EU worries over pig virus

The EU Commission has agreed new rules to limit the spread of a deadly swine disease that has  killed millions of piglets n the US.





Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea virus (PEDv) has wiped out around 10% of the American herd in a year.
While the EU rejected an outright ban on live pig imports, it has restricted blood products used in pig feed.

However a Canadian minister said measures were "disappointing" and not based on science. While the virus isn't harmful to humans or food, concern has grown in Europe over its potential economic impact PEDv is spread in faecal matter and attacks the guts of pigs, preventing them from absorbing liquids and nutrients they need to survive .

Older animals can survive, but fatality rates among piglets run between 80% and 100%.
Deadly spoon. So virulent is the agent that one expert estimated that a spoonful of infected manure would be enough to sicken the entire US herd.

France announced last week that it was set to suspend imports of live pigs and sperm from the US, Canada, Japan and Mexico.However the French have delayed their ban to allow the EU Commission to consider a pan-Union response.

At a meeting in Brussels, experts from member states reviewed the most recent scientific information on PEDv and decided against a ban on imports of live pigs. They argued that live imports aren't a major problem, with around 250 animals being brought in from Canada and the US last year. No live consignments are scheduled to be sent to Europe at present.

EU officials did toughen up the rules on the imports of blood products from countries where the virus is active.

European Union outlines 2030 environmental target

The European Commission has outlined its plans for climate and energy policy until 2030.The Commissioners want a binding target to reduce carbon emissions by 40% from 1990 levels. Renewables will need to provide 27% of EU energy by 2030, but while the target will be binding at EU level there will be no mandatory targets for member states.

The policy proposals are subject to review by heads of government.Green groups have said the new targets lack ambition and the 40% emissions cut is "dangerously low".This wide ranging White Paper will have a significant impact on the way Europe generates its power from 2020 onwards.

The Commission wants to give clarity to investors in renewable energy while at the same time maintaining their leadership role in global climate negotiations. A critical part of that is the headline figure on emissions cuts. The target that was set for 2020 was 20% but the EU as a group had almost reached the goal by 2012.

Some countries including the UK urged the Commission to propose a bigger target of 50% by 2030 whereas others held out for 35%. The move was welcomed by investors. According to the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change, who's members manage 7.5 trillion euros, the new target was a good first step.

Pesticides May Impact Human Nervous System

Recent research by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has found that Bee-harming and other pesticides may impact on the complex human nervous system.They hound that current safety guidelines for two pesticides—acetamiprid and imidacloprid—may be too lax to protect humans, especially the developing brains of unborn children.

 The finding is based on recent research published in PLoS ONE where scientists found that newborn rats exposed to the chemicals experienced movement issues, shrinking brains and weight loss.The EFSA recommends raising the safety limits of both the chemicals based on the research, though it notes that . However, the recommendation still has to be accepted by the European Commission.

Europe has recently installed a two-year partial ban on three neonicotinoids—imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam—due to research linking the pesticides to the collapse in bee colonies and other pollinators. Scientists have found that while the pesticides don't kill bees outright, they impact their nervous systems, altering behavior to such an extent that eventually whole colonies collapse.