Main stories Archives - Agricultural and Rural Convention

Brussels Roundup – Stasis for Animals, Tightrope for new GMOs

December 8, 2023 Natasha Foote

Next week, all eyes are on two key votes which will steer the future direction of the EU’s plans to loosen the rules governing new GMOs (aka new genetic technologies, or NGTs). Meanwhile, the European Commission finally put forward a slimmed down version of its animal welfare ‘package’ and lawmakers decided to exempt cattle from its plans to slash industrial emissions. Natasha Foote brings you up to speed in the latest goings on and the fun to come in Brussels. […]

Dialogue? Coming. A new CAP pillar? Maybe that too.

December 7, 2023 Natasha Foote

The European Commission has announced that it will officially launch its strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture – proposed as a way to bridge the divide in the agrifood sector – in January. Meanwhile the Ag Commissioner already has a big idea – a 3rd Pillar of the CAP. So what’s the scope of this dialogue? And what’s this about a new CAP Pillar? Natasha Foote brings you up to speed with the latest on what we know so far. […]

Islands of Reslience Part 2: Land Planning and Biodiversity

December 6, 2023 Marie-Lise Breure-Montagne

How can French Regional Nature Parks bring to life sustainable land planning concepts? Geoparcs that protect and promote natural wonders is one avenue, and the same reigns true for National Parks. More on these islands of resilience. […]

Indoor Farming – Sustainability Spin or Substance?

December 6, 2023 Andrea Beste

Indoor farming is a growth area, proposed as a solution for a number of problems in the agri-food system. So what is it, and how do we separate the spin from the substance? Andrea Beste with more. […]

Seeds of Europe – Centering Small Producers’ Voices in Seed Law Reform

December 5, 2023 Mathieu Willard

On November 28, in collaboration with SEED Luxemburg and the Greens/EFA, the Seeds4All project took part in the organisation of a conference at the European Parliament on the future of seeds. Delving into the heart of the matter, the main aim of the event was to spotlight the specific voices and urgent demands of artisan seed producers in the context of the reform of the European legislative framework applicable to the sale and exchange of seeds. […]

To Regulate Or Not To Regulate – NGTs Remain Highly Controversial

December 4, 2023 Marianne Landzettel

Parliament is leaning towards loosening the rules on New Genetic Technologies. What would change? NGT plants in ‘category 1’ (an estimated 94%) would be considered equivalent to conventionally bred plants. Marianne Landzettel reports on the state of play on both sides of the Atlantic. […]

Landmark EU Nature Restoration Law on the Homestretch

November 29, 2023 Natasha Foote

The European Parliament’s environment committee has given its blessing on the final shape of the EU’s nature restoration law, moving it one step closer to sealing a final deal on the landmark law once and for all. How did we get to here? What happened in the environment committee? And what’s next? Natasha Foote reports. […]

Mind The Gap! Sustainable Food Systems Need Intergenerational Cooperation

November 29, 2023 ARC

Generations have different perceptions of time. While the elder generation looks back at their achievements, failures and lessons learnt, the younger generation projects their ambitions into the future and tries to grasp the unknown. Understanding each other’s needs and qualities is therefore often lost in non-communication, but it’s needed more than ever. […]

Leak – No Live Export Ban to non-EU Countries in Animal Welfare Overhaul

November 29, 2023 Natasha Foote

The European Commission will not ban the export of live animals to non-EU countries in its forthcoming proposal on the protection of animals during transport, according to a leaked draft, instead opting to double down on reduced journey times and on space allowances. Natasha Foote has the scoop. […]

GMOs & Seed Marketing – False Promise of a Toxic Package

November 28, 2023 Mathieu Willard

A carefully crafted narrative is framing GMOs as an essential ingredient in sustainable food systems. Could a solid reform of the seed marketing legislation provide a more effective and safer response to sustainability commitments? Analysis by Adèle Pautrat and Mathieu Willard. […]

Pesticides Proposal Rejected in Plenary, Next Steps a SUR-prise

November 23, 2023 Natasha Foote

The European Parliament has outright rejected a proposal on the EU’s plan to slash the use and risk of pesticides in half by 2030 after the core of its substance was lost in the voting process – but the Council says it will still continue work on the file. So what does this mean for its future? Natasha Foote reports. […]

Bottom-Up AKIS – An Inclusive Stakeholder Engagement Strategy

November 23, 2023 Shane Conway

Soil-specific human capital is not easily transferable, communicated or learnable. Future multi-actor EIP-AGRI projects will be unsuccessful if they do not learn from the farming community’s invaluable store of locally specific tacit and lay knowledge. Dr Shane Conway reports on the PREMIERE Horizon Europe Project. […]

Islands of Resilience: Nature Parks in France & Germany

November 22, 2023 Marie-Lise Breure-Montagne

Exploring regional nature parks is a way to continue a cross-analysis of the trajectories of France and Germany, towards the construction of more resilient rural territories. Two economic sectors – eco-tourism and sustainable agriculture – are attempting to develop in these areas, leading to conflicting priorities. […]

9 Key points on Ukrainian Agriculture in Wartime – Resilience, Reforms, & Markets

November 20, 2023 Natalia Mamonova

The Ukrainian government currently faces a major dilemma in agricultural development: to continue supporting large-scale export-oriented agriculture or refocus on family farming. A new report by Natalia Mamonova, Olena Borodina and Brian Kuns address this uneasy dilemma in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Here Mamonova provides a summary of the key points. […]

We Can’t Eat Promises! Good Food Good Farming month culminates in Brussels protest

November 20, 2023 ARC

“We can’t eat promises!” – The slogan of the Good Food Good Farming protest for a better food system, which took place in Brussels on November 8, 2023. The protest was the culmination of the Good Food Good Farming October Action Days, and highlighted the urgent need for transformative agri-food policies to realise key aspects of the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy. […]