Tumbling farm incomes make good headlines, but the reality is that we don’t seem to be able to measure farmers’ income in a satisfactory way in the EU.
EU agri-environmental policy dates back to the mid-1980s and became a mandatory part of the EU agricultural policy toolkit in 1992. Initial implementation in many Member States emphasised policies designed to mitigate the environmental harm associated with agricultural intensification (e.g. by paying farmers to lower fertiliser inputs) but over time and under Commission prodding the ...
Today and tomorrow, DG Agriculture is organising a tightly controlled, invitation-only ‘public conference’ on the future of the CAP.
In an earlier post, I wondered whether there were data on the relative carbon efficiency of agricultural production in Europe versus third countries. A recent FAO study arising from a collaborative effort by FAO and the International Dairy Federation which assesses GHG emissions from the dairy food chain throws light on this. The study uses ...
A stinging attack on the European Parliament’s agriculture committee from one of Europe’s leading environmental NGOs
The historical roots of agricultural protectionism in Europe are deep – going back to the 19th century. Agriculture is not special in itself but a classical example of special interests defending their rents to the detriment of collective welfare.
Two pillars are not enough for a sustainable future for the CAP, say leading agricultural economists.
The CAP is still hurting developing countries, say the UN and the OECD. But will European development NGOs engage in the battle over the future of the CAP?
The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development is preparing a report on the post-2013 CAP. A recently published draft is alarming.
The second in a series of in-depth conversations with leading figures in the debate on the future of the CAP.
A study commissioned by the European Parliament endorses the ‘public money for public goods’ mantra.
The closer that CAP reform negotiations come to the finish line, the more will member states look at their financial bottom line. ‘How much do we pay, how much do we get?’ That question will concern finance ministers and heads of states at least as much as the objectives and instruments the CAP funds are spent on.
The German government has recently announced its position on the post-2013 CAP – which is at loggerheads with the call for reforms published by its scientific advisory bodies.
The mid-term evaluation of the 2007-13 rural development programs is underway. Its results will provide crucial input for the post-2013 CAP. But the inherent limitations of evaluation should equally inform policy design.
This week’s digest of CAP-related news and views
How effective is the evaluation of rural development policy? A practitioner’s opinion and a seminar.
This week’s digest of CAP-related news and views
The level of the CAP budget should be decided by a comprehensive justification of all expenditure not a gut feeling.
The EP own-initiative report on the post-2013 CAP is taking shape as a new draft has become available (dated 24.3.2010). Though it is better packaged, and sexed-up with a ‘green growth’ tag, the content is just as dull and conservative as the earlier draft. The report captures the intellectual deficiency of the CAP-insider bubble.
The draft ...
Eurobarometer survey gives the Commission the answers it wants.
The French President has grabbed the headlines but missed the point
For the entente cordiale, the British budget rebate and the CAP are a toxic combination.
Former OECD ag supremo demolishes the arguments.
The Presidency’s proposal on private storage for olive oil gets the Accidental Farmer thinking about the CAP’s market control mechanisms.
The German Council for Sustainable Development has issued a new call for reform of the CAP direct payments system, citing the damage done to the environment by intensive agriculture.
25 questions MEPs that should put to the man who – subject to their approval – will set the agenda for European food and farming policy over the next five years.
The budget monitoring website FollowTheMoney.eu is serialising a three part survey of the long history of fraud in the Common Agricultural Policy.