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Steering the ARC through 2024’s Rough Waters

January 15, 2024 Hannes Lorenzen

In the wise words of American writer William Arthur Ward, a pessimist complains about the wind; an optimist expects it to change; a realist adjusts the sails – and ARC2024 plans to stay on course with compassion for people and nature in this new year. What might the coming year bring? It looks like rough waters lie ahead, which means reefing sails and riding high into the wind – but, of course, there will also be sunnier patches to enjoy along the way. ARC’s Hannes Lorenzen sets out what he sees in store for 2024.  […]

Latest from Brussels

Brussels News – GM-nos, Howling Wolves and the Many Missed Environmental Targets

December 20, 2023 Natasha Foote

EU ministers have still not managed to find common ground on new GMOs (aka new genetic technologies, or NGTs) despite a last minute push on the file before the Christmas break. Meanwhile, the European Commission proposed to downgrade the protection status of wolves, much to the chagrin of environmentalists. And it turns out the EU is missing most of its environmental targets – except those that relate to cash.  Natasha Foote and Oliver Moore brings you up to speed in the latest goings on in Brussels. […]

Latest from EU Member States

Digital Czech-in – The Cost of Too Many Portals

December 19, 2023 Terezie Daňková

Taxpayers have a right to demand value for money from agricultural subsidies. But does this merit placing farmers under continuous surveillance? Farmers can struggle to reap the benefits of new digital tools that add to rather than ease their workload. Czech farmer Terezie Daňková relates her experience with the demands of the new digital order, and proposes an intergenerational solution. […]

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Genetically Modified Crops Aren’t a Solution to Climate Change, Despite What the Biotech Industry Says

December 19, 2023 ARC

The European Commission launched a proposal to deregulate a large number of plants manufactured using new genetic techniques. Biotech firms seem to have succeeded in convincing the European Commission that we need new genetically modified crops to tackle climate change. They argue that by enhancing crops’ resistance to drought or improving their ability to capture carbon, climate change may no longer seem such a daunting challenge. If this seems too good to be true, unfortunately, it is. […]

Latest from EU Member States

EU Digital Agriculture Needs Clear Socio-Ecological Directions

December 18, 2023 Matteo Metta

To set clear directions for responsible digitalisation in agriculture, the CAP and the Farm-to-Fork Strategy should integrate a new policy target aimed at substantially increasing the current low share of EU farmers engaged in other gainful activities connected to the farm to at least 25% by 2030. Dr. Matteo Metta shares findings from his Ph.D. research on digitalisation and on-farm diversification. […]

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Stuck in Silos: Report on CAP Strategic Plans

December 14, 2023 ARC

The project CAP Strategic Plans co-organised by ARC2020 with the Good Food Good Farming network is now completing its fourth year since its launch in 2020. 2023 can be seen as the end of a policy reform cycle and beginning of a new one for the Common Agricultural Policy, aka CAP. Just recently, the Commission published its main takeaways and conclusions on the joint effort and collective ambition of the CAP Strategic Plans 2023-2027 (CSPs). Read our report. […]

Latest from Brussels

Ministers Fail to Find Consensus on New GMOs

December 11, 2023 Natasha Foote

EU agriculture ministers have failed to find a position on the EU’s plans to loosen the rules on the use of genetic editing technologies, despite a concerted push from those at the helm of the rotating EU presidency. So what does this mean in practice? Natasha Foote brings you the latest from Brussels. […]

Latest from Brussels

Dialogue? Coming. A new CAP pillar? Maybe that too.

December 7, 2023 Natasha Foote

The European Commission has announced that it will officially launch its strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture – proposed as a way to bridge the divide in the agrifood sector – in January. Meanwhile the Ag Commissioner already has a big idea – a 3rd Pillar of the CAP. So what’s the scope of this dialogue? And what’s this about a new CAP Pillar? Natasha Foote brings you up to speed with the latest on what we know so far. […]

Latest from Brussels

Seeds of Europe – Centering Small Producers’ Voices in Seed Law Reform

December 5, 2023 Mathieu Willard

On November 28, in collaboration with SEED Luxemburg and the Greens/EFA, the Seeds4All project took part in the organisation of a conference at the European Parliament on the future of seeds. Delving into the heart of the matter, the main aim of the event was to spotlight the specific voices and urgent demands of artisan seed producers in the context of the reform of the European legislative framework applicable to the sale and exchange of seeds. […]

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9 Key points on Ukrainian Agriculture in Wartime – Resilience, Reforms, & Markets

November 20, 2023 Natalia Mamonova

The Ukrainian government currently faces a major dilemma in agricultural development: to continue supporting large-scale export-oriented agriculture or refocus on family farming. A new report by Natalia Mamonova, Olena Borodina and Brian Kuns address this uneasy dilemma in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Here Mamonova provides a summary of the key points. […]