Hans Wetzels, Author at Agricultural and Rural Convention

Ukraine – The Elephant in the Room that Could Unlock CAP Reform

November 19, 2024 Hans Wetzels

Ukraine is on our screens every day. Still the countryside and its people mainly appear either as victims of war or as soldiers – not as citizens, workers or farmers. When it comes to its vast swaths of agricultural and rural areas, mostly the largest farming entities and their difficulties to export make it into the news. But there is a surprising rural reality in Ukraine that should play a key role when taking a closer look at what a possible EU accession after the war would mean for Ukrainians and citizens of the EU alike. […]

CAP Beyond the EU | Precision Agriculture: For Whom Precisely?

November 7, 2021 Hans Wetzels

The development and diffusion of precision agriculture might speed up since fresh money could become available through eco-schemes under the new CAP Strategic Plans. How does the EU support precision agriculture and what does it mean from a global south perspective? […]

How to feed an Island? Japan and the German CAP Strategic Plan

June 27, 2021 Hans Wetzels

The Common Market Organization (CMO), insufficient grazing subsidies and eco-schemes. An explainer about how EU dairy exports could increase rural unemployment and food poverty in Japan. […]

New Genomic Techniques in the EU – on the Road to Deregulation?

May 17, 2021 Hans Wetzels

The European Commission wants to change legislation for biotechnology. Many in civil society fear an all-out deregulation agenda. ‘We have not announced a deregulation of new genomic techniques,’ the Commission rebuts. ‘But we would look at suitable regulatory oversight with very limited scope.’ Hans Wetzels presents an overview of developments in the regulation of new genomic techniques. […]

EU Not Doing its Sustainability Homework on Mercosur

March 31, 2021 Hans Wetzels

An inquiry by European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly has found that the European Commission should have concluded an updated sustainability impact assessment before signing the EU-Mercosur trade deal. But will this be enough to stop national parliaments from ratifying the deal? Hans Wetzels reports. […]

EU COVID-19 Recovery Plan – “No Effective Support” for Greener Ag

March 15, 2021 Hans Wetzels

According to a new policy note by ClientEarth, the EU COVID19-recovery plan is a missed opportunity to make agriculture more sustainable – ‘Instead of tying these resources to effective green conditions, the Council and European Parliament have given Member States carte blanche.’ Hans Wetzels has more. […]

German Environment Ministry Proposals For CAP Green Architecture

February 11, 2021 Hans Wetzels

Recommendations published by the German Ministry for the Environment echo fears that the CAP reform might not align with the environmental ambitions of the European Green Deal, and urge that regardless of the outcomes of the negotiations, Germany should use its Strategic Plan to gear the implementation of EU agriculture policy towards environmental needs. Hans Wetzels reports. […]

OECD – Agri-Food Policy Coherence Needed

February 2, 2021 Hans Wetzels

Questioning unlimited growth in demand and emphasising the impact of societal pressures on productivity and yield, a new OECD report argues for more coherent and holistic farm and food policies. ‘As in other sectors, the economic interests pursued by food and beverage companies are not necessarily aligned with public interests’ the report states. Hans Wetzels has more. […]

There’s Something About Dairy – CAP, Exports and Global Milk Markets

December 17, 2020 Hans Wetzels

It remains unclear how EU-member states with powerful dairy industries will take into account the interests of farming communities outside Europe. While the instruments of which the CAP is comprised focus on the primary production inside the EU, impacts are felt within countries, in Europe and further afield. […]

Implications of the CAP Beyond the EU: Ghana

November 27, 2020 Hans Wetzels

The EU exports large quantities of milk and poultry to Western Africa. An even bigger focus on efficient commodity production in Europe might seriously hamper the status of Ghana as an emerging economy. […]

Poland | Drowning in Algae: Dead Zones in the Baltic Sea

November 18, 2020 Hans Wetzels

Marine life in the Baltic Sea is drowning in algae. Largely to blame is nutrient run-off from intensive pig producers, thanks to a model of factory farming largely unchecked by EU regulations. Experts are calling for closed nutrient cycles to combat eutrophication – and engaging with the polluters to find solutions. Hans Wetzels reports from Poland. […]

Implications of the CAP Beyond the EU: Ukraine

November 8, 2020 Hans Wetzels

Ukraine is a major agricultural exporter to the European Union. A progressive CAP could force Ukrainian agriculture towards more sustainability. But the current nationalization of the CAP might steer such environmental ambitions off course. […]

CAP & the Global South: National Strategic Plans – a Step Backwards?

July 19, 2020 Hans Wetzels

Slowly the CAP has become less focused on only promoting exports and more on sustainable development. But that progress might be undone once member states start formulating their own agricultural policy objectives. Hans Wetzels explains. […]

Bayer Beware | Pressure on Pesticides as Green Deal Date Looms

May 17, 2020 Hans Wetzels

This week the European Commission will reveal how it plans to work towards the pesticide reduction targets as set in the Green Deal, via the Farm to Fork strategy and also the Biodiversity strategy. However chemical giant Bayer CropScience has made clear it does not want any binding legislation as part of the new EU Biodiversity Strategy. With specific numbers for reduction in the use of pesticides and fertilizers in the biodiversity strategy in particular, will real targets be dampened down on the 20th May? […]

Changing the Way Children Learn About Farms & Food

April 23, 2020 Hans Wetzels

What role can education play in the green transition? Educational ecologist Ans Rossy argues that farms can bridge the growing gap between city children and food, farming and nature, and thus pave the way to a sustainable economy. In an interview with Hans Wetzels for ARC2020, Rossy makes a case for forging connections between farms and schools to help the next generation understand the interdependence of ecosystems, to make learning more relevant, and to open up economic opportunities for farmers. […]