Updates from the EU Commission, Council and Parliament
The self-proclaimed ‘farmers party’ failed to mention the farming sector once while officially firing the election gun in Brussels on Wednesday (21 February). That’s despite the centre-right EPP’s efforts to position itself as the friend of farmers in the run up to June’s EU elections. […]
Here we republish the text of the EU Food Policy Coalition letter, signed by a number of organisations, expressing solidarity with farmers in Europe. The context was the protest gathering that took place on 1st February, and the farmer protests more generally. A PDF of the letter and signatories can be found on the Agroecology Europe website. […]
On Wednesday February 1, Tomaso Ferrando stood side-by-side with the farmers who had taken over Place Luxembourg and the streets adjacent to the European Parliament in Brussels. On my way, long lines of tractors with Belgian, French and Dutch plates could be seen almost a kilometre away from the square. As he drew closer to the scene, the sound of their horns and the smell of burned tires saturated my ears and nose. Here he outlines his thoughts on the farmers’ protests and what they mean. […]
Farmers’ protests continue unabated across the bloc on the back of growing calls for the resignation of the EU’s Agriculture Commissioner. Meanwhile, a new report paints a stark picture of the failures of the Farm to Fork strategy, and Belgium has weighed in on the thorny issue of reciprocal standards in the Mercosur trade deal. Natasha Foote brings you up to speed in the latest goings on in the EU agrifood sector. […]
The European Parliament has given its blessing to the EU’s plan to loosen rules on new genetic technologies, but added key conditions on labelling requirements and a ban on patents – the latter of which could prove a key sticking point for moving forward with negotiations. Natasha Foote brings you up to speed on all you need to know. […]
EU plans to slash the use and risk of pesticides have fallen on the back of farmers’ protests, which have dominated both headlines and the political agenda in recent days. Meanwhile there are plenty of other discussions cooking in Brussels which could have far reaching consequences for the future direction of the sector. Natasha Foote brings you a run down of the latest from Strasbourg and what you should watch this week. […]
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen plans to bury the EU’s plans to slash the use and risk of pesticides by half by 2030 once and for all, proposing to withdraw the sustainable use of pesticides regulation (SUR) from the table with hopes to start afresh under the next mandate. […]
The European Commission has once again granted a temporary exemption to environmental requirements in the EU farming subsidies programme for 2024 in efforts to appease EU farmers, despite acknowledging the EU executive does not yet have a clear picture of the impact of the previous derogations. Natasha Foote reports […]
These ongoing farmer protests in Europe indicate that there is something fundamentally wrong with the European agricultural system. However, many journalists and politicians do not see the wood for the trees and link the protests to a specific policy or event. In this opinion piece, Natalia Mamonova discusses the farmer protests as indicators of the systemic crisis of the neoliberal agricultural model that has failed farmers and the planet. […]
The EU’s proposal to loosen the rules around the use of new genetic technologies in plant breeding has been greenlit by the European Parliament’s environment committee, meaning it is now on its way for a full Parliamentary vote in February. […]
With the EU elections just around the corner, policy makers are scrambling to push the last of the agrifood files across the finish line before Brussels switches into election mode. This means the next few months could prove decisive for the future direction of the agrifood sector. Natasha Foote looks ahead. […]
The Belgian Presidency intends to push on with the EU plan to slash the use and risk of pesticides despite its outright rejection by the European Parliament, according to a leaked proposed action plan seen by ARC. Natasha Foote reports from Brussels. […]
Below is the editorial from our latest newsletter, released Thursday 21st December. Hello dear readers, As this year comes to a close, it’s hard to know what to think about life, the universe and everything. One thing is for sure, ‘the end of history’ – that didn’t materialise. […]
EU ministers have still not managed to find common ground on new GMOs (aka new genetic technologies, or NGTs) despite a last minute push on the file before the Christmas break. Meanwhile, the European Commission proposed to downgrade the protection status of wolves, much to the chagrin of environmentalists. And it turns out the EU is missing most of its environmental targets – except those that relate to cash. Natasha Foote and Oliver Moore brings you up to speed in the latest goings on in Brussels. […]
Despite suffering an outright rejection by the European Parliament, the EU’s plan to slash the use and risk of pesticides in half by 2030 may not be a dead duck just yet as EU ministers set out plans to continue work on their side of the file. But how would that work in practice? Natasha Foote brings you the latest on the file. […]
Agricultural and Rural Convention