trade Archives - Agricultural and Rural Convention

Why Mercosur hits a nerve in rural Poland – for farmers and the environment

February 17, 2026 Igor Tomasz Olech

One month after its signing by Mrs von der Leyen, the EU-Mercosur agreement remains contentious, with the European Parliament scrutinising its legality. In Poland – one of a handful of Member States that voted against the deal – it remains a lightning rod for farmers’ grievances. And it’s not just farmers who are unfairly expected to absorb risks: new research co-authored by Igor Olech for Poland’s Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics spotlights structural loopholes in Mercosur’s sustainability architecture. Igor Olech reports from Poland. […]

The Year of the CAP & Big Budget Overhaul – Key EU Policy Moments to Watch in 2026

February 16, 2026 Natasha Foote

Welcome to the Year of the CAP — but just how “common” will the EU’s next agricultural policy be? Could pensioners be excluded from direct payments? And will farmers finally get a day off? Meanwhile EU leaders are freewheeling in the direction of free-trade deals. We may remember 2026 as the year the floodgates were opened to new genetic technologies. Plus the future of seeds is at stake, with upcoming trilogues that will make or break the proposed overhaul of the EU’s Seed Law. But first, there’s a battle looming over the budget. Natasha Foote reports on a decisive year ahead for EU policy. […]

Mercosur Is Set To Sail – With Sore Points for Sustainability, Will The Deal Sink Or Swim?

June 4, 2025 Oliver Moore

After a quarter-century of talks, the EU-Mercosur trade agreement is closer than ever to the finish line. But is it a done deal, and who gets to sign off on it? How are the new more volatile geopolitical trade realities impacting decision-makers? And can it be stopped or changed at this late stage? Oliver Moore takes us through the choppy waters. […]

EU’s Competitiveness Compass – North-Pointing or are Things Heading South for Agri Policy?

February 2, 2025 Natasha Foote

Competitiveness is the key word of this new Von der Leyen Commission 2.0 – and the EU’s new ‘Competitive Compass’ is supposed to steer it onto a path towards security and economic prosperity. But far from pointing North, many see it as a sign of things heading South for the green and agricultural transition over the next 5 years. Natasha Foote breaks down what you need to know. […]

Neoliberal Limits – Farmer Protests, Elections and the Far Right

April 30, 2024 Natalia Mamonova

The ongoing farmer protests are the longest and most impactful of all the farmer protests in the history of the European Union and have led to dangerous changes in EU environmental policy and triggered a new rise of far-right political groups across the EU. In this interview, Natalia Mamonova talks about the limits of neoliberalism, the current state of farmer protests, changes in EU policy and the alarming forecast for the upcoming EU parliamentary elections in June. […]

Chaos and Costs – Britain implements Brexit import controls

April 18, 2024 Marianne Landzettel

A new regime of border checks for imports to Britain from the EU will come into force at the end of April. Meat, dairy, seeds and other items classified as medium or high-risk will be the first subject to the controls. What does this entail and what is at stake? […]

European Farmers are Angry: Addressing Root Causes Would Overcome Polarisation

February 21, 2024 ARC

On Wednesday February 1, Tomaso Ferrando stood side-by-side with the farmers who had taken over Place Luxembourg and the streets adjacent to the European Parliament in Brussels. On my way, long lines of tractors with Belgian, French and Dutch plates could be seen almost a kilometre away from the square. As he drew closer to the scene, the sound of their horns and the smell of burned tires saturated my ears and nose. Here he outlines his thoughts on the farmers’ protests and what they mean. […]

Brussels Round up – Mirror Clauses, Mixed Messages & Farm to Facts

February 15, 2024 Natasha Foote

Farmers’ protests continue unabated across the bloc on the back of growing calls for the resignation of the EU’s Agriculture Commissioner. Meanwhile, a new report paints a stark picture of the failures of the Farm to Fork strategy, and Belgium has weighed in on the thorny issue of reciprocal standards in the Mercosur trade deal. Natasha Foote brings you up to speed in the latest goings on in the EU agrifood sector. […]

What has Driven EU Farmers to the Brink and to the Streets?

February 4, 2024 Natasha Foote

If there’s one thing that’s clear from the past few weeks, it’s that many EU farmers are reaching breaking point. But what exactly has driven them to the brink and to the streets – and how has Brussels responded? Natasha Foote breaks down what you need to know on the farmers’ protests. […]

Blame the System, Not the Farmers

February 1, 2024 Natalia Mamonova

These ongoing farmer protests in Europe indicate that there is something fundamentally wrong with the European agricultural system. However, many journalists and politicians do not see the wood for the trees and link the protests to a specific policy or event. In this opinion piece, Natalia Mamonova discusses the farmer protests as indicators of the systemic crisis of the neoliberal agricultural model that has failed farmers and the planet. […]

Leak – No Live Export Ban to non-EU Countries in Animal Welfare Overhaul

November 29, 2023 Natasha Foote

The European Commission will not ban the export of live animals to non-EU countries in its forthcoming proposal on the protection of animals during transport, according to a leaked draft, instead opting to double down on reduced journey times and on space allowances. Natasha Foote has the scoop. […]

EU-Australia Trade Deal Goes Down Under in Osaka – Why?

November 4, 2023 Natasha Foote

After years working towards clinching a free trade deal between Australia and the EU, talks went ‘down under’ on Sunday (29 October) in Osaka after the two sides beefed over market access for agricultural products. So what happened – what’s the beef between these two? – and what does the UK have to do with the dramatic turn of events? Natasha Foote reports […]

Op-Ed | Europe Eats the World

June 18, 2022 Jabier Ruiz

“Europe feeds the world” is a line often heard in EU policy debates and the media. A line often used to sideline calls to lower the impacts of European agriculture and to place “providing food” as the highest political priority. But is this line really true? In this op-ed lead author, Jabier Ruiz, of the WWF European Policy Office, summarises the main pieces of evidence gathered, which show that, far from feeding the world, Europe consumes more than its fair share. […]

Ukraine | Two Farmers near the Frontline

May 23, 2022 ARC

Paul Lemaire is a photojournalist who has recently left southern Ukraine. Here we present a photo essay from his time in the countryside around the city of Mykolaiv, near the Black Sea between Odesa and Kherson. At the end of April, Paul spent some time with farmers Vladimir and Ivan, as they’ve tried to carry with their work in rural Ukraine. Here we feature a first look at photos from his time there. […]

EU Institutions – Productivity Now, Environment Maybe Later

March 25, 2022 Oliver Moore

With war in Ukraine, the EU institutions made a concerted effort to shore up its highly exposed agri-industrial food system this week. Emergency money and ecologically protected lands are to be used for food security – as expressed through animal feed and mineral fertilizer supply. Along the way, delays and derailings to greener transition have occurred in pesticides regulation, in environmental elements of CAP, and more. So is the EU Green Deal becoming pie in the sky? Oliver Moore and Ashley Parsons report. […]