Further outbreaks of Lumpy Skin Disease detected in France and Italy
Italy and France have reported further cases of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), bringing the total number of outbreaks to 123, with 71 confirmed outbreaks in France and 52 in Italy. Intense clinical surveillance is ongoing and vaccination is ongoing in both countries. In Italy, genotyping shows that the virus is closely related to cluster 1.2, which includes strains isolated in Nigeria and South Africa. The source of infection in both countries remains unknown.
The UK has banned the import of live animals, certain meat and unpasteurised dairy products from these areas since late June.
EU proposes new budget and changes to CAP for 2028 to 2034
The Commission has proposed a single ring-fenced budget for agriculture of circa. €300 billion for the 7-year period (thus dismantling the current two pillar structure of the CAP) and reducing the allocated resources by around 20%. As regards the CAP, the proposal includes a system of digressive and capping for direct payments that will see resources targeted on small, young, new and women farmers.
Farming and environmental groups have been vocal that farmers need more assistance to meet future challenges and environmental concerns.
€14 million to Polish farmers for avian flu compensation
Following a positive vote by Member States, the Commission will provide €14 million to Poland to help compensate farmers in areas affected by outbreaks of avian flu. Financed by the agricultural reserve, the payments must be made to farmers by 28 February 2026. To avoid double funding with public money, losses suffered should not have been compensated by state aid or insurance.
Commission proposes to protect meat terms
The Commission has stated that specific legal provisions should be introduced to protect meat-related terms in order to enhance transparency in the internal market as regards food composition & nutritional content, so as to “ensure that consumers can make well-informed choices, particularly for those seeking a specific nutritional content that is traditionally associated with meat products.
Higher advance payment to farmers approved
EU Member States may raise CAP advance payments to support farmers facing liquidity issues. Starting October 16 2025, direct payments can increase from 50% to 70%, and rural development payments from 75% to 85%. This is to support farmers facing challenges like extreme weather and trade uncertainties affecting yields.
UK NUTS2 Emissions Values approved by European Commission
UK NUTS2 GHG emissions values for agricultural raw materials have received European Commission technical clearance. This will ease the burden on farmers and trade by replacing actual or default values. These figures can be combined with downstream emissions data for biofuel supply chain reporting.
