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About ARC2020

The Agricultural and Rural Convention 2020 (ARC) is a network open to all those interested in the Future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The ARC and its members are now contributing actively to the continuing debate on the future of the CAP and believe that policies must change radically in the face of rising challenges. […]

Recent updates

–Rally for a new agricultural policy in Germany

The German campaign „Meine Landwirtschaft – unsere Wahl“ (My agriculture – our choice): www.meine-landwirtschaft.de has organised an large, nation-wide rally through Germany culminating in a protest in front of the German chancellery. Following the „Wir haben es satt“ rally on 22 January 2011 in Berlin, one of the largest public demonstration for a new agricultural policy in recent German history, farmers from all over Germany have now toured Germany on their tractors all the way to Berlin where they convened on June 9th, 2011 for a protest rally in front of the German chancellery. They are calling for a small-scale, fair, animal-friendly and ecological agriculture. The routing of the rally is available here: http://www.meine-landwirtschaft.de/sternfahrt/routen.html The closing event „Angela, we need to talk“ including a farmers‘ banquet took place on June 9th from 10am to 12am in front of the German chancellery. Take a look at the video appeal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfxU28mHAdY The farmers from all over Germany presented a list of demands to chancellor Merkel calling for a cultural change in farming. From the dominant unsustainable, resource-intensive, […]

Newsflash

ARC NewsFlash 2 May 2011

Rural development and the linking of EU Funds The CAP debate in Brussels: An inside view by Michael Dower For the last year, ARC has been calling for the CAP post 2013 to be focused on a Paradigm shift in agriculture and a Rural Renaissance. We urged that the current second pillar of the CAP, which contains the rural development measures, should be succeeded by a true Rural Policy, and that this Policy should have a strong element of local delivery, building upon the LEADER experience but able to draw down funds not only from the CAP but also from the Regional, Social and Fisheries funds of the EU. So, we were delighted when, in August last year, the Commissioners for Agriculture, Regions, Employment and Fisheries wrote a joint letter to the President of the Commission proposing that, from 2014 onwards, there should be a joint strategic framework for the rural, regional, cohesion, social and fisheries funds. In the ARC Communication, published in November 2010, we suggested how this link between the main developmental funds […]

The ARC Newsletter

THE ARC NEWSFLASH is issued once a month – it provides an overview of developments in Brussels, mini-reports on the latest Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting, details of forthcoming events, and news from across the ARC2020 network. You can SUBSCRIBE to the newsletter here. 2015: ARC Newsflash – March 2015 ARC Newsflash – Special Edition 2015 2014: ARC Newsflash – December 2014 ARC Newsflash – November 2014 ARC Newsflash – October 2014 ARC Newsflash – September 2014 ARC Newsflash – August 2014 ARC Newsflash – July 2014 ARC Newsflash – June 2014 ARC Newsflash – May 2014 ARC Newsflash – April 2014 ARC Newsflash – March 2014 ARC Newsflash – February 2014  2013: ARC Newsflash – October 2013 ARC Newsflash – September 2013 ARC Newsflash – August 2013 ARC Newsflash – July 2013 ARC Newsflash – June 2013 ARC Newsflash – May 2013 ARC Newsflash – April 2013 ARC Newsflash – March 2013 ARC Newsflash – February 2013 2012: ARC Newsflash – December 2012 ARC Newsflash – November 2012 ARC Newsflash – October 2012 ARC […]

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Recent updates

–The Issues

Introduction The European Union is now reviewing its Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) post 2013. This new Policy will be implemented for seven years. Within these seven years ARC foresees very important changes that will become the basis for the CAP until 2020. The European Commission has already started the legislative work with the European Parliament in tow. Why should you care? Academics have established that European-level regulations affect about 70% of national legislation. Furthermore the Common Agriculture Policy is the main European budget post. The CAP sets the direction of the European Agriculture ship for the next 7 years. If you work in agriculture it will affect your sales, your costs, your subsidies and most definitely the way you work. And even if you do not work in agriculture, we all need to feed, to drink. Every citizen eats bread or cereals for breakfast, drink milk and juice. We all depend on agriculture for our Sunday barbecue and our veggie day. Rules and regulations thought up by the European policy-makers will, one way or the […]

