authorities demanded different controls than the EU had envisaged. For the Danes, German stubbornness ruined a program they had just started to fatten uncastrated boars. The Danes wanted to be reimbursed for the follow-up costs for the resulting measures; they calculated around 120 million euros plus an appropriate interest rate. The Bonn regional court recognized the claims in principle, but assumed that some of them were statute-barred, so that "only" around 70 million euros in compensation could be justified.
Submitted by Thomas Pröller, meat-n-more on , Published in Archive
Opinion ready for download
As reported on February 02nd, 02, the Science Council of the Federal Government has taken a critical look at departmental research in the Consumer Ministry. Since the short report cannot possibly reflect all aspects of this investigation and the recommendations resulting from it, we document the original document as a pdf file.
The adopted "Recommendations for the development of the framework conditions for research in departmental research institutions (using the example of the research institutes under the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture (BMVEL))" (Drs. 5910/04) are available here as a pdf file [for download] ready.
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Avian influenza outbreak in Asia: Member States decide to extend import ban on poultry products
The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, representing Member States, today approved Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne's proposal to ban imports of poultry products and pet birds from Asian countries affected by avian influenza. This affects imports of fresh poultry meat and poultry meat products from Thailand and pet birds from Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Pakistan, China, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. It was decided to keep the import ban in place for 6 months until August 15, in accordance with the guidance of the International Organization for Animal Health (OIE). The situation is constantly being monitored with a view to changing the ban sooner if the epidemic situation allows. Avian influenza is a highly contagious poultry disease that can cause severe economic damage to the poultry sector and is also transmissible to humans. Although the risk of introducing the virus in meat or meat products is likely to be very low, the EU wants to be sure that any possible transmission is ruled out.
“We are taking all possible measures to prevent the introduction of avian influenza from the affected countries in Asia, in accordance with our veterinary regulations and based on international guidelines. I am very pleased that we have the full support of our Member States in this regard," said David Byrne. "We must of course remain vigilant and Member States must ensure that the import ban is strictly enforced in all ports and airports To prevent the disease from entering Europe and ensure that neither our citizens nor the EU's poultry populations are at risk. WHO guidelines should be followed when traveling to affected regions."
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Meat from slaughter without stunning should be labelled
The Federal Veterinary Association rejects any slaughter without stunning (shafts). On the occasion of the upcoming Festival of Sacrifice (Kurban Bayrami/Id Al-Adha, February 1 to 4), she is appealing to fellow Muslims to only slaughter animals for the traditional sacrifice with anesthesia. The umbrella organization of veterinarians also proposes labeling meat that, according to Muslim or Jewish beliefs, was obtained through slaughter without stunning.
In the case of slaughter without stunning, the animals are killed with a neck cut. They are not immediately unconscious and can be in considerable pain and suffering. The Animal Welfare Act generally prohibits slaughter without stunning. Exceptions are only possible if a religious community has mandatory religious regulations for this. Among other things, the religion of Muslim believers dictates that an animal must not be dead at the time of slaughter and that the blood must be separated from the meat. For these two criteria, there is an alternative with short-term electrical stunning, which is increasingly accepted by Muslims and protects the animals from suffering.
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Response to avian influenza (bird flu) in Southeast Asia
In order to stabilize protection against the introduction of avian influenza at the highest possible level, against the background of what is happening in Southeast Asia, Lower Saxony's Minister of Agriculture, Hans-Heinrich Ehlen, today spoke out in favor of a corresponding emergency federal ordinance.
Ehlen recommends that the Lower Saxony avian influenza ordinance, which is still in force in the amended version of May 16, 2003, can be viewed in Berlin as a model for an emergency federal ordinance. The obligation to report increased deaths in a herd, as an important indicator of a possible outbreak of an epidemic, is already anchored in the Lower Saxony ordinance, for example, as well as a large number of safety precautions. For example, keepers of chickens, guinea fowl and turkeys as well as ducks and geese must ensure that no non-employees can enter the holdings and that shoe cleaning and disinfection facilities are available.
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DBV does not shy away from dealing with politicians and market partners
At its February meeting, the extended Executive Committee of the German Farmers' Association (DBV) dealt in detail with the extremely difficult situation on the milk market. In a resolution, the DBV executive committee proposes a series of measures for a trend reversal on the milk market. Because milk production forms the backbone of German agriculture. Competitive milk production in Germany is indispensable for the economy, the preservation of the cultural landscape and the supply of consumers with high-quality food. The DBV will therefore support all measures that contribute to the formation of fair prices at all levels of the food chain. It is imperative that the cost increases in milk production are offset by higher producer prices. In order to achieve this goal, the German milk producers will not shy away from tough disputes with market partners in the production chain, explained the DBV Executive Committee.
Prospects for successfully securing the future of milk producers first of all require a rapid agreement between the federal and state governments on the individual farm allocation of the direct compensation for milk. In order to stabilize the market for milk and milk products and thus the milk producer prices, the DBV executive committee believes that the surpluses that still exist on the European milk market must be reduced as a matter of urgency. Therefore, any increase in the EU guaranteed amount will be rejected. Because they make sustainable and positive market development more difficult. Solutions for a temporary reduction in milk deliveries are needed at both European and national level.
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Multimedia presentation examines the impact of fruit consumption on the environment and landscape
Plums in January, strawberries in March - there are no more seasonal fruits in the supermarkets. Thanks to modern means of transport and sophisticated refrigeration, not only exotic fruits from distant countries can be bought in the local market, but also fresh summer fruits in winter. But what effects does this consumer offer have on the environment and landscape? This question is answered by a multimedia presentation published by the Geographical Institute of the University of Hanover. The team led by Prof. Thomas Mosimann not only examined fruit-growing landscapes and fruit-growing in Germany, but also looked into problems and consequences of fruit production in the Mediterranean region and the question of the energy balance of fruit transport.
"We want to reach a wide audience with our documentation," emphasizes Professor Mosimann. Consumers who are concerned about their food, but also schools, can gain useful knowledge from the 70-minute multimedia presentation. Where does the fruit come from on the Hanover market? How much more energy does it take to get a kilo of fruit from South America instead of from local fruit growers? "Fruit consumption is a very comprehensive system that has implications that go well beyond the area under cultivation," says Professor Mosimann. "In addition, a lot is changing at the moment - the range is getting bigger and bigger, new delivery areas are being added and consumer demands are increasing."
