100 posts
Briefing on CAP developments
NEW
Here is a video briefing by agricultural journalists on latest developments in the CAP as the Irish presidency starts: Briefing Not sure if all the foot traffic in the background is meant to provide authenticity, but it could be distracting.
Farmers could not survive without subsdies
NEW
Almost three quarters of farmers say they could not survive without subsidies, according to a Farmers Weekly poll: Subsidies How does one wean farmers off their subsidy dependence so that they become more like any other business that relies on retur...
SEA BASIN APPROACH: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
NEW
Number of View: 145Sea basin strategies: joining forces on environment, tourism, transport, energy and research and innovation One of the key-messages I delivered, speaking at the Royal Palace Foundation Symposium “The North Sea: past, present...
Swaziland fishery laws outdated
NEW
Experts have observed that Swaziland’s fishery laws are very outdated. The ACP Fish II Southern Africa Regional Manager, Leone Tarabusi, said fisheries in Swaziland were governed by the Protection of Fresh Water Fish Act of 1937 and regulations pro...
Amid Food Crisis, Caribbean Agriculture Going to Seed
NEW
With the average age of a farmer in the Caribbean now 62 years old, there is growing concern that commercial agriculture is on a path to extinction – a dire scenario for a region already shouldering a massive food import bill.
FAO, Haiti Government seek $74 million for Haiti's farm sector
NEW
FAO and the Government of Haiti are seeking $74 million (EUR 58 million) over the next year to help rehabilitate the country's agricultural sector in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The "Superstorm" caused colossal damage to Haiti's crops, land, livesto...
Nicosia gets the thumbs down from all sides
NEW
It isn't easy being a small state and holding the presidency of the EU, especially when you have to make proposals about the future of the CAP. Cyprus has ended up being attacked from all sides for its suggestions for a way forward on the CAP budget...
Cengiz Aktar: GDO Notları…
NEW
GDO notları GDO yani Genetiği Değiştirilmiş Organizma hayatımıza gireli epeyi olsa da kamuoyu GDO karşıtı kampanyalarla konuya yeni aşina oluyor. GDO gıdayı çağrıştırdığından varsıl ya da yoksul, kamuoyları genelde GDO karşıt...
Picture of the day:Smoke and politics #1
NEW
The tabacco industri employs 80 people and uses €5 million a year trying to make an influence on decision-makers in Brussels, according to the NGO Cooperate Europe Observatory. The numbers are published short after the … Continue reading U...
It's not all Balls
NEW
The ploy by Ed Balls and Douglas Alexander to call for Dave Cameron to secure real cuts in the EU budget is a way of setting an elephant trap for the prime minister. They know if they were in office they would have great difficulty in securing such...
In Sweden, smokers have another option – Snus | Paul Haydon
NEW
Switching from cigarettes to oral tobacco has helped Sweden achieve the lowest rate of tobacco-related diseases in EuropeI tried to quit smoking this month. I lasted a decidedly unimpressive five days. I have tried all the remedies – patches, gums...
Open Letter to All Anti-Snus Lobbyists
NEW
Last week I and my colleagues in the European Parliament got an email from the lobbyist group Smoke Free Partnership. The lobbyists defended ex-commissioner Dalli who resigned over allegations of soliciting bribes for lifting the ban on snus in the E...
October Agricultural Council continues CAP debate - by Alan Matthews
NEW
Agricultural Ministers continued to grind through their discussions on CAP2020 issues under the Cypriot Presidency at the Agricultural Council meeting on 22 and 23 October earlier this week.
Cyprus Presidency reaches its basic target on fisheries
NEW
EU Fisheries Ministers took another firm step towards the Common Fisheries policy (CFP) reform today, as they reached a partial general approach for the Legislative proposal for the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) 2014-2020. Taking into a...
France asks for more time for the convergence of agricultural subsidies
NEW
The European Commission seeks to end aid per hectare based on the level of production from the 1990s. The European Commissioner for Agriculture, Dacian Cioloș, has also called for the convergence of regional and national subsidies until 2020, in ord...
Principles for responsible investment in agriculture to be developed
NEW
A two-year consultation process to develop principles for responsible investment in agriculture that respect rights, livelihoods and resources was approved by the 39th Session of the Committee on World Security (CFS), which ended on 20 October 2012 a...
Agreement on the CAP Reform possible before end of the year
NEW
With the focus on reaching a partial general approach on the CAP Reform before the end of the year, the Agriculture and Fisheries Council continued the discussions on the reform proposals. On the first day of the AGRI-FISH Council in Luxembourg (22 O...
