2020 - Page 12 of 16 - Agricultural and Rural Convention

For the Sake of Nature and the Climate, Europe must not CAP its Ambitions

April 9, 2020 ARC

The European Commission continues to describe the Common Agricultural Policy as “ambitious”, yet its own evaluation of the CAP’s impact reveals that the farm subsidy scheme is inflicting massive damage on Europe’s biodiversity, water resources and nature. In this in-depth feature, Célia Nyssens of the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) explains why the CAP is not fit for purpose and outlines how it can be reformed. […]

Coping with Covid19 – Supply Chains and the Butterfly Effect

April 8, 2020 Igor Tomasz Olech

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit pause on business as usual, and the food industry has been turned upside down. As the Achilles’ heels of the current system are exposed, food sovereignty becomes an urgent question. Igor Tomasz Olech examines the butterfly effect on supply chains and trade routes. […]

CAP Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Framework: What’s Cooking?

April 6, 2020 Matteo Metta

The new Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (PMEF) of the CAP Strategic Plan Regulation (SPR) is composed of a set of elements, including common objectives for both CAP Pillar I and II, common indicators, quantified targets and milestones, data management and reporting activities, and incentive mechanisms for good performance and to address deviations. […]

Effects of Coronavirus on Agricultural Production – a First Approximation (part 2)

April 6, 2020 Sebastian Lakner

Agricultural production is on track for this year, and the EU is self-sufficient in most areas. Despite the challenges of the coronavirus crisis we have little reason to worry about food supply in the EU. This was Sebastian Lakner’s tentative conclusion in part 1 of his review of the available data. But his findings come with some major caveats. Trade in commodities must continue to flow to guarantee food supply in the context of the EU’s interconnected agribusiness model. Here in part 2 Sebastian Lakner examines another critical factor: labour and seasonal migrant workers. […]

Effects of Coronavirus on Agricultural Production – a First Approximation

April 5, 2020 Sebastian Lakner

As public life shuts down around Europe and health systems buckle under the strain of the Covid-19 pandemic, concerns over food supply are the latest scare to make headlines. In recent weeks speculation is rife as to the potential impacts on agricultural production. In part 1 of this series, Sebastian Lakner crunches the numbers to identify the real risks to Europe’s food supply. […]

UK | Coronavirus Diary: the Virus That Did a No-Deal Brexit on our Food Supply

April 3, 2020 ARC

It seems inconceivable that it was only a year ago when the UK was due to crash out of the EU under a no deal Brexit. Thankfully that crisis was averted. Leading up to that momentous non-event, I wrote about what might happen to our food supply in the event that our smooth trading relationship with the EU broke down utterly. One year on, we find ourselves in a remarkably similar position […]

LEAK – Ag Lobby Tries to Derail Farm to Fork

April 2, 2020 Oliver Moore

Copa-Cogeca is attempting to derail the European Commission’s Farm to Fork strategy. In a letter seen by ARC2020, dated April 2nd, the agri lobby have called for an “inception impact assessment” to be carried out, due to unique circumstances caused by Covid19. […]

Tweets of the Week – 14/2020

April 2, 2020 ARC

Our weekly Twitter round up of great content from our kindred network: a Friday treat for your weekend reading pleasure. Enjoy what we’ve found for you on twitter. […]

Framing Farming – Nationalism, Food Security and Food Sovereignty

April 1, 2020 Igor Tomasz Olech

As the Covid-19 outbreak hits the economy, we may experience a paradigm shift that no one expected. Now is the time to unpack the difference between food security and food sovereignty. And better understand how these terms are used by different groups. Igor Tomasz Olech looks at how these concepts are framed in the EU, and how Poland is ripe for a conversation about food sovereignty. […]

Farming as its Ferment to be? Korean Natural Farming in Ireland

March 31, 2020 Oliver Moore

Having seen the unfolding of huge supply chain issues with Covid-19, there is much to be said for resilient self-sufficient farmers who can make their own inputs. Traditionally, this has been practices like seed saving and compost. Tom Stack takes it to another level. […]

UK | Coronavirus: Rationing Based on Health, Equity and Decency now Needed

March 29, 2020 ARC

Food security is no laughing matter at the best of times, but TIm Lang gasped when he first read the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) annual food civil contingencies infrastructure report in 2018. It is barely a page long (in public at least) and assures us everything is OK and that the food system is resilient and able to withstand shocks. As the coronvirus racks the nation and panic buying continues, this complacency is about to be tested. […]

Coping with Covid19 – Commoning as a Pandemic Survival Strategy

March 29, 2020 ARC

The pandemic now sweeping the planet is one of those historic events that will change many basic premises of modern life. Let us act swiftly to deal with the emergencies, but let us also seize the opportunity to think about long-term system change. If there is one thing that the pandemic confirms (in tandem with climate change), it is that our modern economic and political systems must change in some profound ways. […]

Poking Holes in Farm to Fork: Small Farmers have Solutions

March 28, 2020 Hans Wetzels

Farm to Fork is the European Commission’s strategy to support an EU-wide transition to sustainable food production. The Roadmap for the new strategy was open for public consultation until last week. In the final instalment in this three-part series covering feedback on Farm to Fork so far, we look at comments from farmers and agricultural organizations. Hans Wetzels reports. […]

Tweets of the Week – 13/2020

March 26, 2020 ARC

Our weekly Twitter round up of great content from our kindred network: a Friday treat for your weekend reading pleasure. Enjoy what we’ve found for you on twitter. […]

Council of Ag Ministers meet on Covid19 | Green Lines, State Aid, CAP Extension

March 26, 2020 Oliver Moore

Changes to fiscal rules, transport and CAP have been put in place by the EU Commissions, and framed the videoconference meeting by the Council of Agricultural Ministers held yesterday, 25th March. Further changes to CAP were also proposed. Oliver Moore has more. […]