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The combination of COVID disruptions and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks led to a 1.8 percent decline in EU (European Union) chicken meat production in Calendar Year (CY) 2021. Despite ongoing HPAI outbreaks, easing COVID restrictions will likely result in a 0.2 percent increase in EU chicken meat production in CY 2022.

On May 2020, the European Commission announced a revision of the legislative framework for Geographical Indications (GIs) as part of the European Union (EU) Green Deal’s Farm to Fork Strategy.

Hong Kong continues to take random tests on imports of chilled and frozen foods and their packaging for the COVID-19 virus.

The European Commission is banning titanium dioxide (E171) as a food additive in the EU, starting with a six-month phasing out period as of February 7, 2022, until August 7, 2022, after which a full ban applies. Following the publication of Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/63 in the EU’s Official Journal (OJ) on January 18, 2022, Annex II and III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives will be amended accordingly.

Both EU beef and pork production are forecast to decline in 2022. The lower domestic beef production is caused by a shrinking dairy herd with higher milk deliveries but a lower output of animals for slaughter.

On April 11, 2018, the European Commission published a proposal to amend the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive to answer Member States’ demand for tools to tackle dual quality of foodstuff....

The EU started the post-quota era with an all-time record sugar production of 22.8 million MT for MY 2017/2018, of which 21.1 million MT is for processing into sugar....

On April 12, 2018, the European Commission published a proposal for a Directive on unfair trading practices in the food supply chain.

The EU28’s grain harvest in MY2018/19 is forecast to be the sixth to surpass 300 MMT in a decade.

On December 8, 2017, Japan and the European Union (EU) announced the finalization of negotiations on the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

On April 9, 2018, a new EU law enters into force that sets out a procedure to determine the "novel food status" of a particular food.

Total EU oilseeds area and production in MY 2018/19 is forecast slightly upward due to increasing acreage of all three major oilseeds (rapeseed, soybean and sunflower).