Sebastian Lakner, Author at Agricultural and Rural Convention

Lighter Shade of Green – CAP Fails in Germany & Beyond

April 14, 2016 Sebastian Lakner

“Ecological focus areas should be established, in particular, in order to safeguard and improve biodiversity on farms“. So say the official EU documents. And yet for these EFAs, Member States are choosing ‘productive options’ – in particular catch crops and nitrogen fixing crops – over biodiversity. Using newly released data, Sebastian Lakner shows us just how ineffective and poorly targeted EFAs are, in Germany and beyond. […]

Germany – CAP Greening not Working for Biodiversity

March 21, 2016 Sebastian Lakner

Analysis from German finds that Ecological Focus Areas – a core part of the ‘greening’ of the Pillar 1 of the CAP – are having little positive impact on biodiversity. Farmers use the full set of options, but with a strong emphasis on the production options. Guest post Sebastian Lanker. […]

CAP direct payments post 2020: German positions

December 20, 2015 Sebastian Lakner

What are the different political parties’ positions – in Germany and at EU level – likely to be regarding CAP reform? with Sebastian Lanker. […]

Ecological Focus Area (EFA) in Germany: good for biodiversity & the tax payer?

October 12, 2015 Sebastian Lakner

Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs) were supposed to be a core part of the greening of CAP: public goods – biodiversity protection – for public money – the citizens tax revenue. However EFAs were watered down to the point of near meaninglessness, we argued here in 2014. In this guest blog post by Sebastian Lakner, the poor biodiversity performance of EFAs in Germany is outlined. […]