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The funds from the 2008 Instrument for Pre Accession Assistance (IPA) National Programme will be used for supporting reforms aimed at approximating the Serbian legal system and standards with those of the EU. To that effect, over a quarter of the €168 million will go to projects which are directly related to the introduction of the acquis communitaire and improve Serbia's capability to assume the obligations of EU membership. For example, the Serbian transport sector will be supported in streamlining its efficiency and project preparation and implementation; there will be support to implement standards for hazardous waste management and to expand medical waste management to additional health centres; and measures to control and eradicate rabies and swine fever in Serbia will be introduced, etc.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today launched its new website, www.fsai.ie, which is a comprehensive source of information for food businesses on every aspect of food safety, food hygiene management and food legislation. The FSAI website which received over 180,000 hits in 2008, representing a 58% increase on 2007, has a wide range of new features and improved navigation tools to help people access information quickly. They include an online complaint function and an automated subscription service.

The Russian government has no plans to fence off the domestic market from import, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said. “Unfortunately, we cannot close the domestic market to import because this will cause prices for basic goods inside the country to skyrocket,” Putin said at a meeting with the United Russia party leadership on Wednesday. Putin noted that the government had already reduced fowl and pork imports in hope that “domestic producers will make up for this amount”.

On 16 February 2009, the Government of Philippines announced that a slaughterhouse worker who has daily contact with pigs tested positive for antibodies against the Ebola Reston virus. This brings to six, out of a total of 141 people, who have tested positive for Ebola Reston antibodies in the Philippines since testing began in December 2008. All six people who were antibody positive reported occupational exposure to pigs.

“Substantial amounts” of Irish pork products which were recalled from 40 overseas markets because of the dioxin scare in December are still being held in overseas warehouses and ports.

Officials in North Cotabato are working out a way to market pork products in Metro Manila in frozen form to boost the income of local hog raisers. North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel F. Piñol said negotiations have been underway with an unidentified pork buyer in Manila who could provide better prices for the local hog raisers.

An innovative £300,000 project to bring together pig farmers across Yorkshire and the Humber to improve the health of pigs has just got under way. It is jointly funded by BPEX and Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency, using funding from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE).

For obvious ethical reasons, the use of animals in scientific experiments needs to be limited and their welfare improved. But this must be done without hindering research in Europe into fighting diseases, says the EP Agriculture Committee. In adopting on Tuesday a report drafted by Neil Parish (EPP-ED, UK), the Agriculture Committee backed these goals by a large majority.

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have demonstrated how Salmonella’s ability to survive in amoeba is a huge advantage to its continued development as it may be more resistant to disinfectants and water treatment.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced he is extending the sign-up deadline for the 2009 direct and counter-cyclical payment program from June 1 to Aug. 14 to give producers more time to analyze their options under the 2008 farm bill. Vilsack, testifying before the House Appropriations Subcommittee, said the move was in response to concerns he had heard from producers who were worried about making their decisions in time for the June 1 deadline.

Russia will consume 20% less pork this year and cut imports substantially as the global economic crisis drives consumers to buy cheaper poultry meat, Sergei Yushin, the head of the National Meat Association has said.

The European Commission said on Monday it had released 314 million euros (414 million dollars) to support farmers in poor countries as the first instalment in a one billion euro package.

In his latest report to WTO governments, Director-General Pascal Lamy warned last week there has been “significant slippage” by governments in their resistance to domestic protectionism. The WTO report gives examples of this protectionist slide from many G20 governments.

Monitoring research of meat products imported to Russia from some US, Spanish and Hungarian enterprises showed the content in them of such harmful forbidden substances as Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria, antibiotics and some other drugs.