Oil seed rape loses its glow
NEW
Fewer oil seed rape fields may be seen in Britain following adjustments to EU policy. It's quite a complex story, but there are two big lessons to be learnt from it. First, individual planting decisions on farms are directly affected by the EU poli...
Quota year 2011/12: Six Member States have exceeded their milk quota
NEW
Six Member States - Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Cyprus and Luxembourg - exceeded their milk quotas in 2011/2012, triggering "superlevy" penalties of about € 79 million, according to Commission figures published on 18 October 2012. D...
Are UKIP wrong about the CAP?
NEW
Stuart Agnew MEP, the UKIP agricultural spokesman, has said the EU 'has become far too big to have a CAP.' There are certainly those who think that the EU is too geographically diverse to have a 'one size fits all' policy, although in practice it is...
Wine experts: worst grape harvest in half century
NEW
By RAF CASERT BRUSSELS — Drought, frost and hail have combined to ravage Europe’s wine grape harvest, which in key regions this year will be the smallest in half a century, vintners say. Thierry Coste, an expert with the European Union farmers’...
EU Farm Policy Reform – the Current State of Play
NEW
More than a year after the Commission unveiled its proposals for new legislation, and following passionate debates, public hearings and expert workshops, Parliament's agriculture committee is preparing to vote on four core regulations that should pav...
Thinking about the unthinkable
NEW
Fifty years ago saw the start of the Cuban missile crisis. It was a frightening time if you were fifteen years old, as I was, and whatever else one says about Jack Kennedy, one has to admire the way he managed the crisis and resisted the calls of th...
Dancing towards convergence
NEW
EU Farm Commissioner Dacion Ciolos is said to be resigned to the fact that the current proposal for internal convergence of direct aid payments will need to be watered down in order for a compromise to be reached, reports Agra Europe.'It is no longer...
France and Germany do their deal
NEW
Long-term observers of the CAP know that any agreement between France and Germany can often shape the direction of the reform process. Even with many more member states, this still remains true. Earlier this week the two countries issued a joint st...
While public attention is focused on the eurozone crisis, EU Member States and the European Parliament are locked in a struggle over reforming the Common Agricultural Policy.
NEW
Several attempts have been made to reform the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in recent years. Christilla Roederer-Rynning writes that while previous CAP negotiations have proven controversial, the latest attempt has largely been overshadowed...
Aquaculture: a big role in terms of food security
NEW
A major international initiative has been launched to better understand the role of aquaculture in food security in poor countries. Bringing together a global alliance of development agencies, governments and universities, the initiative will help lo...
ERIKA: LEARNING THE LESSON
NEW
Number of View: 112Almost 13 years ago, the Erika oil tanker sank off the coast of Brittany, causing a major environmental disaster. Last week, the French Cour de Cassation confirmed the civil liability of the certification company, the ship’s owne...
Old divisions rear their head
NEW
Those who like to emphasise the way in which 'discourse' or ideas can shape policy have been able to trace significant changes in the debate about the Common Agricultural Policy, but this has not been reflected in real reform. Indeed, older discours...
How close is the EU to agreement on spending one trillion euro? - by Alan Matthews
NEW
Absence of figures in the MFF negotiating box as the endgame approaches suggests governments not yet ready for the necessary compromises.
EU-Côte d'Ivoire negotiations for a new FPA protocol ongoing
NEW
During the course of the 3186th Council meeting, ministers adopted a decision authorising the Commission to open negotiations on behalf of the EU for a new protocol to the fisheries partnership agreement with the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire.
MS think EU-Mauritania fisheries protocol is not viable
NEW
Following the request of the Spanish delegation, ministers were briefed by the Commission on the fisheries protocol between the EU and Mauritania that, as we informed our readers, was initialed in July this year.
GROWTH OUT OF THE BLUE
NEW
Number of View: 80Are you surprised by the growth potential of European maritime economy identified by the Blue Growth study? The marine and maritime economic sectors already employ well over 5 million people and account for a gross value added of
EMFF to help attain CFP objectives
NEW
During the course of the last Council meeting on Agriculture and Fisheries, ministers had an orientation debate on a proposal for a new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). This proposal is related both to the Multiannual Financial Framework...
Ministers adopt a regulation to better protect fish stocks
NEW
During the course of the last Council meeting on agriculture and Fisheries, ministers have adopted a regulation on certain measures in relation to countries allowing non-sustainable fishing for the purpose of conservation of fish stocks following a f...
