EU Agriculture is in crisis mode. And so is the CAP. For two years in a row, the CAP crisis reserve has been spent to help farmers deal with the adverse consequences of the invasion of Ukraine and climate change. At the same time, Member States are asking for reduced environmental obligations in 2024. What happened during this week’s AgriFish council CAP wise? We guide you through the updates. […]
Today, the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety (ENVI) finished voting on amendments to the Nature Restoration Law. No majority was found for the law as amended, as the vote was once again split 44-44. So what happened and what’s next? […]
As the European Commission is expected to publish a proposal for a Sustainable Food Systems Law in the autumn, Good Food Good Farming launched Food for Talk: days of dialogue that highlight the voices of farmers, fishers, activists and citizens. In a participatory video, the movement now calls for #GoodFood4EU through an ambitious law proposal. Report by Good Food Good Farming. […]
Ahead of tomorrow’s vote on the Nature Restoration Law at the Environment Committee in the European Parliament, the European Agroforestry Federation (EURAF) is calling for amendments to the proposal. In this exclusive Op-Ed for ARC, Gerry Lawson flags the proposal’s confusing choice of terminology which, he argues, fails to reflect the complex role of trees on farmland. […]
We’re back with Shane Casey in The Burren, where it’s been a good Spring. Family and farm are thriving. For Shane, nature conservation and productivity go hand in hand. As the debate rages around the EU Nature Restoration Law, he is sympathetic to the farmers who are being asked to undo a lifetime of ‘improvements’ to make space for nature. […]
Mid-June 2023 the 6th Latvian Rural Communities Parliament took place in the town of Ērgļi. ARC President Hannes Lorenzen was asked to share his views on the past, the challenges of today, and ideas for the future. In this excerpt from the speech he gave, Hannes reflects on how three key ideas – Intergenerational Responsibility, Reduction (or Sufficiency) and Rural Resilience – can frame action for radical change […]
The Nature Restoration Law took a step forward this week, with environment ministers from around Europe coming together to adopt an agreed position. 20 member states, representing over 2/3 of the EU’s population, voted to accept the file presented to them. This qualified majority means the Council now has a position for trilogue. So what happened and what’s next? […]
Last week, we unveiled the draft regulation on NGTs (New Genomic Techniques) by the European Commission. What is being proposed exactly? And what are the first reactions? Let’s delve into a brief overview. […]
The transhumance is the pinnacle of Claire Jeannerat’s farming year, bringing with it a seasonal shift in her family’s home life. With the summer transhumance behind them, she sits down to catch her breath. The Swiss Shepherdess reflects on why her family has chosen to practice traditional pastoralism and to embrace the magic, the symbiosis and the sacrifices of this way of life. […]
The Nature Restoration Law (NRL) continues its perilous path towards enactment, surviving the first major hurdle at the Environment Committee in the European Parliament on the morning of today, Thursday 15th June. So what happened, and what’s next? […]
In the interests of transparency, ARC2020 is making available the draft regulation on NGTs – New Genomic Techniques. Also made available is the Impact Assessment which accompanies it. […]
Good news! The Nature Restoration Law (NRL) won’t, can’t and couldn’t cause the abandonment of 10% of Europe’s perfectly good farmland. This is important to know in advance of the vote on the 15th in the European Parliament’s Environment Committee. If this committee doesn’t pass the compromise NRL text, its likely over. So if you are contacting MEPs on the ENVI Committee – or if indeed you are one of those 88 MEPs – rest assured. These is no land abandonment in the NRL. Explainer by Oliver Moore. […]
June 12 – 15th 2023 will see the 3rd Balkan Rural Parliament and Balkan Food Summit take place in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Organised by the Balkan Rural Development Network and the Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group in South Eastern Europe, with the support of GIZ (the German Society for International Cooperation) […]
The Environment Committee’s compromise text on the Nature Restoration Law sees few significant changes to the main targets, including in the contentious area of rewetting organic soils. Other relevant restoration actions are however more restricted to Nature 2000 sites than in the Commission proposal. Oliver Moore reports. […]
Looking at the CAP, 2022 and 2023 have been marked by multiple authorised derogations on environmental standards. Those derogations, claimed to be necessary to ensure food security in Europe, have been highly criticised by the scientific community. As the data on food production resulting from these derogations emerges, we examine the concrete impact of these decisions on food security in the EU. […]
Agricultural and Rural Convention