A Common Food Policy will help address “climate change, halt biodiversity loss, curb obesity, and make farming viable for the next generation” according to the new IPES Food report. More, including full report to download, in this article. […]
Back in December, the French government published a position paper on the proposed CAP reform. This document included some of the expected, cautious remarks but also took some unexpected turns – for one promoting an agroecological transition. We pick out the key takeaways here. […]
As a major agricultural nation in the east, Poland has a significant interest in how CAP will unfold in the current reform process. While not all regions or sectors are the same in this large country, there are some common considerations. We have commissioned journalist Hans Wetzels to get to grips with CAP and Poland, Part 2. […]
Wolves are recolonizing the Czech Republic in leaps and bounds. Farmers in affected areas have been hit by attacks on livestock and are resentful of what they see as toothless protections and unpaid compensation from the state. Conservationists welcome the wolf as a much needed predator in the ecosystem. Louise Kelleher tells us more. […]
94% of all the EU’s ammonia pollution comes from farming, with nitrogen fertilizer use (both mineral and slurry) and increasing animal numbers seen as drivers. Human respiratory health, soil and water quality are just some of the concerns with excessive ammonia pollution. Here we point to some ammonia troubles in the EU. […]
As a major agricultural nation in eastern Europe, Poland has a significant interest in how CAP reform will unfold. How will Polish farmers and Polish policy makers will adapt to likely changes, including a lower overall CAP budget, greater environmental focus and the new delivery model? Hans Wetzels with a new series. […]
What were the most popular stories we published in 2018? While we tend to specialise in CAP and agri-food policy matters in the EU institutions – someone has to, right? – soil, agtech, agroecology, food sovereignty, milk and letters from the farm have proven to be popular. […]
The Agriculture and Fisheries Council meets today (Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday) in Brussels, and CAP post 2020 is on the agenda. Find all the links you need – including to the live video stream – in one handy article! […]
The Czech chicken industry is under the wing of a Godfather. The same man is also milking the domestic dairy sector and has the nation’s encased meats all sewn up. Or at least that was the case until he became Prime Minister. Now, with a confidential European Commission report concluding Andrej Babiš has a conflict of interest between his business and his political position, are his chickens coming home to roost? […]
Global trade (WTO) rules on competitiveness and a sequence of EU treaties mean that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is supposed to be more environmentally sustainable than it was. Now, with increased powers, the European Parliament’s environment committee has an opportunity to show some muscle. But will it flex those pecs? […]
“Its longer-term vision for EU agriculture (taking account of long-term trends for technological, climate, societal and demographic change, etc.) is not apparent” So say the ECA – European Court of Auditors – about the European Commission’s CAP proposals in a damning new report seen by ARC2020. […]
Payment for Environmental Services (PES) is an oft-mentioned concept in post-2020 CAP debates. But it tends to overshadow the agri-environment-climate measures (AECMs) which have played an important role in the CAP for the past 2 decades. Which is the best way of integrating environmental concern? Frédéric Courleux weighs up the debate. […]
CAP should better support all of those who work the land and produce food, while helping develop agroecological practices. Read extracts from two European Coordination of Via Campesina (ECVC) documents on the Future of CAP. […]
After a summer break, we return to our re:CAP series to talk young and new farmers. We speak to Christian Rehmer (BUND – Friends of the Earth Germany), Aurélie Catallo (Pour Une Autre PAC), Ulrich Jaspers (AbL and Die Verbände-Plattform), and Ariel Brunner and Harriet Bradley (BirdLife). […]
The German summer 2018 will be remembered for one of the hottest and driest. A long lasting high pressure brought high temperature records combined with extremely low rainfalls. Sebastian Lakner explains the state aids for farmers in Germany amounting to 370 Mio. EUR. […]
Agricultural and Rural Convention