About: common agricultural policy
European Court of Auditors criticise plans to reform CAP
The EU auditors have expressed clear criticism of the plans to reform the CAP. They said that the Commission's proposals did not meet the demand for a "more environmentally-friendly and more strongly preformance-based" approach. EURACTIV Germany reports.
A watertight CAP
The European Commission needs to deliver an agricultural policy that does not reward agricultural pollution, write Claudia Castell-Exner and Arjen Frentz from Europe's drinking water and wastewater service operators (EurEau).
Worldwide study: Women say gender discrimination persists in agriculture
Discrimination against women in the farming sector is still widespread, though less than a decade ago, according to a global study carried out by Corteva AgriscienceTM which concluded that empowering women could help revive rural areas and meet the rising food demand.
One French farmer commits suicide every two days, survey says
One French farmer commits suicide every two days, according to a survey conducted by the French national public health agency. The EU farmers' union said this alarming situation should be addressed immediately, emphasising that the farming community deserves better recognition.
Agriculture digitisation not only for controls, stakeholders ‘remind’ the EU Commission
The much-awaited digitisation of the EU farming sector has taken centre stage in the last few years. But its ultimate application in the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is still unclear.
Hogan: EU member states will decide on agriculture innovation after 2020, not Brussels
Member states and not the European Commission will direct the precise support and funding for innovation and digitisation of farming in the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan told EURACTIV Romania in an interview.
‘Smart villages’ are modernisation tools to be taken seriously
The expansion of e-tools in rural areas will enable villages to become more agile, make better use of their resources as well as improve their attractiveness and the quality of life of rural residents, argue MEPs Franc Bogovic and Tibor Szanyi.
Over-regulating gene editing slows down innovation, Bayer says
An extensive regulatory process on gene editing adds more bureaucracy, increasing costs and slowing down innovation, Liam Condon, President of Bayer’s crop science division told EURACTIV.com.
Survey on organic food: What’s behind the hype?
Survey: The demand for organic products is rising in Germany. Is this all just marketing is there more behind this increase in turnover. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Sowing the seeds of the post-2020 CAP
In June 2018, the European Commission unveiled its much-awaited plans for the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In light of the Brexit and the emergence of new priorities such as security and immigration, the Commission proposed a 5% cut in...
Berlin joins opposition to EU Commission’s proposed cuts for CAP
The agriculture ministers of France and Germany rejected the European Commission proposal to decrease the budget for the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), claiming instead that it should remain at the current level.
EP’s AGRI committee no longer alone on CAP reform negotiations
The leaders of the European Parliament’s political groups decided on 5 July to grant the Environment Committee “shared competence” with the Agriculture Committee in the environmental aspects of the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Europe must get serious about short food supply chains
Europe must get serious about short food supply chains (SFSC) and put an end to the frustrating inconsistencies within the Common Agricultural Policy and with other European policy fields, write Maria Heubuch and Bart Staes.
European Commission under fire after new CAP proposals unveiled
The European Commission unveiled on Friday (1 June) its plans for the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy, triggering a strong reaction from EU farmers and the environmental community for cutting the budget, giving member states too much leeway and fudging environmental and climate issues.
Czech farmers clash over proposed CAP subsidies capping
The European Commission’s proposal to cap agricultural payments and provide more support for small farms has divided farmers in the Czech Republic. But there are other issues they should focus on, such as the ageing rural population and the challenges of modern technologies. EURACTIV.cz reports.
Greenpeace: Industry-linked MEPs in the agri committee have a ‘safe’ majority
A survey conducted by Greenpeace has found that 25 out of 46 MEPs of the European Parliament’s agriculture committee have “strong” links to the farming industry.
Commission’s ‘realistic’ budget criticised by member states
The European Commission's proposal for a moderate increase of EU funds for the next budgetary period (2021-2027) was immediately dismissed as a non-starter by national capitals.
Commission throws the ball to EU states on CAP rural development, prioritises direct payments
The European Commission has proposed to cut the budget of the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy by approximately 5%, but has prioritised the direct payments pillar in order to ensure farmers’ income and leave smallholders unaffected.
Fertilisers Europe chief: No need for ‘rocket-science’ to reduce ammonia emissions
No rocket science, or even innovation, is needed to reduce ammonia emissions from fertilisers, the European fertiliser industry boss Jacob Hansen told EURACTIV.com in an interview. As an example, he pointed to the use of nitrate fertilisers instead of urea.
Copernicus chief defends role of satellites in CAP’s ‘control’ system
The EU will launch a new satellite this week as part of the ‘Copernicus’ initiative. The earth observation programme has proved to be useful in dealing with natural disasters and its importance will grow to manage EU funds including the Common Agricultural Policy after 2020, director Philippe Brunet said.
Greenpeace: Risk management tools cannot solve ‘unsustainable’ CAP system
Public policies should not embrace risk management tools that cement the current ecological and economically unsustainable agri-food system, Greenpeace's food and agriculture director Marco Contiero told EURACTIV.com.
Hogan: 3 reasons EU farmers should take the risk and invest in agriculture
European farmers should invest in post-2020 agriculture as it will be less bureaucratic, more focused on “technology breakthroughs” and will improve their standard of living, EU Commissioner Phil Hogan told EURACTIV.com.
Stakeholders call for strong enforcement to combat unfair trade practices
EU lawmakers and farmers have welcomed the European Commission’s rules on unfair trade practices but have called for “strong” enforcement to protect the weakest parts of the food supply chain.