Innovation in agriculture
‘Plan Bee’ innovation driving new generation of crop and seed protection
Est. 7minThe mighty bee is increasingly deployed as a key player in maintaining biodiversity through pollination. Bee vectoring technology is just one innovation boosting crop and seed protection, but many alternative pest control methods are getting stuck in research labs.
Improve pig welfare standards, demand animal rights advocates
Est. 5minPig producers across the EU should deliver higher welfare standards than the EU Pig Directive currently requires, say activists who are now calling for better practices and additional measures to ensure pig welfare.
Agriculture’s quiet digital innovation revolution, CtrlPlantRepeat
Est. 6minIn Europe’s fields, a revolution is quietly unfolding, it’s not a rebellion of pitchforks and torches, but of drones and data. Innovation, the invisible hand guiding this transformation, is sowing the seeds of a new agricultural epoch.
Smallholder farmers struggling with new forestry requirements
Est. 8minFarmers with small plots of land are struggling with new requirements as part of the EU Deforestation Regulation, lacking resources and technical know-how, and leaving them open to exploitation by larger suppliers.
France announces low carbon fertilisers plant to reduce dependence on Russian imports
Est. 3minFrench president Emmanuel Macron announced the project aiming at producing decarbonised nitrogenous fertilisers at the "Choose France" summit, an annual meeting of international business leaders at the Château de Versailles, on Monday 13 May.
Ending the ‘Cage Age’ in Europe, feathers to fly in court battle
Est. 6minEurope’s citizens called for an end to the ‘cage age’ with the phasing-out of cages and crates for farm animals. The European Commission agreed but now says more consultation with farmers is needed. The ECJ will calm the coop.
Grinding to a halt, Europe’s fertiliser sector facing ruin by Russia
Est. 6minEurope’s Herculean efforts to reduce energy reliance on Russia have not been matched when it comes to fertiliser. The European Council’s hesitation to add fertilisers to Russian sanctions is putting Europe’s fertiliser industry at risk of catastrophe.
Dialogue not enough to solve farmers and food issues, says Dutch food scientist
Est. 5minThe farmers' protests are the tip of a more general social malaise, Louise Fresco, a Dutch scientist and writer dealing with globally sustainable food, told Euractiv, warning against the ongoing "proliferation of rules" and a uniform approach to different growers across Europe.
Austria, France and Italy lead charge against lab-grown meat
Est. 3minVienna, Paris and Rome, along with nine other EU countries, are set to argue that meat grown in a laboratory is a threat to "genuine food production methods", a claim a diplomatic source told Euractiv is "exaggerated and premature".
No to pesticide cuts? No gene editing proposal, Commission official warns
Est. 5minThe EU executive could look to reconsider presenting its forthcoming gene editing proposal in the event of a European Parliament's rejection of the EU’s plans to slash the risk and use of pesticides, a Commission official told EURACTIV.
Organic farming and gene editing: Is coexistence possible?
Est. 5minThe coexistence of gene editing with organic production systems remains a point of contention within the European Commission. While proponents of the technology maintain the two can go hand in hand, the EU's organics sector warns coexistence requires robust traceability and liability mechanisms.
Austria wants food labelling transparency amid likely gene editing deregulation
Est. 2minThe European Commission must implement a safety assessment of genetically modified products and maintain mandatory labelling, Austrian Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler and Consumer Protection Minister Johannes Rauch said in a letter to EU Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides …
Austria to use space tech for farming subsidies allocation
Est. 5minAustria has decided to mobilise satellite technology to check in detail whether farms are meeting the conditions for receiving billions in EU agriculture subsidies, a task which is often very complex and costly for national authorities.
EU court exempts gene modification technique from stricter rules
Est. 4minThe EU’s highest court has concluded that organisms obtained by in-vitro mutagenesis, a genetic modification technique, are excluded from the EU’s rules governing genetically modified organisms (GMOs), a move welcomed by industry players but lambasted by green groups.
Commission stands by gene editing survey slammed by NGOs
Est. 4minA coalition of NGOs has joined forces to lambast the European Commission’s consultation process on its upcoming policy initiative on gene editing technologies - but the EU executive insists that a broad range of voices have already been heard on the contentious issue.
EU agri ministers renew push on genetic techniques to bolster sector
Est. 4minEU agriculture ministers are pushing the European Commission to relax rules on new genomic techniques (NGTs), arguing this is needed to bolster the sector in the face of increasing droughts, climate change and yield losses.
UAE announces $2 billion investment in hi-tech Indian ‘food parks’ to ease shortages
Est. 3minThe United Arab Emirates has pledged $2 billion to help develop a series of "food parks" in India to tackle food insecurity in South Asia and the Middle East, the UAE, India, the US and Israel said on 14 July.
Von der Leyen urges EU to step up food production, Africa to boost precision farming
Est. 3minEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for the EU and Africa to step up efforts on food production, including via innovative farming techniques such as precision farming, in light of the war in Ukraine.
Cultivated meat companies gear up for first EU approval applications
Est. 5minAmid burgeoning interest in plant-based diets, European cultivated meat companies are preparing to take their first steps towards gaining EU approval. But some warn the technology could do more harm than good.
MEPs demand EU funding for research into gene editing surveillance
Est. 5minA cross-party coalition of MEPs have co-signed a letter to the European Commission demanding EU-funded research into the potential risks and analytical detection of genetically engineered organisms, warning of dire consequences for the sector if no action is taken.
EU green lights new rules to speed up approval, authorisation of biopesticides
Est. 4minMember states have approved new rules to accelerate the approval and authorisation of biological plant protection products containing microorganisms to reduce reliance on chemical pesticides.
UK positions itself as frontrunner in gene editing research
Est. 4minIn the hopes of becoming a frontrunner in biotechnology following Brexit, the UK has announced new legislation cutting what it deems as “unnecessary” red tape to encourage gene-editing research.
Timmermans: Gene editing ‘clear part’ of sustainability action in agrifood
Est. 5minEuropean Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans added his voice to the growing list of those in the EU executive advocating for gene editing, a move condemned by campaigners who accuse the Commission of already making their mind up on the technology.
Research centres act as ‘matchmakers’ to modernise Spanish agriculture
Est. 4minFrom matching farms with tech start-ups to pairing vegetable producers with school canteens and families, new EU research programmes are playing matchmaker to spur innovation and reinforce agriculture modernisation in Spain. EFE Agro reports.