Draft seed regulation rejected by MEPs
‘seed regulation’ rejected by Parliament 650 votes to 15. […]
‘seed regulation’ rejected by Parliament 650 votes to 15. […]
Peter Crosskey is based in the UK. Peter can be found at the Food Dimension and also at Features Execs. Recent Posts by Peter Crosskey Five-hectare payment threshold excludes one in six English farmers Where does your meat come from? UK reviving land settlement and local food production TTIP agenda threatens good intentions for UK local food UK agroecology centre taps into water research UK government to accept industry’s neonics research UK pesticide approvals: business, as usual Leave it to Tesco: how the UK ignores food security UK cabinet reshuffle kicks Paterson into touch Syngenta shelves attempt to overturn UK pesticide ban Bumblebees dying for a change in US pesticide laws NGOs’ dismay with CAP greening in Britain & Ireland UK ministry denies bullying food bank charity UK adopts just five EFA categories for CAP greening No offline plan B for UK CAP payments in 2015 TTIP EU advisory group meets for the first time Will CAP payments short-change UK Moorland farmers? Is […]
Guest post by Luke-Dale Harris : in Romania the main stronghold of sustainable agriculture is ironically held up by the least sustainable of sources. […]
Dear friends and supporters, In March, the fourth round of negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will take place in Brussels. Since the last round of negotiations in December, more evidence the secretive nature of these negotiations has emerged, as reported by Corporate Europe Observatory: “In the 29 documents which were ‘partially released’, DG Trade has removed large parts of the text (…). In some cases, like a meeting with lobbyists from Fertilizers Europe, every single word has been removed from the document.” A glimmer of hope was offered at the end of January, when the Commission announced a public consulation on the so-called investor state dispute settlement (ISDS) part of the agreement. According to the official press release, the decision follows ‘unprecedented interest in the talks’ and in early March, De Gucht will publish a proposed EU text for the investment part of the talks on which people across the EU will have three months to comment. We featured an opinion piece on thethreats the TTIP poses to Romanian peasants and farmers, and a prognosis of TTIP stakeholder […]
Arc2020 UK Correspondent Peter Crosskey gives his prognosis of TTIP stakeholder engagement […]
Invasions can be two way things. […]
Nineteen European Member States voted against the GM 1507 Maize tabled by the European Commission. […]
The National Farmers’ Union of Scotland has written to the Scottish cabinet secretary to urge a fair hearing for the country’s arable sector under the new CAP. […]
Is the path to hell paved with good intentions? Will a supposedly better regulation actually lead to a tiny or a more apt organic sector? […]
Farmers & growers have saved seeds since farming & growing began. Seeds are a core and essential part of many farming systems, and farmers’ ownership and control of seeds – seeds they save, open pollinated seeds, and an apt, varied range of seeds for both food security and food sovereignty – is one of the biggest agri-food issues of our times. Key Issues The nexus of the problem with how seeds operate in the food system is this: a small handful of agri-food and chemical giants have significant control of the ever tightening seed market. Meanwhile small farmers, gardeners and growers are finding it more and more difficult to save and access seeds. Current proposals at the EU level may compound this situation. These are also threats to seed saving, often under the guise of supposed improvements in efficiency, performance and safety. When legislation is written with the interests of the major corporations involved in seeds in mind, it inevitably ends up promoting a business-as-usual model of limited varieties, use of pesticides, GM and other agri-industrial inputs and […]
By Dr. Oliver Moore Communications Manager Arc20020 (major update June 2015; periodical updates since) In July 2013, the EU and U.S. started negotiations on a bilateral free trade and investment agreement, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). This potential deal is supposedly about simplifying the trade arrangements between the US and EU: it’s mooted to be about rooting out inefficiencies such as unnecessary double inspections and acknowledging similar standards where they exist. The idea is that it will increase trade between the two regions, improving the economy and generating employment along the way. Mainstream voices of politics and business support TTIP as a likely source of jobs and growth, without, they claim, impacting negatively on the EU’s higher health, environment, labour and other standards. Critics however, claim that this agreement could have a major negative impact on food, agriculture, environment and labour standards on both sides of the Atlantic. Video: What is the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership? By loading the video, you agree to YouTube’s privacy policy.Learn more Load video Always unblock YouTube As tariffs […]
Farmers and growers have saved seeds since farming and growing began. Seeds are a core and essential part of many farming systems, and farmers’ ownership and control of seeds – seeds they save, open pollinated seeds, and an apt, varied range of seeds for both food security and food sovereignty – is one of the biggest agri-food issues of our times. The nexus of the problem is this: a small handful of agri-food and chemical giants have significant control of the ever tightening seed market. Meanwhile small farmers, gardeners and growers are finding it more and more difficult to save and access seeds. These are also threats to seed saving, often under the guise of supposed improvements in efficiency, performance and safety. When legislation is written with the interests of the major corporations involved in seeds in mind, it inevitably ends up promoting a business-as-usual model of limited varieties, use of pesticides, GM and other agri-industrial inputs and processes. Organic and other alternative ways of dealing with seeds sometimes have different needs – e.g. organic […]
Of the 41 European countries studied, barely half had enough honeybees to pollinate more than 90% of their crops. […]
The new book (to be released January 30th) takes an investigative journey behind the closed doors of an industry that should be better understood […]
UK correspondent Peter Crosskey shares his photos from the weekend of one of Germany’s biggest demonstration in years […]
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