Ministers retreat in face of farmer protests
Common Agricultural Policy
by
1M ago
Ministers have urged the EU to increase funding for the €60bn-a-year Common Agricultural Policy subsidy scheme in a bid to quell protests as Belgian farmers blockaded roads and set fire to tyres in central Brussels. The CAP, which consumes about a third of the EU’s joint budget and is the oldest of the bloc’s policies still in operation, is designed to provide a steady stream of income to farmers in order to ensure food production. But as farmers staged their latest protests on Monday over rising costs and environmental regulations, ministers gathering in Brussels to discuss emergency measures ..read more
Visit website
Why farmers are protesting
Common Agricultural Policy
by
1M ago
Some excellent in depth analysis of why farmers are protesting across Europe and how they relate to climate change: https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-how-do-the-eu-farmer-protests-relate-to-climate-change/ Look out for some further analysis that will appear soon in Political Quarterly ..read more
Visit website
Commission backs down on greening agriculture
Common Agricultural Policy
by
1M ago
The European Commission has thrown in the towel on plans to cut climate change emissions in agriculture: https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/eu-commission-backtracks-on-agricultural-emissions-cuts/ The recent farmer protests across Europe have undoubtedly been a factor, but there has also been concern about far right gains in the upcoming European Parliament elections which could undermine the European project as a whole.  The desire of Urusla von Ley en to secure a second term as Commission president is also part of the context: https://neighbourhood-enlargem ..read more
Visit website
Why farmers are in revolt
Common Agricultural Policy
by
1M ago
It's been no surprise to see French farmers blocking motorways.   Such demonstrations are part of the political culture of France and farmers are particularly likely to resort to them. However, all over Europe farmers are in revolt.   In the Netherlands they have given support to an insurgent party while Polish farmers are threatening to block the border with Ukraine to halt grain shipments. All this is happening when farmers receive quite generous subsidies with the CAP still accounting for around a third of the EU budget.    Admittedly, input prices went up shar ..read more
Visit website
Withdrawal of tax break angers German farmers
Common Agricultural Policy
by
3M ago
As Germany faces a budget crisis, German farmers are furious at the withdrawal of the tax exemption for agricultural diesel.   Farmers blockaded large parts of central Berlin with a convoy of tractors yesterday. The measure is expected to save the state about €900m a year and was apparently agreed over the head of farm minister Cem Ozdemir who has publicly criticised it.  It is estimated that the average farm will have to pay an additional €6,000 a year in tax as a result. 'Red' diesel was retained in the UK after Brexit ..read more
Visit website
Progress on greening CAP 'stalling#
Common Agricultural Policy
by
5M ago
Progress on the greening of the CAP is stalling according to the OECD: https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/tie-farming-subsidies-to-performance-oecd-tells-eu/ The OECD calls for a more results oriented CAP ..read more
Visit website
UK agricultural policy after Brexit
Common Agricultural Policy
by
6M ago
My article with Alan Greer on the impact of Brexit on agricultural policy in the four nations of the UK is available to view free online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13501763.2023.2204118 ..read more
Visit website
The CAP after 2027
Common Agricultural Policy
by
6M ago
The debate about the CAP post 2027 is starting and Alan Matthews looks in depth at an IEEP paper on the green transition: http://capreform.eu/how-to-advance-the-green-transition-in-the-next-cap-post-2027 ..read more
Visit website
Pessimism about pesticides regulation not justified
Common Agricultural Policy
by
6M ago
With the European Parliament scheduled to vote on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Regulation in November, this open access article by JRC scientists sets out why fears of negative impacts on production are overblown: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-023-00834-6 Recent studies have estimated the potential yield impacts of pesticide reductions in the European Union. While these estimates guide policy design, they are often based on worst-case assumptions and rarely account for positive ecological feedbacks that would contribute to sustainable crop yields in the long term. 'Protectin ..read more
Visit website
EU in retreat over animal welfare?
Common Agricultural Policy
by
7M ago
The EU is considering scrapping plans to impose regulations designed to improve animal welfare in the farming industry over concerns about the impact it could have on food inflation, according to senior officials. The European Commission had promised to act after public pressure to stop practices such as the use of cages for livestock, the killing of day-old chicks, and the sale and production of fur. But concerns that the proposed changes could add to food costs, which rose sharply after Russia invaded Ukraine last year, have led Brussels to reconsider the plans. Three EU officials with knowl ..read more
Visit website

Follow Common Agricultural Policy on FeedSpot

Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
OR