Month: October 2014

Phil Hogan at EP Agri Committee
Latest from Brussels

Hogan at EP – keep it simple and …

October 5, 2014 Benedikt Haerlin

Everything went well for Commissioner designate Phil Hogan at the European Parliament’s Agricultural Committee on Thursday 2nd October. Instead of being “grilled” the conservative from Ireland could feel at home: With 32 against 10 votes there seems to be comfortable support for his new approach. “Simply simplify everything” in order to increase production, investments, even jobs in European Agriculture was his simple message, and added: “the one thing Simplification is not – is simple!” “Over the coming years,” Hogan said “the abolition of the remaining production constraints, quotas for sugar and dairy, will put EU agriculture in a much better position to respond to market signals and global challenges.” The incoming Commissioner made it sufficiently clear that the “greening and ecological focus area committments of the outgoing Commission” where not his and that he would review direct payments and eventually propose changes already within one years time. “I am aware of concerns about ‘greening’ and ‘ecological focus areas’. And I want to keep a close check on how the system works as we try it out.” […]

Newsflash

ARC Newsflash – October 2014

October 3, 2014 ARC

Dear friends and supporters of Arc2020, “A window was opened in what has been for 50 years the Cathedral of the Green revolution”. So said José Graziano De Silvia, Director General of the FAO at the International Agroecology Symposium recently. It did seem like a momentous moment, coupled with French Agriculture Minister Stéphane Le Foll backing of Agroecology that very week too. And yet, a few days later, the global high-level agri-food agenda had moved onto Climate Smart Agriculture – the other CSA. And lo, it came to pass that a broad, strong agroecology – the kind we promote in our project with Friends of the Earth Europe –  will have to struggle for the limelight against this bells and whistles version of business-as-usual. Attila Szocs of Eco Ruralis explains the issues with the other CSA in more detail later on in this newsletter. Later on too you’ll get our take on Phil Hogan – AG Commissioner designate – and what was gleaned from the European Organic Congress regarding the Organic Regulation. In particular inadvertent pesticide contamination – who foots the […]