EU provides €6.8m in 'resilience funding' to protect protected cheeses and vines
October 22, 2024
Climate-related production pressures have increased on world-famous dairy products such as Roquefort, Camembert and Parmigiano Reggiano.
The quality of raw materials used in cheese production has been affected by extreme weather conditions and rising temperatures. These include changes in grass composition, which affects the nutritional content of milk, and the provision of comfortable and safe conditions for livestock.
In some parts of Europe, vineyards have been affected by adverse weather conditions, including drought, frost and flooding.
The Europeans Wines could be on the brink of extinctionA recent study by FoodNavigator found that this is the case.
Foods resilient to climate change
However, the European Commission has invested €380 million to support the "green transformation" in Europe. This investment will help producers and growers in Spain, France, and Italy find solutions.
Funding from the Image Life project group and Vinoshield, two of 23 climate change mitigation and resilience projects announced this week, will go toward the environmental safety of cheese and wine.
Under the EC's Life programme, 133 projects covering a wide range of industries have been announced.
The European Commission stated that "Life projects contribute to the broad range of climate and energy objectives of the European Green Deal. This includes the EU's objective of being climate neutral by 2050 and halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030, while ensuring Europe's long-term prosperity."
This investment will have a lasting impact on the environment, the economy and the well-being of all Europeans.
Competitiveness in food and beverages
The European Commission recently excluded the food and drink industry from its detailed report EU competitiveness strengthened by new strategy.
The 328-page document mentioned food only seven times, and that was as part of a general section on Europe's most polluting industries.
This report was intended to address Europe's concern about the "slowdown in economic growth" since the beginning of the century. It acknowledges that multiple strategies have been proposed since 2000 to revive growth, but none have worked.
The sector has not benefited from any growth opportunities, despite food and beverage being the largest employers in the EU and leaders in agtech and AI.
A FoodDrinkEurope spokesperson said that while the report offers many recipes for success, it leaves out Europe's largest manufacturing sector, food and beverage.
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