With the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) breathing down the necks of Britain’s ruling Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government, it is timely to more closely examine their policies on European agriculture. In the County Council elections held across most of England earlier this month, UKIP won 147 seats and took 25% of the vote on an average 30% turnout, under a first-past-the-post system. Particularly notable was their success in farming counties such as Kent, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, where many of the lower-paid agricultural workers have … More →

The European Commission is to proceed with a partial ban on the use of three neonicotinoid pesticides linked with bee deaths from December 1. An EU Council vote on Monday, April 29 found a majority of member states are in favour of the ban but a ‘qualified’ majority – whereby countries’ voting weight is based on population size – was not reached, falling short of the 255 votes required. The first vote in March also failed to gain a qualified majority leading to the second … More →

Serbia is eyeing EU entry as a way of boosting its fruitful farm sector, now a positive breakthrough has at last been seen in protracted negotiations. European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso has said he would recommend that EU leaders give Serbia a date in June for starting EU entry talks, and also decide on a date for Kosovo to participate in talks on a pre-accession pact, formally known as a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA). The culmination of talks in Brussels on April 19 … More →

The potential for shale gas to reduce the cost of agricultural inputs such as fertilisers and thereby increase food security is attracting a flurry of interest beyond the traditional energy markets. In recent years, hydraulic fracturing has become a significant means of recovering oil and gas that is too tightly bound into rock formations to be recovered by normal drilling. Fracking, as it is commonly called, utilises a mixture of water, sand and chemicals pumped underground at high pressure to crack open sedimentary rocks and … More →

While UK organic food and drink sales through mainstream supermarkets have been suffering a slump over recent years, in contrast, online, box scheme, specialist, sports and other niche suppliers are apparently enjoying a boom. It seems a newly-defined and image-conscious age group has come to the rescue. According to the Soil Association, which certifies most UK organic products, a ‘Jamie Oliver’ generation of ethically aware and experimental shoppers aged under-35 is driving growth through these outlets, now accounting for 16% of all sales. Sadly, I am now … More →

The European Parliament, Commission and the Irish EU Presidency, representing member states, will this week begin the quest to reach an agreement on the post-2013 CAP by the end of June. Three-way negotiations − so-called ‘trilogues’ − will start on Thursday (April 11) and are likely to continue until June 20, with eight to ten meetings scheduled for each of the four CAP Regulations. This week’s meeting will focus on direct payments to farmers and market management measures under the ‘Single CMO’ Regulation. EU Farm … More →

The global trade in beef has undergone major changes in the past few years. India, until recently a relatively minor seller of the meat, is now going head to head with Australia and Brazil to be the world’s top exporter by volume. As consumption in developing markets, particularly in Asia, continues to grow it is likely that trading patterns will see greater upheaval in the coming decade. The Agra Europe World Beef Trade 2012 map takes a snapshot of the current global market using the … More →

With the European Parliament meeting this week for a plenary vote on CAP reform, Agra Europe has produced the following infographic highlighting what it forecasts will be the most divisive issues and biggest hurdles to reaching a consensus among MEPs. Rolling coverage of this week’s events from Brussels is available on the Agra Europe website, while you can also follow the debate up to now using our interactive CAP Reform Dashboard. Subscribers also have access to CAP Monitor, the most comprehensive guide to the CAP … More →

  Tunbridge Wells, where I live, is one of the most affluent towns in England. And yet several months ago a foodbank sprang up just up the road from me, so I went along to find out what was going on. I quickly discovered that such foodbanks are increasingly common across the UK, as confirmed by a new report published by breakfast cereal producer Kelloggs, in association with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). The researchers found that at least 4.7 million British … More →

The subject of neonicotinoids has been pushed up the EU agricultural agenda in recent weeks after the European Food Safety Authority concluded there is a link between their use and the disappearance of bee colonies. With the European Commission mulling a partial two-year ban on their use, Agra Europe explains the history behind the present debate and what may happen in the near future. Ongoing news coverage and analysis of this issue is available on the Agra Europe website. For non-subscribers, you can sign up … More →