ARC, Author at Agricultural and Rural Convention

What hope on the horizon? From Farm to Fork to a grand bargain in 2026

December 19, 2025 ARC

As the tractors roll back into the streets of Brussels and London, it feels an opportune moment to reflect on the state of food, farming and the environment across Europe, and to contemplate — at a time of division and anger — whether there might still be scope through deep listening and meaningful negotiation to strike a ‘grand bargain’ across Europe in which farmers and the environment both truly flourish. Op-ed by Edward Davey. […]

Op-Ed | Pesticide lobby use farmers’ protests as cover for slashing EU safety regulations

December 18, 2025 ARC

It’s getting increasingly harder for the pesticide lobby to argue against the science showing harm to people and ecosystems of its toxic products. ‘Luckily’ it has an ace up its sleeve: farmers’ frustrations/anger. Corporate lobby group Croplife Europe appears to be opportunistically planning to use farmers’ protests on the 18th of December in Brussels, in order to create political momentum to further slash EU safety rules for its products. Op-ed by Nina Holland of Corporate Europe Observatory. […]

Fields Under Fire: Ukraine and the EU’s Agriculture

December 12, 2025 ARC

Three years on from Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian farmers are still struggling to navigate the lasting legacy of the occupation in Europe’s breadbasket. With the relationship between the EU and the war-torn country set to deepen in the coming years, Ukrainian journalist Anna Romandash takes a deep dive on the current state of affairs on the ground and how to step forward beyond symbolic solidarity and into concrete support. […]

GMO-Free Seed Production Under Threat! Consequences of NGT deregulation on the ground

November 19, 2025 ARC

Without GMO-free seeds, a GMO-free agricultural and food industry is not possible. Yet there has been little discussion of the potential impact on GMO-free seed production of the European Commission’s planned deregulation of new genomic techniques (NGTs). Op-ed by Eva Gelinsky and Lena Hüttmann of IG Saatgut. […]

European Days of Action 2025 – United for Food Justice

November 13, 2025 ARC

550 voices, 28 countries, one demand: Food Justice. The European Days of Action, this year in its eighth edition, put a spotlight on the need to shift power away from corporations and towards people, so everyone can access healthy, affordable, culturally appropriate food, grown in ways that protect farmers, workers, and the planet. Photo story by Pauline Naterstad and Lina Hartwig of Good Food Good Farming. […]

Rise for Food Justice – Join the European Days of Action 2025!

September 23, 2025 ARC

October is just around the corner – and so are the European Days of Action! Since 2018, the #GoodFoodGoodFarming movement has united thousands across Europe to demand just food systems. This year’s focus is Food Justice: recognising food as a human right, not just a commodity. Today’s system puts profit before people, but this October citizens can take action and call on EU leaders to ensure safe, healthy and affordable food for all. Good Food Good Farming tells us more. […]

Rural Resilience Caravan to Return to Plessé, France

September 23, 2025 ARC

On 27 – 30 November, the Rural Resilience Gathering 2025 will take place in Plessé, France, co-organised by ARC2020 and elected representatives of Plessé together with a whole host of partners active in agroecology, access to land, food sovereignty and rural justice across Europe. If you are interested in taking part in the Gathering, express your interest via the form linked in the article! […]

Op-Ed | Farmland Sees the Less Sunny Side of Germany’s Solar Transition

September 16, 2025 ARC

Germany’s energy transition is affecting its land market, driving investment and increasing concentration of land ownership. In this op-ed, Anne Neuber of Netzwerk Flächensicherung, an alliance working to secure land for ecological, regional and peasant agriculture in Germany, explores these dynamics and calls for stronger regulation to ensure solar expansion works in harmony with farming and environmental priorities. […]

European Rural Parliament 2025 — Rural Community Solutions to Global Challenges

September 8, 2025 ARC

This October 20-23, over 400 rural delegates from across Europe will gather in the north-east of Scotland for the 6th European Rural Parliament (ERP), a participative democratic assembly that shines a spotlight on the power of rural communities to respond to global crises. With the theme “Strength from Opportunity: Rural Community Solutions to Global Challenges”, this year’s ERP will highlight how rural and island people, places, and practices not only bear the brunt of climate, demographic, and political shifts but also offer transformative responses rooted in solidarity, sustainability, and place-based knowledge. […]

Gérard Choplin Obituary – Farewell to a Pioneer of the EU Peasant Movement

August 21, 2025 ARC

It is with sadness and deep gratitude that we bid farewell to Gérard Choplin — agronomist, political companion, co-founder of the European Peasant Movement, and tireless defender of agriculture that respects human beings and nature. With Gérard, we lose a man who shaped politics, without ever becoming a politician. Obituary by José Bové und Jean-Marc Desfilhes, Hannes Lorenzen und Andrea Fink-Keßler […]

Rural Europe Takes Action – Food System Lessons from Marburg

July 30, 2025 ARC

What happened when we set out to identify and nurture the ingredients of local food system transformation in Marburg, Germany? This was the aim of the Rural Europe Takes Action – Germany project (2023-2025), through which ARC2020 partnered with kollektiv von MORGEN and AbL Hessen – supported by the Robert Bosch Stiftung – to connect the dots from the local to the European level. […]

The EU’s Public Plate – An Opportunity for Food System Transformation

June 18, 2025 ARC

Public procurement of food in the EU is worth billions annually – money that could help deliver healthy meals in schools, hospitals and nursing homes, while supporting sustainable agriculture, fair incomes for farmers and workers’ rights. As the EU prepares to revise its procurement directives, this op-ed by ICLEI’s Jean-Marc Louvin asks why the potential of sustainable food procurement is still untapped – even as many local and regional governments are already demonstrating what’s possible […]

Fund the Future of Food & Farming: A United Call from Across Europe

June 11, 2025 ARC

The Good Food Good Farming (GFGF) movement is in Brussels with a clear message from 15 countries: the EU must stop enabling industrial agriculture and instead support a just agroecological transition. As decision-makers decide the future of EU funding, GFGF present a new position paper and grassroots demands as part of a united EU-wide call to reform the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). […]

Poland And Denmark Have An Opportunity To Shape EU Agriculture, If Only They Seize It

April 1, 2025 ARC

The Commission has published “A Vision for Agriculture and Food”, where it scales back the green ambitions of the Farm-to-Fork strategy, passing the buck to Member States to implement sufficient measures to meet EU climate goals. However, the future of EU agriculture will also be shaped by negotiations on several crucial files—including a new budget, a 2040 climate target and CAP reform. The 2025 Polish and Danish EU presidencies will help to set the pace and scope of agricultural policies for years to come. Op-ed by Simone Højte, Emmanuel Molding Nielsen, Adrianna Wrona and Johannes Flatz. […]

Could a Rustic Cow Reshape Local French Food Systems?

March 19, 2025 ARC

At first glance, the Nantaise cow is a relic of the past. A small, sturdy breed once common in western France, it had all but disappeared by the late 20th century. Today, thanks to a growing network of farmers and chefs, the little cow is making a quiet but powerful comeback—proving that small-scale, local production can be a serious and viable alternative to industrial farming. […]