The discussion about the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy has kicked off, along with talks about the policy’s long-term green ambitions.
Europe’s farmers face a variety of challenges – from price volatility to the protection of natural resources – and the EU must design its next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to meet those twin goals.
EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan has also clearly stated that farmers will play an important role in fighting climate change under the bloc’s commitments made as part of the Paris Agreement.
The big challenge for policymakers is to ensure that farmers are able to make a living while protecting Europe’s environment and guaranteeing food security.
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Environmentalists push for ‘fitness check’ and clear goals in the next CAP
Europe’s biggest alliance of environmental groups has called for a thorough fitness check of the EU’s flagship Common Agricultural Policy, questioning its structure, implementation and impact, and proposing a far-reaching overhaul to ensure it is up to the challenges of the 21st century.
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Greenpeace director: CAP’s two-pillar structure has failed, we need a new contract
The direct payments pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy has too often wiped out the environmental benefits provided by parts of the rural development pillar, therefore real reform is needed to move the EU away from industrial farming practices, Greenpeace’s …
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France to cut support for booming organic farming
Despite the growth of organic agriculture, France will suspend state support to organic farmers by 2018, in a decision that could weaken the sector, as shown by examples in the UK and the Netherlands. EURACTIV France reports.
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Agri-policy and the environment: Seeking the right balance
The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy is a highly divisive subject. Not only are the basic elements of its design controversial but policymakers cannot agree on how to calculate the impact of individual measures on the environment. EURACTIV Germany reports.
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Hogan says future CAP will be ‘more ambitious’ on the environment
Phil Hogan, the EU's Agriculture Commissioner, announced that the next CAP will be “more ambitious” in terms of its environmental objectives, by ensuring farmers are on board in greening agriculture through broader use of precision farming techniques.
