June 2024 - Agricultural and Rural Convention

Germany | Communications for Sustainable Food Systems – Bringing everyone along

June 28, 2024 ARC

In Marburg, Germany kollektiv von MORGEN (the collective of TOMORROW) is working with food education activists and other food system stakeholders to develop regional communication strategies around sustainable food. Building on ideas formulated at the European Action-Gathering for Sustainable Food Systems last November, participants of a recent workshop continued to shape plans for the region. […]

Brussels News – GMO No-Gos and Political Roundabouts

June 27, 2024 Natasha Foote

This week saw an unsuccessful last-ditch attempt to push the EU’s proposal to loosen rules on gene editing over the finish line, leaving the plans on ice. Meanwhile, it’s all been Politics with a capital P as Belgium prepares to hand the presidency over to Hungary, while leaders jostle for Brussels’ top jobs and considerations start on redrawing the lines of the European Parliament’s committees – a shake up which could have big impacts on the way agriculture files are handled. Natasha Foote and Oliver Moore bring you the latest from Brussels. […]

Will the Nature Restoration Law Decision be Reversed? Not likely – here’s why

June 19, 2024 Natasha Foote

Last minute political manoeuvres, coalition collapse and legal challenges – the Nature Restoration Law’s dramatic final showdown proved every bit as tumultuous as the rest of its path to adoption. But could the final seal of approval of this law be reversed? The answer seems to be no – and here’s why. […]

The EU’s Nature Restoration Law has been Approved – but Don’t Put the Bubbly on Ice Just Yet

June 17, 2024 Natasha Foote

Ministers have given their final blessing to the EU’s Nature Restoration Law, marking the last milestone for the law to enter into force. But proponents shouldn’t put the champagne on ice just yet, as the law could face more legal twists in its tumultuous trajectory. Natasha Foote reports on the latest from Brussels. […]

Greece | The Sisters of the Seeds

June 14, 2024 Hannes Lorenzen

Welcome to the gardens of St John’s monastery in the village of Anatoli, Thessaly, Greece. We bring you a heartwarming story of sharing and sufficiency, in a letter from a visit to the farm by Hannes Lorenzen. […]

Election Post-Mortem – where to now for Parliament & People?

June 13, 2024 Oliver Moore

In the aftermath of the European Parliamentary Elections 2024, Oliver Moore assesses what happened and what might happen next, with a farming, food and rural lens. […]

Impact and Opportunities of the 2023-27 CAP Reform in Denmark

June 12, 2024 ARC

In the report that accompanies this article, CONCITO analyses the implementation of the 2023-27 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform after its first year of implementation, using Denmark as a case study. The focus lies on examining the new components of the reform, namely the New Delivery Model (NDM), the enhanced conditionality, and the eco-schemes, and their contribution towards both the European Union (EU) and national objectives concerning climate, biodiversity, and the environment. Recommendations are also made for improved delivery. […]

The German Farmers’ Association’s Double Game – Shrewd farmer lobbyists

June 10, 2024 ARC

The German Farmers’ Association (Deutscher Bauernverband) promises nature conservation, but acts against it. Jost Maurin (Die Tageszeitung, taz) makes the case that this trajectory could serve as a warning for the EU Strategic Dialogue, in which environmental and farmers’ associations are to develop a vision for the future of agriculture. […]

Farmers Protests, Policy Failures and the Lobby

June 10, 2024 ARC

Wouter van de Klippe delves into the recent farmer’s protests, and assesses the role both the agri-lobby Copa-Cogeca, and the Common Agricultural Policy itself, have played. Van de Klippe argues that behind Europe’s farmers protests lie decades of policy failures and a lobby determined to steer the conversation. […]

What do Agroecological Farmers Think about Biotech?

June 6, 2024 ARC

A new report from A Bigger Conversation highlights the unique needs and perspectives – and values-based choices – of agroecological farmers when it comes to agricultural technologies. By Ayms Mason. Republished from A Bigger Conversation. […]

Vote For The Future: Good Food Good Farming Campaign Culminates in Brussels Demonstration

June 3, 2024 ARC

On June 1st, hundreds of citizens, NGOs, and grassroots movements gathered at Place de l’Albertine in Brussels, urging politicians to improve farmers’ conditions, halt environmental rollbacks, and strengthen climate policies. The demonstration was organized by Good Food Good Farming (GFGF) and Climate Action Network Europe (CAN Europe), uniting environmental and agrifood movements ahead of the EU elections. Report by Pauline Naterstad and Mia Mancini. […]