DETAILS OF CAP PAYMENTS INFRINGES PRIVACY

A European Court judge has given an initial fi nding that the publication of details of CAP payments is an infringement of farmer''’ rights.
The judge believes that the practice infringes both their right to privacy and their right to have personal data protected.
The finding comes after a case brought by German farmers when the EU made it compulsory for all Member States to publish details of payments on grounds of transparency.
But the advocate general -effectively a judge studying the case before bringing it to the full court for a fi nal ruling - said there was no 'overriding public interest' to justify this interference with people's right to privacy. It will now be up to the full court to decide later in the year whether to back her views.

EUROPEAN QUALITY MODEL NEEDED
TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE

The head of DG Sanco has warned that to stay internationally competitive Brussels must promote and defend a European quality model.
This model should be based on high standards of animal welfare, environment and food safety. Paola Testori-Coggi said EU consumers should not have to accept lower standards, either from domestic or imported produce. ''We must ensure imports have made the same safety concessions,'' she said. Such claims will ring hollow with farmers, who fi rmly believe that different rules are applied to imports, with products from South America most frequently in the fi ring line. But Ms. Testori-Coggi insisted such claims are not justifi ed by the facts.