Alessandro Ford

Belgium, Brazil, Europe

Journalist at Freelance

Agriculture Reporter at POLITICO Europe

Agrifood reporter at @POLITICOEurope | Ex-crime correspondent

Articles

5 takeaways in the EU’s frothy wine package – POLITICO

3 weeks ago | politico.eu | Alessandro Ford

Brussels tries to help an aging sector in terminal decline.
Vaccinate more farm animals to curb disease outbreaks, says head of global health body

4 weeks ago | politico.eu | Alessandro Ford

BRUSSELS — Bird flu, swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease: Countries in the European Union should not hesitate to vaccinate farm animals against them, according to Emmanuelle Soubeyran, director general of the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health. Since last year, the continent has suffered renewed outbreaks of bird flu in poultry, swine fever in pigs, foot-and-mouth disease and bluetongue virus in cows, and peste des petits ruminants in sheep and goats.
Giuseppe Antoci, l’eurodéputé qui veut porter la lutte contre la mafia et le crime organisé à Bruxelles

1 month ago | politico.eu | Elena Giordano |Alessandro Ford

Alors qu’il attend assis la levée des barrières, Giuseppe Antoci a l’esprit en ébullition. L’homme politique italien se trouve sur le siège arrière de la voiture, accompagné de sa garde rapprochée, sortie pour l’entourer pendant que le train passe en trombe. La route est calme, la nuit fraîche de décembre immobile. L’absence d’éclairage public l’empêche de voir ce qui peut l’attendre dans l’obscurité alors qu’il rentre chez lui.
Meet the Mafia-busting MEP taking the fight against organized crime to Brussels

1 month ago | politico.eu | Elena Giordano |Alessandro Ford

As he sat waiting for the barriers to lift, Giuseppe Antoci’s mind raced. The Italian politician was in the back seat of the car, flanked by his security detail, who had stepped out to surround him while the train rumbled past. The road was quiet, the cool December night still. The lack of street lighting made it impossible to see what could be waiting in the dark as he made his way home. “Stopping at a level crossing is never a good thing for us,” he said.
UK bans meat, dairy imports from Hungary, Slovakia after foot-and-mouth case

1 month ago | politico.eu | Sophie Inge |Alessandro Ford

LONDON — The U.K. has moved to ban meat and dairy imports from Hungary and Slovakia after a case of foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed along the border between the two countries on Friday, less than two months after an outbreak in Germany. The ban covers "cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and other non-domestic ruminants and porcines such as deer and their untreated products, such as fresh meat and dairy," the U.K. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement late Friday.
Hungary detects first case of foot-and-mouth disease in 50 years

1 month ago | politico.eu | Alessandro Ford

Hungarian authorities have detected a case of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at a 1,400-strong cattle farm on the border with Slovakia, in the country’s first outbreak in 50 years, its National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih) reported on Friday. Nébih was informed of FMD symptoms at “the beginning of March” and immediately issued “extremely strict official measures,” including a ban on live animals and their meat, the agency said.
Restaurant review: Refoodgees of St. Gilles

1 month ago | politico.eu | Alessandro Ford

Rue Émile Féron, 153What’s good? A nonprofit staffed by four refugees, this is home cooking from abroad. Maté, the Georgian chef, makes a satisfyingly plump though nontraditional veggie khinkali: perfect dough, tender mushroom filling and luscious yoghurt sauce. Priscilia and Barry grew up with different versions of fufu, one Guinean and one Angolan, so they’ve settled on a gloriously chunky Cameroonian ragout of manioc, plantain and vegetables.
Trump wants Europe to buy more US farm goods. It can’t.

1 month ago | politico.eu | Alessandro Ford |Bartosz Brzezinski

BRUSSELS — Donald Trump is an equal-opportunity mercantilist. When it comes to the European Union’s €198 billion trade surplus with the United States, he’ll claw at any sector he can. Brandishing 25 percent tariffs on EU steel and aluminum, the U.S. president has demanded that the bloc buy more American cars, fossil fuels, weapons, pharmaceuticals — and food.
The Mediterranean Diet Is a Lie

1 month ago | portside.org | Alessandro Ford

The Mediterranean Diet Is a Lie Published February 24, 2025 It’s the most famous diet in the world. It might also be the most misunderstood, I think, as I scarf ink-black spaghetti al nero di seppia, savor a Lamezia red and drizzle olive oil on Calabrian ’nduja meatballs. Cerulean blue waters bob below, flecked by the basil green of nearby Sicily and the Aeolian Islands. I chew fast so my dining companion can deliver another helping of history.
5 takeaways in the EU’s big agriculture (and food) vision

2 months ago | politico.eu | Bartosz Brzezinski |Alessandro Ford

BRUSSELS — The European Commission published its long-term “vision” for the European Union’s agriculture and food policy on Wednesday, setting out ambitions for a sector that has been at the center of political protests, trade tensions and regulatory headaches. Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen’s paper lays out a roadmap through 2040, promising better conditions for farmers, fairer supply chains, and a rethinking of sustainability policies.