Latest from Brussels Archives - Agricultural and Rural Convention

Spilling Europe’s Dirty Secrets: Uncorking the Toxic Trade in Banned Pesticides

April 17, 2025 ARC

Pesticides deemed too toxic for Europe are still being produced here and sold abroad to be sprayed on fields where farm workers live, work, and raise their children – but these are also fields that help feed Europe. What is the human cost behind Europe’s toxic trade in banned pesticides? And, as the EU looks at ways to realign its trade standards, why does it continue to put profit over people? To uncork this double standard, ARC2020’s Natasha Foote reports from the ground in South Africa. […]

Why Simplification of CAP May Get Complicated

April 9, 2025 Natasha Foote

A simpler, streamlined EU farming subsidy programme can only be a good thing … right? Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that. Here, Natasha Foote digs into what we currently know about the next simplification shake up of the Common Agricultural Policy and why keeping it simple is not always so straightforward. […]

EU Heads Towards Deregulation Of New GMO Technologies

March 18, 2025 Natasha Foote

EU countries have officially sealed their position on plans to loosen rules on the use of new genetic technologies, setting the ball rolling towards deregulation of new GMOs in the near future. But this isn’t the end of the story just yet. So what happens now? Natasha Foote brings you the latest from Brussels. […]

Scapegoating Green NGOs – The dangerous distraction of a corporate agenda

March 12, 2025 ARC

Green NGOs fight for the interests of civil society, but this is a tough fight when they have very limited resources to defend them compared to the agribusiness lobby. The EU’s LIFE Programme is a crucial funding instrument. Targeting of LIFE funding isn’t just an attack on NGOs; it strikes at the core of democracy and clears the way for corporate greed to wreak even greater havoc on our planet, argues Giulia Riedo of WWF in this op-ed. […]

New vote could take new GMOs one step closer to EU fields and plates

March 10, 2025 Natasha Foote

EU countries are teetering on the brink of an agreement which would take new GMOs one step closer to our plates and several steps back from current protections governing the technology. What’s happening, what’s at stake, and what does that mean for next steps? Natasha Foote breaks it all down for you. […]

Shortsighted Vision: Unpacking EU’s new agrifood policy plans

February 20, 2025 Natasha Foote

The EU has unveiled its new Vision for Agriculture and Food which, despite the name, is not exactly what you would call ‘visionary’. So what does the EU’s new agricultural game plan envisage – or not – for the future of the sector, and does this spell the official death of the Farm to Fork strategy? Natasha Foote breaks down all you need to know. […]

LEAK: A sneak peek at the EU’s new blueprint for agrifood policy

February 13, 2025 Natasha Foote

Tough on trade, but more lax on CAP – that’s a quick summary of the EU’s new blueprint for agriculture and food, according to a leaked draft that ARC2020 got its hands on. So what’s on the menu for agrifood policy for the next 5 years? Natasha Foote takes a first look at what the Vision envisages for the sector. […]

Poland backtracks on patents in efforts to push ahead with EU plans on new GMOs

February 11, 2025 Natasha Foote

A new proposal on the EU’s plans to loosen the rules on new genomic technologies has been tabled in efforts to break the impasse in negotiations between EU countries. But could this be enough to tip the balance? Natasha Foote brings you the latest. […]

EU’s Competitiveness Compass – North-Pointing or are Things Heading South for Agri Policy?

February 2, 2025 Natasha Foote

Competitiveness is the key word of this new Von der Leyen Commission 2.0 – and the EU’s new ‘Competitive Compass’ is supposed to steer it onto a path towards security and economic prosperity. But far from pointing North, many see it as a sign of things heading South for the green and agricultural transition over the next 5 years. Natasha Foote breaks down what you need to know. […]

CAP Report Charts Choppy Waters of 2024, Frames 2025

January 23, 2025 Oliver Moore

With a new CAP proposal for post 2027 coming this year from the Commission, Oliver Moore presents a handy one-stop-shop report to bring you up to speed with where the Common Agricultural Policy is right now. […]

The EU Agri-Food Playbook 2025 – What to expect, why it matters

January 22, 2025 Natasha Foote

With both a newly elected European Parliament and a new European Commission, 2025 will be a definitive year in shaping the direction of agricultural policy. So what can we expect from 2025? And what does this mean for the shape of the agrifood sector in this next political chapter? Natasha Foote breaks down all the fun to come over the new year and beyond. […]

European Parliament backs Weakened EU Deforestation Law amid Voting Chaos

November 14, 2024 Natasha Foote

The European Parliament has voted in favour of the proposed one-year delay in the implementation of the EU’s new deforestation law and thrown its weight behind a new ‘no-risk’ category for countries. But amid voting system failures and more negotiations to come, the vote is far from the end of the story. Feeling bamboo-zled? Here Natasha Foote breaks down all you need to know. […]

Broken Tree-ty: Centre-right looks to further hollow out the EU’s Deforestation Law

November 7, 2024 Natasha Foote

Moves are afoot to slip new amendments into the EU’s recently delayed deforestation law in an attempt to further derail and delay the law from entering into application. Centre right European People’s Part (EPP) is proposing a raft of changes which weaken the deforestation law. So what is the group up to? Natasha Foote has the news. […]

What will the EU’s new ‘boots on the ground’ Agriculture Commissioner bring to the table?

November 6, 2024 Natasha Foote

The EU officially has a new agrifood chief after Christophe Hansen sailed through his hearing on Monday (4 November), winning the final seal of approval from the European Parliament. But what exactly does the self-styled “boots on the ground” Commissioner intend to bring to the table? Natasha Foote breaks down the key things to know from Commissioner Hansen’s hearing. […]

Do the 28 CAP Strategic Plans Progress Fairness for Farmers?

November 2, 2024 Oliver Moore

New CAP Strategic Plans have been prepared and implemented since 2023 in all EU member states. Are they helping progress values of fairness, as enshrined in both CAP and other EU legislation? Here we summarise recent work by Henrik Maaß of German small farmer organisation ABL on this matter. While some progress and social innovation has been found, there is more stasis than change on display. […]