Food security Archives - Agricultural and Rural Convention

Food Security, Food Sovereignty, and Collective Action During the War in Ukraine

September 25, 2023 Natalia Mamonova

The dramatic situation that the Ukranian people have been experiencing since February 2022 is well known. Less well reported is how agricultural production and farmers’ livelihoods have resisted and adapted since February 2022. This is a very important and timely interview related to power, food sovereignty, solidarity, and land. And for the latter, there are many considerations, from consolidation and access to grabbing and the future. Transcript of an interview with Natalia Mamonova. […]

French CAP Strategic Plan : EU Sued over Approval of the Plan

September 25, 2023 ARC

Did the Commission breach its own laws by approving the French CAP Strategic Plan? According to Collectif Nourrir and ClientEarth, it did! After their internal request for an internal review of the approval of the plan fell short, the two organisations decided to take it to the next level, and bring the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union. So what are their arguments? And what results can be expected of the process? Let’s assess […]

“A Fairer CAP”, Really? | Analysing Fairwashing in CAP Talks and Practices

August 28, 2023 Matteo Metta

Now that the CAP Strategic Plans are approved and running, is the CAP really fairer? Read our report «“A Fairer CAP”, Really?». […]

CAP Strategic Plans: More Money, Less Liability

June 29, 2023 Mathieu Willard

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. […]

CAP Environmental Derogations: What is the Impact on Food Security?

June 4, 2023 Mathieu Willard

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. […]

CAP Strategic Plan Denmark: The Art of Bypassing Fairness

May 31, 2023 Rasmus Blædel Larsen

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? […]

Can the CAP and Carbon Farming Coexist?

April 25, 2023 Mathieu Willard

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. […]

Are We Ready to Amend the CAP SP to Fit For 55?

April 19, 2023 Mathieu Willard

Although the CAP Strategic Plans have been approved and are now being implemented, they are not closed files. Once a year, amendments can be proposed by Member States and, under specific conditions, other adaptations can be required. Recent readjustments of targets for climate mitigation in different legislations to meet the ambition of the Fit For 55 package should offer an opportunity to raise the ambition of CAP Strategic Plans on climate action. […]

CAP post-2027: An Integrated Rural and Agricultural Policy – Part 2

March 26, 2023 Mathieu Willard

We present our proposal for an integrated Rural and Agricultural Policy. “Rural Europe Takes Action – No more business as usual” ends with an unwritten regulation: the #CAP of the future. So, what is it about and why is it important to talk about it now? […]

The German CAP Strategic Plan: The Ambition has yet to Come

March 24, 2023 ARC

The German CAP Strategic Plan has the potential for an ambitious CAP 2023 to 2027. While the debate on the next CAP post-2027 is already starting, in this article we argue that the German government needs to exploit all potential in the current CAP to increase the ambition towards more climate change mitigation and the protection and enhancement of natural resources and biodiversity. The coalition agreement gives them the mandate to do so. […]

CAP post-2027: An Integrated Rural and Agricultural Policy – Part 1

March 22, 2023 Mathieu Willard

Our book “Rural Europe Takes Action – No more business as usual” ends with a mysterious unwritten regulation, the Common Agricultural Policy of the future. Only it is not. It is much broader than that. We called it the European Rural and Agricultural (and Food) Policy (ERAP). So, what is it about and why is it important to talk about it now? Let’s dive into it. […]

German CAP Strategic Plan: Bold Changes Required

February 27, 2023 Mathieu Willard

The new funding period of the Common Agricultural Policy has begun. The EU member states, including Germany, have all developed National Strategic Plans to implement the new EU requirements. However, as the following article shows, this reform and its national implementation are not sufficient to achieve environmental, climate, animal wellfare and social objectives. […]

Czech CAP Strategic Plan – Redistributive Payments and the Counter-Productive Tension Between Small and Big

February 2, 2023 Terezie Daňková

The Czech CAP Stragic Plan has now been approved by the European Commission. Agricultural associations had been protesting against the proposed 23% share of direct payments. Terezie Daňková, a Czech farmer from South Bohemia, helps us understand the intricate history and structural composition of Czech farming. […]

Reforming CAP in Wartime – New Report

December 15, 2022 Mathieu Willard

As the last CAP Strategic Plan (Netherlands) has been approved, we launch a report summarising the key aspects of the CAP Strategic Plans approval process that started a year ago. This report is a collection of the work produced throughout the year, a look back on 2022, and what to look for in 2023. […]

CAP and E-Commerce: Are Quality Schemes Protected?

October 18, 2022 Melina A Campos

EU agri-food products protected by quality schemes can face counterfeiting and usurpations in third countries, resulting in significant economic losses for EU producers. The same can happen in the other direction, and with the expansion of e-commerce platforms, these market dynamics have found new avenues to occur. The reform post-2022 of the CAP’s Common Market Organisation has extended the protection of quality schemes’ intellectual property (IP) rights to e-commerce platforms. […]