Agrifood Brief

EURACTIV brings you up to speed with all the developments on the long awaited CAP reform and exactly what was decided last week. To put this CAP reform in perspective, we spoke with Angelo Di Mambro, a journalist with the Italian media ANSA and long-time CAP follower, about how this CAP reform compares to previous policies. We also delve in to all of the most contentious elements of this reform with the help of ENVI Chair Pascal Canfin giving his take on the alignment of the Green Deal, Birdlife's Harriet Bradley, who explains the issues with the GAECs, Enrico Somaglia from the European trade union of food and agriculture about the conclusion reached on social conditionality, Irish MEP Colm Markey on internal convergence, and young farmer's assoication CEJA's recently elected new President Diana Lenzi on what this CAP reform holds for young farmers

This week, EURACTIV spoke with Jindrich Dolezal of the European Court of Auditors about their recent report which lambasted EU agricultural funding for combatting climate action - totalling €100 billion - saying it has so far been ineffective, especially when it comes to livestock farming and peatlands. 

This week, EURACTIV discusses the controversy around the fact that EU farmers association COPA-COGECA was invited to this week's informal AGRIFISH Council, we explore the EU-US trade truce and what this means for the agrifood sector, and we speak with journalist and campaigner Georgina Downs about a recent referendum in Switzerland on a ban of the use of synthetic pesticides and the UK's upcoming environment bill, which may also restrict their use. 

This week, we spoke with EURACTIV's very own Ben Fox about the so-called "sausage war" between the EU and the UK which has hit headlines this week, and with Green MEP Francisco Guerreiro to hear his reaction to the news that the European Parliament voted for a resolution to ban cages for farmed animals in the EU, marking a first step towards a ban by 2027.

This week, EURACTIV reflects on the final CAP down week, exploring why talks collapsed and negotiatiors did not manage to seal a deal, and we speak with Nathalie Sauze-Vandevyver, director in DG Agri in charge of quality, research & innovation, on promotional policy. 

This week, EURACTIV speaks to the EU's Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski ahead of next week's pivotal CAP reform negotiations about the thorny issues remaining in the reform, how he sees his role and his relationship with the EU farming community, and his vision for the future of farming beyond this reform. We also speak with Ulrike Müller, CAP rapporteur for horizontal regulations, about her expectations for next week's discussions.

This week, EURACTIV spoke with Riccardo Valentini, Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of Tuscia, about carbon neutrality and carbon markets for farming, and we hear from Green MEP Thomas Waitz about the news that the Spanish government has rejected a request from the European Parliament to speak about the two livestock ships that departed from Spanish ports in mid-December and ended up stuck in limbo at sea for months. 

This week, the EURACTIV agrifood podcast is buzzing about insects, starting with an interview with Maria Saponari, from Italy's Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, about the latest research on the olive tree disease Xylella, including an exclusive clip of the mating call of the disease-carrying spittlebug. We also speak with Christophe Derrien, secretary general of the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed, to hear if the idea of edible insects has wings, and we discuss the news that a common food additive, Titanium Dioxide, has been ruled unsafe by the EU's food safety authority. 

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team delves into the publication of the Commission's controversial new study on gene-editing, hearing reactions from a range of stakeholders, including Green MEP Tilly Metz, centre-right MEP Herbert Dorfmann, Garlich von Essen, secretary general of EU seed sector organisation Euroseeds, and Eric Gall, deputy director of the EU organic association, IFOAM.

This week, EURACTIV explores the definition of an active farmer with the help of Morgan Ody, a farmer and member of EU farmers association European Coordination Via Campesina, EURACTIV's agrifood news team talks about a 'ruckus' between farmers and the EU agricultural Commissioner after a series of tweets this week, and we speak to David Wilkinson of PepsiCo about the company's new initiative to support regenerative agriculture.