Civil Society Unites To Demand CAP Transformation

Updated 12.35 CET 06/03/2017 to include CSO Common Statement and increased number of signatures of Common Statement, from 130 to 151

UPDATE 2 at 13.10 CET06/03/2017 : now 154 organisations and counting. 

Over 150 European CSOs and NGOs have today come together to demand better food and farming policies for Europe. The joint action, in the form of a Common Statement, coincides with a CAP consultation and the Agricultural and Fisheries Council meeting which starts at 10AM today, Monday.

Commissioner Phil Hogan at the previous Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in January (c) EU

Update: Civil Society Common Statement on Good Food Good Farming Policies for Europe  

The signatories, which include the Agriculture and Rural Convention (ARC2020), call into question the functionality of the current food and farming system, while demanding fundamental reform of Europe’s broken agricultural policy.

Update 13.10: Already ,there has been a huge response on social media, which hundreds of tweets and retweets, generating a virtual march on line – all manner of colourful and informative banners being shared:

 

Read: the entire #AfterCAP debate hosted by ARC2020

Instead of the CAP as it operates now, the organisations argue for a transition towards a food and farming system which supports fair and diverse food and farming economies, is underpinned by viable alternatives such as organic and agro-ecological farming, and which respects the environment and animal welfare, supports citizens’ health, and is publicly accountable.

The Common Statement, called Civil Society Statement on the Reform of European Agricultural Policies Good Food, Good Farming – Now, points to the need for transformation based on four key principles: 

  • Fair and diverse food and farming economies: ensure a fair income and decent work conditions for farmers and farm workers; facilitate access to farmland for sustainable peasant farming; encourage short supply chains and sustainable public procurement policies; grant fair access to high quality products for all consumers; prevent negative impacts on people’s right to food and on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the global south.
  • Healthy environment and a food and farming system that respects animal welfare: ensure the end of harmful subsidies; reward and incentivise the delivery of positive environmental and social outcomes; restore and prevent further loss of biodiversity; encourage conservation and active use of genetic diversity; ensure agricultural production is free from synthetic chemical pesticides and mineral fertilisers that harm the environment; prevent and minimise food waste throughout the food chain; halt food and feed imports linked to deforestation; ensure that animal health and welfare are effectively respected; replace the current industrial livestock system with extensive alternatives where animals are not treated as mere commodities and the balance between livestock and land capacity is ensured, while the overuse of antibiotics prevented; radically reduce emissions from farming and ensure a transition towards a resilient food and farming system.
  • Support for citizens’ health and well-being: ensure our food and farming system fosters healthy, nutritious, seasonal, local, culturally appropriate and affordable diets; encourage lower levels of animal product consumption; raise citizens’ awareness of the impacts of consumption on their own health, on farmers, animals and the environment; prevent negative impacts of agricultural methods on the health of farmers, farm workers and rural populations.
  • A publicly accountable food system with participatory governance, citizens’ empowerment and democracy: involve citizens in transparent decision making processes; prevent corporate capture of decision making; empower local communities to lead the transformation.

More

READ:  CSO Common Statement  

“Civil Society Statement on the Reform of European Agricultural Policies Good Food, Good Farming – Now”

READ: ‘CAP post-2020’ – orientation paper prepared by the Maltese presidency

NEW: Press Releaase CSOs Common Statement on European Agricultural Policies

WATCH Livestream of Public Session 10.10 CET 06/03/2017

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WATCH: Press Conference 18.00 CET 06/03/2017

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