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Recent updates

–ARC Communication Summary

  On 16 November 2010, ARC submitted its own proposals for a reform of European Agriculture and Rural Development Policies to the European Commission and other EU institutions.  The document, entitled “A Communication from Civil Society on the future of Agricultural and Rural Policy” is a product of a six month process involving consultations, conferences and negotiations between NGOs from across Europe. It calls for a radical review of policies for both agriculture and rural development.  We propose that policies from 2014 onwards should embrace: A paradigm shift in agriculture and in food systems, from the existing dominant industrial–style farming and centralised food industry to sustainable farming everywhere and a diversified pattern of regional and local production and processing of food, with closer connections between farmers and consumers, and high care for public health, environment and animal welfare. An economic, social and environmental renaissance of rural areas, building upon the strength and diversity of communities, cultures and resources, linked effectively to place-based territorial development and honouring the EU’s commitment to social, economic and territorial cohesion. […]

Newsticker Log

  TTIP talks: despite the PR, still under a cloak of secrecy CEO 05.05.2015 It’s not just glyphosate and neonicotinoids! Why we need a pesticide-free future Ecologist 30.04.2015 Organic milk and prenatal iodine Guardian 30.04.2015 US to open TTIP reading rooms across EU Euractiv 29.04.2015 What will EU parliamentarians vote on TTIP? Euractiv 17.04.2015 Government’s approach further undermines the proposed Expert Advisory Council An Taisce 01.04.2015 Farming will not be held back by green targets says Coveney Independent 01.04.2015 Pesticide residue in fruits and vegetables associated with low sperm count Washington Post 30.03.2015 Agroecology reclaims territories for local peoples and food sovereignty More and Better 18.03.2015 Commitments to rural development spending 76% below forecast in 2014 capreform.eu 23.01.2015 ‘We are fed up!’: Thousands march against TTIP & GMOs in Berlin RT 17.01.2015 Großdemonstration für eine tiergerechte und klimaschonende Landwirtschaft in Berlin ARD 17.01.2015 Agrarwende: 50000 Demonstranten gegen Massentierhaltung und Gentechnik Spiegel Online 17.01.2015 Tausende demonstrieren für artgerechte Tierhaltung und fairen Handel Zeit Online 17.01.2015 Drawing upon citizens’ voices: Deep democracy in action IATP 14.01.2015 Europeans’ shopping habits reveal […]

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Recent updates

–ARC Multimedia

Find photos of all our actions on our Flickr account Videos from the early days Video: Action in Strasbourg ahead of CAP vote All the CAP SNAP images  Footage from the Good Food March 2012 Photos of the German route for the Good Food March  

Recent updates

–The ARC2020 Communication

After several rounds of consultation within the ARC network, the ARC members and supporters along with observers finalised their Communication of Civil Society to the European Institutions on the future Agricultural and Rural Policy on 5 November 2010. Read the Communication in up to 10 languages. […]

Recent updates

–Statement of Principles

ARC Statement of Principles offered to the Conference of the European Commission on 19-20 July 2010 Introduction.    ARC – the Agricultural and Rural Convention – is a forum which enables citizens and civil society organisations (CSOs) to support and deepen the debate which was launched by Commissioner Ciolos.    At this Conference, we offer emerging principles which are shared by many CSOs.   We will continue the debate, focused on the website www.arc2020.eu,  and in the autumn we will offer to the Commission and other European institutions a Communication from Civil Society on the future of the Common Agricultural and Rural Development Policies. Imperatives. The emerging message from civil society is echoed in large measure in the public consultation undertaken by the Commission within the framework of CAP post 2013.   The message is that future policies, including those for agriculture and rural development, must address a series of uncomfortable challenges which have become substantially more apparent since the present policies were shaped in 2006.   These challenges, which may be expressed as imperatives, […]