The private sector has a key role to play in promoting bioeconomy in the agrifood sector, high-level experts have told EURACTIV.com. However, they said the risk of depriving the food production system of organic resources must be weighed up.
The Dutch government has launched a new vision for the country’s agriculture, which prioritises the protection of natural resources and the reduction of the sector's environmental impact.
In view of the threat of environmental damage caused by climate change, experts are putting a lot of hope in the bioeconomy as a future model in agriculture. But the question is – what kind of bioeconomy do we need? EURACTIV Germany reports.
The global environmental challenges are changing too fast and we therefore need speedy reactions too, including innovative plant breeding technologies and digitisation, Alexandra Brand, chief sustainability officer at agri-food giant Syngenta, told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
The Portuguese candidates for the EU elections from centre-left and left parties PS, PSD, PCP and BE, have voiced concern about the planned budget cuts in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The conservative CDS party criticised the Lisbon government's "tragic inability" to draw on these funds. EURACTIV’s media partner Lusa reports.
The involvement of many European Commission’s Directorates-General (DGs) in the post-2020 agricultural policy has raised concerns among stakeholders, who believe it is going to cause delays and throw too much environment into the agricultural mix.
An extension for vine planting authorisations, nutrition info on wine labels, and a provision banning the use of terms like burger for veggie and vegan products were among the main suggestions filed by the current AGRI committee directly to the next European Parliament.
With the new CAP, the EU Commission is set to foster innovation and digitalisation in agriculture. German companies are hoping for multi-billion euro deals, yet management and infrastructural issues stand in the way.
Protecting plants genetically rather than chemically will become increasingly important in future farming, but this also highlights the need to solve the legal pitfall created by a recent European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling on gene editing, MEP Paolo De Castro told EURACTIV.
The 'new plant breeding techniques' need new EU legislation that takes into account the latest advanced technologies, EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis told EURACTIV.com, adding there was too much manipulation and "scare-mongering" around the issue.
The EU manufacturers of agricultural machinery (CEMA) have called on member states to indicate a “clear commitment” to the digitisation of European agriculture as the only way to face the environmental and economic challenges. This message has also been acknowledged by the European Commission.
The Spanish agri-food sector is extremely concerned about the negative impact of a no-deal Brexit. In an effort to mitigate the financial impact, the sector is already taking measures to curb the “Brexit effect”. EURACTIV’s partner EFE AGRO reports.
EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds have helped a family in southern Italy revive and even innovate their business. EURACTIV’s partner Sicilia Agricoltura reports.
In the event of a no-deal Brexit, the UK government should not rush to strike a trade deal with countries such as the United States, an official from the UK National Farmers Union told EURACTIV.com in London.
Small farms dominate the Polish agriculture. Their area gradually decreases, but data from the Central Statistical Office shows that the average Polish farmer has two to five hectares of land at his/her disposal. EURACTIV Poland reports.
Lawmakers in the European Parliament's environment committee have voted for a reduction in subsidies going to intensive farming under the common agricultural policy as of 2021. EURACTIV France reports.
Low profitability and poor infrastructure quality make farming in Greece unattractive to young people, who are needed more than ever before to take the agricultural sector a step forward, stakeholders have told EURACTIV Greece.
Excessive red tape, combined with lack of access to land and proper rural infrastructure, continues to be the main obstacle to attracting young men and women in Spain’s agriculture sector. EFE Agro reports.
The European Commission and the EU farmers association (Copa Cogeca) both dismissed a report conducted by Greenpeace as groundless and simplistic. The report argued that animal farming in Europe was using too much agricultural land.
Getting a loan is the biggest problem faced by young farmers in Romania, especially when they are unable to provide guarantees as back-up, EURACTIV Romania reports.
The lack of proper infrastructure in German rural areas, as well as poor support for new small farms, prevent young people from investing in agriculture and force them to move to cities. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Women, the great forgotten group of agricultural policies, represent a quarter of French farmers. In Brittany, the “agriculture au féminin” network is attempting to push forward the issue of gender equality in the farming sector. EURACTIV France reports.
EU member states will have to deal with the generational renewal of the EU farming sector “whether they like it or not,” young farmers say. And to do so, they first need to support a strong budget for the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), they argue.
