The number of young people who want to work in agriculture is shrinking. Those who choose farming in Germany have to put up with high acquisition costs, complicated bureaucratic requirements and a modest income. EURACTIV Germany reports.
It has been over 12,000 years since the Neolithic Revolution, when our nomadic ancestors began planting roots, quite literally -- trading in their hunter-gatherer lifestyles to cultivate crops. Today we’re facing another revolution in agriculture – one we must tackle together, writes Neal Gutterson.
A number of breeding companies have promised to relocate their advanced mutagenesis breeding programmes outside Europe and others will follow if nothing is done to change EU rules, Garlich von Essen, the secretary-general of the European Seed Association (ESA), told...
The Netherlands and Estonia are leading a coalition of 14 EU member states calling on the next European Commission to update EU GMO laws with regard to so-called new plant breeding techniques (NPBTs).
The EU executive has already prepared the ground for a new initiative on gene editing to overhaul the current GMO legislation, EU agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan has said.
New plant breeding techniques (NPBTs) emerged as an innovative agricultural solution in the last decade, allowing the development of new plant varieties by modifying the DNA of the seeds and plant cells.
In September 2018, the Hauts-de-France region (northern France) adopted a bioeconomy roadmap. The former sugar region wants to become a leader in the sector. EURACTIV France reports.
A new label aims to encourage the emergence of projects that reduce and sequester greenhouse gas emissions. EURACTIV’s partner le Journal de l’Environnement reports.
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.
Over 18 million people across the EU were employed in the bioeconomy in 2015 – mainly in the agriculture, food and beverage sectors, according to the European Commission's Joint Research Centre.
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.
Europe is a “technology-free zone” when it comes to agriculture and it will pay the price for that, US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has said, criticising the EU for ignoring science on new technologies in farming.
The European Parliament research service recently listed aquaponics – the symbiotic cultivation of fish and plants – as one of the ten technologies that could change our lives, producing local food without any chemical fertilisers, writes Robert Woods.
The world is in constant need of more food and new genetic engineering methods such as the CRISPR gene editing method offer a solution. However, these remain contested, EURACTIV Germany reports.
Close collaboration between scientists, researchers and farmers has helped agriculture in the Czech Republic to take significant digital steps and increase its competitiveness, analysts told EURACTIV Czech Republic.
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.
Although the European Commission and machine manufacturers sing the praises of digitalisation in agriculture, others point to the risk of creating new dependencies for farmers on multinationals. EURACTIV France reports.
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.
An EU Court decision that confirmed that new plant breeding techniques fall under Genetically Modified legislation has generated more reaction and more discussion than “we would have ever anticipated”.
Preserving women added value in farming requires several types of support, and not only economic, as obstacles to gender equality persist in the sector, farmers said at an event held at the European Parliament on Thursday (7 March).