OECD reports EU farm transfers at lowest level ever - by Alan Matthews
NEW
OECD figures show a continued slight fall in EU transfers to farmers as measured by the Producer Support Estimate indicator.
Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)
NEW
According to the Directive 2001/18/EC genetically modified organism (GMO) “means an organism, with the exception of human beings, in which the genetic material has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural re...
The structure of the wine market and the issue of quality
NEW
I have been reading an interesting paper about 'Quality Classifications in Competition: Price Formation in the German Wine Market' by Jorg Rossel and Jens Beckert from the Max Planck Institute in Cologne.One conclusion that can be drawn from the pape...
Towards a more sustainable fishing policy
NEW
The European Parliament has recently adopted a report on the sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources. According a recent press release by ALDE, Nils Torvalds took over the report from his predecessor, current Minister of Defence in Finland -...
EU court case says EU bloc already approved GMOs
NEW
Last week, in a ruling from the European Court of Justice, it was determined that genetically modified crops cannot be subject to individual nation’s authorization because the European bloc already approved their use and marketing.
Study calls for fishing ban across Europe to rebuild stocks
NEW
Sustainable fish stocks and vast profits could be achieved by calling a temporary suspension to the catching of some of Europe's overfished species, a London-based think-tank claims...
Resolving Iceland’s mackerel war may be crucial to the country joining the EU
NEW
In the third of three articles for EUROPP on Iceland’s EU accession process, Benjamin Leruth looks at the importance of the country’s fisheries, and the ongoing dispute or ‘mackerel war’ between the country and the EU over fishing rights. Unt...
COMMISSION, PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL TOGETHER AGAINST UNSUSTAINABLE FISHING
NEW
Number of View: 37The European Parliament endorsed yesterday with an overwhelming majority of 659 to 11votes the proposal that the European Commission tabled in December last year, authorising the Commission to impose a range of measures against thir...
EP empowers EC to ban EU imports from overfished stocks
NEW
The European Parliament passed new rules empowering the European Commission to ban EU imports of fish from overfished stocks. According to MEPs, bans should discourage massive overfishing of mackerel by Iceland and the Faroe Islands. In other votes,...
New regulation on food quality labels
NEW
Following the endorsement of a regulation by the EP, the time it takes to obtain an EU quality label for farm produce from a given geographical area, or produced in a traditional way, could be reduce by half. Speaking of how this will help both farme...
The EC claims back €215 million of EU agricultural policy funds
NEW
According to recent updates, the European Commission is claiming back around €215 million of EU agricultural policy funds which have been unduly spent by EU member states under the clearance of accounts procedure.
Vers une révision des systèmes de qualité des produits agricoles
NEW
Le recours à des dénominations de qualité permet aux agriculteurs de valoriser l’excellence ou l’authenticité de leurs productions. La politi-que européenne qui promeut la qualité des produits agricoles et alimentaires de par leurs...
Reforming the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP)
NEW
Fish do not recognise frontiers, so sustainable exploitation of the resources of the sea requires joint management. The EU is also a major market for fisheries and aquaculture products. A set of proposals to reform the essentials of the EU Common Fis...
Cypriot presidency contemplates CAP budget cuts
NEW
The informal meeting of farm ministers in Nicosia from 9 to 11 September which marks the effective start of the Cypriot presidency after the August holiday break is going to focus on water scarcity, land abandonment and soil erosion. These are impor...
REFLECTING ON THE MINISTERIAL MEETING ON MACKEREL MANAGEMENT
NEW
Number of View: 68In an effort to come out of the deadlock, I have hosted on the 3rd of September a ministerial meeting between Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, being the four coastal parties which should commonly manage the mackerel stock in t...
Double change at Defra worries farmers
NEW
The double change at Defra of secretary of state and farm minister has worried farmers and their friends, although new secretary of state Owen Patterson is said to be on message on badger culls: Defra Caroline Spelman was never fully convincing as a...
Sustainable Agriculture
NEW
Sustainable agriculture has been defined as an integrated system of plant and animal production that will last over the long time, satisfy human food needs, enhance natural resources, use efficiently of non-renewable resources, sustain economic viabi...
Deductions of fishing quotas to address damage
NEW
The European Commission recently announced deductions from 2012 fishing quotas of those Member States that had exceeded their quotas in 2011. Through deductions the Commission can immediately address the damage done to the stocks overfished in the...
Further thoughts on CAP greening - by Alan Matthews
NEW
New paper provides useful summary of the CAP greening debate to date.
