Main stories
“A Fairer CAP”, Really? | Analysing Fairwashing in CAP Talks and Practices
Now that the CAP Strategic Plans are approved and running, is the CAP really fairer? Read our report «“A Fairer CAP”, Really?». […]
Climate Change
Main stories
Adapting Agricultural Practices to Climate Change – Seeds, Beans and Lessons from the Ground Up
On July 5th 2023, the European Commission tabled its proposal for revised seed marketing legislation. Exploring institutional shortcomings to prioritise and safeguard agrobiodiversity in a changing climate, Seeds4All project co-ordinator Adèle Pautrat and policy analyst Mathieu Willard zoom into the case of white bean production in southern France, before presenting broader issues that the future seed law should address. […]
Main stories
CAP Strategic Plans: More Money, Less Liability
EU Agriculture is in crisis mode. And so is the CAP. For two years in a row, the CAP crisis reserve has been spent to help farmers deal with the adverse consequences of the invasion of Ukraine and climate change. At the same time, Member States are asking for reduced environmental obligations in 2024. What happened during this week’s AgriFish council CAP wise? We guide you through the updates. […]
Main stories
CAP Environmental Derogations: What is the Impact on Food Security?
Looking at the CAP, 2022 and 2023 have been marked by multiple authorised derogations on environmental standards. Those derogations, claimed to be necessary to ensure food security in Europe, have been highly criticised by the scientific community. As the data on food production resulting from these derogations emerges, we examine the concrete impact of these decisions on food security in the EU. […]
Main stories
CAP Strategic Plan Denmark: The Art of Bypassing Fairness
The struggle to cap and redistribute direct payments received by the largest landowners, to support smaller farms, thereby enabling a more divers and resilient rurality, has come up against the whole financial system in Denmark. So how did Denmark end up without capping or redistributive payments? And how could the Commission accept such a proposal? […]
Main stories
Can the CAP and Carbon Farming Coexist?
Carbon Farming is the new hype in agriculture. A proposal for a Certification Framework of Carbon Removals was proposed back in November by the Commission and there is a strong push by the Swedish presidency and French government to make it happen quickly. But can a Europe-wide Carbon Farming program coexist with the CAP? In this article, we explore the similarities and contradictions between the two. […]
Main stories
Regional Carbon Farming? An Italian Example
Can local or regional carbon farming programs provide a place-based alternative to a EU-wide, standardised, CAP ressembling carbon farming protocol? A look into the Rete Rurale Nazionale in Italy, and how private agencies in France are responding to the public sector request for carbon farming. […]
Latest from Brussels
New ARC Report | Carbon Farming – Stakes, Issues and Alternatives
Encouraging farmers to implement practices that would contribute to mitigating global warming. That is the carbon farming promise. But can it live up to the hype? Will carbon farming be a greenwashing disaster or a real opportunity for farmers and climate change mitigation? […]
Main stories
Is the EU Positive about Reaching Carbon Negative? New ARC report shows more work needed
Despite the recent news that 90% of leading carbon offsets don’t have a tangible impact on capturing carbon, the EU Commission is moving ahead in developing a carbon farming certification scheme in the EU. ARC2020’s Mathieu Willard presents the context for his forthcoming report, to be published on the 7th of February. […]
Latest from Brussels
Winds of Change at COP27? Agri-climate news round
The winds of winter are blowing into Europe, over in Egypt is a different wind gathering force? A wind of change? Until the 18th of November, COP27 is taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Last year’s COP in Glasgow has largely been viewed by the international community as underwhelming. So what’s going on in COP and in agri-climate news? Sometimes it’s important to follow the money… […]
Main stories
Organic and Biodynamic Viticulture: Adapting the Vine in a Changing Climate
How are a new generation of French winegrowers responding to the extreme temperatures and droughts becoming more pronounced in recent years? This summer, Adèle Pautrat visited Sainte Marie des Crozes, an organic and biodynamic Domaine in the village of Douzens in southern France. […]
Latest from EU Member States
Ireland | Intensive Farms Must Pull their Weight for a Just Transition
Not all agri-sectors have the same impact. As the debate in Ireland over greenhouse gas emissions cuts for economic sectors intensifies, who is thinking about the fair share within sectors? Here we republish an article from Rural Ireland on the Move, our report from April this year. In it, Fintan Kelly – agriculture and land use policy and advocacy officer with the Irish Environmental Network – examines the idea of a fair share on emissions within agriculture. […]
Latest from EU Member States
Rural Ireland on the Move – new report on Just Transition and Diversification launched.
This week ARC2020 and partner organisations release a report, and hold two events, on the topics of Just Transition and Diversification in Ireland. Targets to reduce emissions come alongside pressure for agriculture to improve its impact on biodiversity, water and air quality. Meanwhile rising feed, fertilizer and other input costs, and a sequence of recent crises – brexit, covid, and now the tragic war in Ukraine – compound the pressure. So what next for rural Ireland? […]
Latest from EU Member States
Position Paper on Soil Carbon Sequestration and its Possible Remuneration through CO2 Certificates
More than 30 organisations and individuals active in the fields of nature conservation, environmental protection, agriculture and science have collectively spoken out against the use of CO2 emissions certificates as a tool for preserving and building humus in soil. In a position paper on soil carbon sequestration, the broad alliance rejects the compensation of greenhouse gas emissions through CO2 emissions certificates. […]
Main stories
COP26 | Gender Day – Othering The Soil, And Other Climate Blindspots
Integrating women’s rights into climate action, with food and farming at the centre, is vital if planetary health is to be successfully restored. This was the message from a Gender Day event at COP26 that underscored the links between climate change, equality and the role of women in agriculture. Ursula Billington reports. […]