The UK is about to go into Brexit negotiations with a political maverick, Brexiteer Michael Gove, in charge of DEFRA. Here are are a few of his predecessors’ contributions to posterity: […]
Michael Gove has taken over in the UK ministry which covers agricultural, food, rural affairs and the environment. He was central to the Brexit push and has links to US Neocons including the Tea Party – so he doesn’t seem too keen on environmental regulations. By Miles King. […]
On Wednesday, the European Parliament agreed with the European Commission that agricultural land designated for the preservation of biodiversity must not be treated with pesticides. […]
It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organised creatures. Which creatures – and who said this? Read on….. […]
A vote in the European Parliament this coming Wednesday 14th June will be crucial in deciding whether pesticides will be banned from Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs). It is a simple majority vote by MEPs, and it is likely to be tight. Here we outline what you can do, make the case for keeping pesticides out of EFAs, and myth bust some common misconceptions on pesticides and EFAs. […]
An important part of the recent European Rural Sustainability Gathering in Karditsa, Greece, was diverse set of field trips in the agricultural, economic and social spheres. These showcased some of the rural development initiatives in the Karditsa region – and how they are connected via an ecosystem of collaboration. Here we present a snapshot of the day. […]
MEPs on the Agriculture Committee (COMAGRI) have rejected a proposal by the EU Commission to ban pesticides from Ecological Focus Areas. The proposal was part of a simplification initiative by the EU Commission, whereby a bundle of 14 changes in CAP greening rules were put forward. […]
ARC2020 NewsFlash May 2017
Catch crops (68%), fallow land (16.2%) and nitrogen fixing crops (11.8%) dominated ecological focus areas (EFAs) in Germany in 2015. Why is this? What influences farmers’ decisions on EFAs? One of the authors of a new peer reviewed publication on this topic, ARC2020 regular Sebastian Lackner, summarises the paper, in which he and colleagues interviewed a range of experts on the matter. […]
ARC2020’s Communications Director spend a week on the road in rural Greece recently, with force of nature Pavlos Georgiadis – farmer, food producer, film maker, campaigner, social innovator and community manager with the exciting new GROW Observatory. Here’s a snapshot of their trip. […]
Without farming, Britain’s countryside would be drastically different. Imagine walking through landscapes un-tilled, un-sown, un-fertilised and un-treated, nor grazed by cattle or sheep. Land abandonment or tropic rewilding? […]
“We invite you to listen, understand each other, share, dream contribute, enjoy and act to change and improve our societies.” With these words of Forum Synergies’ Philippe Barret, so began the European Rural Sustainability Gathering 2017 in Karditsa. […]
The European Rural Sustainability Gathering 2017 – social economy, cooperatives and grassroots initiatives in rural Greece – begins tomorrow. We’ll keep you updated during the event on social media – facebook and twitter – and with detailed, dedicated articles after the event. Here’s all you need to know for now. […]
Large-scale urban agriculture is on the rise globally, with more and more farms appearing in our cities. A far cry from allotments and community gardens, urban farms occupy much bigger spaces; they can employ people, regenerate huge neighbourhoods and give residents access to fresh produce on their doorsteps. […]
A number of organisations made submissions to the CAP consultation, which closed last week. Here we outline three differing ones – one from public health, one from farming and one, which we devote more space to, from a platform bringing a number of organisations together in Germany. 1 Public Health Organisation (EPHA) The EPHA European Public Health Association point out that agriculture and health policies are not aligned, despite Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) mandates that “a high level of human health protection shall be ensured in the definition and implementation of all Union policies and activities.” Like many others, the organisation argues against land based payments and for more policy coherence. Specifically, they point to three key changes: Removing health-harmful subsidies Moving from hectare payments to performance incentives Fostering sustainable healthy diets The EPHA’s submission intro can be found HERE the full response can be found HERE and the annex HERE. 1 Farmer Organisation (EMB) The European Milk Board prioritised coordinated approach to price and market stability, as well as […]
Agricultural and Rural Convention