Sustainable food systems
Fix biosolutions legislative landscape or lose talent and scale-ups, says strategist
Est. 6minInvestors champion biotechnology with AI as the engine of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but despite Europe’s strong ambitions biotech analysts say legislation designed for chemicals is not fit for the biological. The result is an exodus of talent and investment.
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.
The French Council of State again suspends national ban on meat names for plant products
Est. 4minFor the second time in two years, the Council of State has suspended a government decree banning the naming of meat for plant products, pending the decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ)
Europe’s Agri-food Sector: A Call for Innovation and Sustainability
Est. 4minThe agriculture sector is the backbone that helps feed the 450 million people in the EU with healthy, affordable food. Yet, despite its apparent strength, our food markets face
unprecedented challenges.
EFSA chief shares inconvenient truths about sustainable food, Green Deal
Est. 6minTopics such as the changing of food habits and who bears the cost for the transition are politically sensitive and are not addressed in the debate on sustainable food systems, said EFSA director Bernhard Url, who is expected to leave in May after 10 years at the helm of the Authority.
Forked tongues. Will sustained dialogue seed Europe’s farms?
Est. 6minFarmers blocking roads and torching political hubris. February got off to a blazing start. Belgium, France, and Germany came to a standstill, as President von der Leyen lauded their essential economic role. A high-stakes game of chicken has ensued.
Farmers ‘gain a seat’ at the EU leaders’ table
Est. 3minAfter weeks of mobilisation across Europe, farmers' protests seem to have gained a political foothold in the conclusions of the European Council summit on Thursday (1 February) which acknowledged the “concerns raised” by the sector and the “essential role” of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Rural sociologist: Farmer protests a reaction to ‘the crisis of globalised agriculture’
Est. 4minThe tractors blocking the streets of Europe are a reflection of the hardship of growers coping with the contradictions of the current system of food production and consumption, rural political sociologist Natalia Mamonova told Euractiv in an interview.
Geopolitics expert: EU needs less politics, more strategy for agriculture
Est. 4minOngoing farmers' protests can be partly attributed to the lack of consideration EU society and policymakers give to agriculture in general and geopolitical terms, Sebastien Abis, director of the agricultural group Club Demeter and research fellow at thinktank IRIS in France, told Euractiv.
Agriculture ‘core area’ for EU’s 2040 climate targets – Commission report
Est. 3minBy 2040, the EU's agricultural sector should be able to cut non-CO2 emissions by at least 30% compared to 2015 levels, with livestock and fertiliser use key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a draft communication on the 2040 EU climate target states.
Von der Leyen will start strategic dialogue with food sector on 25 January
Est. 3minThirty European food chain organisations covering the entire chain have received an official invitation for a strategic dialogue with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on 25 January, industry sources told Euractiv.
MEPs reject Commission proposal to allow higher pesticide level in imported foods
Est. 3minThe European Parliament objected to raising the limit of the maximum quantity of residues of the insecticide thiacloprid, banned in the EU from 2020, on more than 30 products coming from third countries.
EU stalls on strategy to curb nutrient losses
Est. 4minThe European Commission wants to make the bloc "circular" on nutrients and curb nitrogen losses in agriculture, but a long-awaited strategy on the matter appears to hang in the balance as EU elections approach.
Dependency on fossil fuels affects food production too, study warns
Est. 4minWith food systems reported to account for 15% of global fossil fuel use, a new study raised the alarm on food production reliance on petrochemicals ahead of the UN COP28 climate conference at the end of November.
MEPs push for a new target on sales of low-risk, biological pesticides
Est. 5minEuropean Parliament's political groups envisage a more active role for the EU executive in favouring the uptake of low-risk alternatives to chemical pesticides, according to a preparatory document seen by Euractiv.
Leaked Commission agenda sounds death knell for missing Farm to Fork files
Est. 4minA leaked version of the European Commission’s work programme for 2024 lists none of the remaining EU sustainable food files, seemingly confirming stakeholders’ worst fears that these proposals will not see the light of day before next June's EU elections.
Commission still evasive on timeline of EU’s food agenda missing pieces
Est. 6minThe parliamentary hearing to award the Green Deal portfolio to European Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič did not offer much clarity on the timeline of the remaining pieces of legislation of the Farm to Fork, the EU's flagship sustainable food policy.
NGOs urge EU not to abandon flagship sustainable food systems law
Est. 3minCivil society groups and academics have urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to push ahead with the proposal for an EU legislative framework for sustainable food systems amid concerns its fate hangs in the balance.
Meet the Agcelerators: People Transforming Agriculture
Est. 4minI very much enjoy visiting people working on farms, getting to know them, getting to understand their challenges. Human interaction is so important for a company like Syngenta as we provide solutions to help farmers increase crop yields and protect …
EU’s upcoming food systems law is taking a ‘dangerous’ turn, NGOs warn
Est. 4minCampaign groups have warned that the EU’s sustainable food law risks going off course as conversations turn to food security and the strengthening of the internal market - something the Commission has defended, insisting this is a key pillar of the law.
Are you hungry for change?
Est. 4minWhen I was born, there were around 3.7 billion people on this planet. There are now over 8 billion. The solutions for how to feed them that I was taught in school are insufficient today. Alexandra Brand is the Regional Director …
EU food systems law proposal hits first stumbling block
Est. 4minThe impact assessment on the proposal future framework for sustainable food systems (FSFS) has failed to win approval from the Commission's quality control board, according to sources, although this is not expected to delay the presentation of the proposal.
MEPs push to dedicate 2024 as European Year of Food Sustainability
Est. 4minA group of MEPs advises the EU executive to proclaim 2024 as a European year of 'sustainable and resilient food systems' in a letter seen by EURACTIV.
China lifts ban on Irish beef imports, reopening multimillion-euro market
Est. 4minChina has lifted its 2020 ban on the import of Irish beef, putting the longstanding issue to rest and reopening a multimillion-euro market for Irish farmers.