MEPs will this week vote on the recommendations of the Special Inquiry Committee for Animal Transport (ANIT), which was launched on the initiative of the Greens/EFA group. The recommendations will be the basis for the Commission’s new legislation on transporting animals in the EU, with proposals expected by 2023. The Greens/EFA group say they have…
Agriculture
Business Lobbies to Deregulate New GMOs
While Europe’s environment ministers are set to discuss for the first time the deregulation of a new generation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), Friends of the Earth Europe presents a new investigation on what it says truly lies beneath big agribusiness corporations’ push for EU deregulation of new GMOs The briefing debunks the notion that…
Stop Destructive Fishing Practices
A giant colourful pop-up book depicting the devastation caused by destructive bottom trawling – and how the marine environment thrives in its absence – was delivered to European Union Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius by NGOs on Monday on behalf of 150,000 who signed a petition calling for the EU to phase out destructive fishing practices, starting with…
Protecting Animal Welfare
After 18 months of fact-finding, Parliament’s committee of inquiry into the protection of animals during transport adopted its conclusions and recommendations. Parliament‘s inquiry into the protection of animals during transport (the ANIT committee), set up in June 2020 to investigate alleged violations of EU rules, wrapped up its work on Thursday. It concluded that EU…
Soil Health Law to be Introduced in EU in 2023
The European Commission has announced a first of its kind strategy for the protection of European soils. The degradation of topsoils poses enormous threats to biodiversity, agriculture, human health and the climate. The European Commission has announced it will propose a Soil Health Law in 2023 to significantly improve the state of soils by 2050…
For Healthier More Sustainable Food In Europe
The European Commission must strongly resist any attempt by the US to use the newly created transatlantic collaboration platform on agriculture to undermine the implementation of a healthier and more sustainable European food system, Compassion in World Farming EU warned today. “Partnering with the US on agriculture to tackle sustainability and climate change is a…
COP26 Announcements on Forests and Climate
The European pulp and paper industry welcomes the two recent announcements on forests and climate made by global leaders, who are currently gathered at the COP26 in Glasgow. It already supports these commitments with concrete action, working hand in hand with the EU Commission’s services, and building on its track record for reforestation, sustainable forest…
Making Food Production in Europe Healthier
The Farm to Fork strategy is possibly the last call we have to make the whole food production system in Europe healthier – with less pesticides, antibiotics, and fertilizers; more sustainable; protecting biodiversity; more just; with decent remuneration for our farmers and decent working conditions in the food chain; and last but not least up…
The Impact of Agriculture on EU Water Policy
EU policies are unable to ensure farmers use water sustainably, according to a special report published today by the European Court of Auditors (ECA). The impact of agriculture on water resources is major and undeniable. But farmers benefit from too many exemptions from EU water policy that hinder efforts to ensure sound water use. In…
Fossil Fuel Subsidies for EU Fishing?
The EU fishing fleet receives a tax break of between €759 million and €1.5 billion from fuel tax subsidies each year, as well as producing nearly 7.3 million tons of CO2 just from burning fuel, according to a report by Our Fish. The report which estimates the fossil fuel tax subsidies received for the entire EU…