STORY
The Council of the European Union has agreed its position on a further part of the EU’s “omnibus X” simplification package, setting out proposed changes to food and feed safety requirements before negotiations with the European Parliament. The mandate covers rules on pesticide use, farm animal records and plastics in food-contact materials, with ministers arguing that unnecessary administrative burdens can be reduced while maintaining high standards of protection.
The proposals would make it easier for drones to be used for targeted pesticide application, subject to risk assessment and future delegated rules. The Council text would also remove duplicated record-keeping obligations on medicinal treatment and animal mortality where similar obligations already exist under veterinary medicines and animal health legislation.
The measure forms part of a wider EU drive to simplify legislation and improve competitiveness. The presidency said it would continue work on the final part of the package, with the objective of reaching an overall Council mandate for negotiations with MEPs. The file is politically significant because it sits at the intersection of food safety, farming regulation and the EU’s broader attempt to make its rulebook less burdensome.