Agrifood Brief: Recent Episodes

EURACTIV

Welcome to EURACTIV's AgriFood Brief, your weekly update on all things Agriculture & Food in the EU from EURACTIV's Agrifood news team: Gerardo Fortuna and Natasha Foote

EURACTIV's agrifood team brings you the latest from Strasbourg where MEPs voted their position on two important files for the future of the EU’s agriculture: the industrial emissions directive and the nature restoration law. We take a deep dive into the latter along with EURACTIV’s very own energy and environment reporter Kira Taylor and Olliver Moore, editor-in-chief of ARC2020.

This week, EURACTIV talks you through everything you need to know on the presentation of the Commission’s ‘sustainable use of natural resources’, and EURACTIV’s Natasha Foote talks with Vice President Frans Timmermans about his message to farmers amid rising tensions over the EU’s nature restoration plans and his vision for the future structure of the institutions dealing with food policy.

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team debriefs the agriculture ministers' meeting in Luxembourg and looks ahead at the "Food and Biodiversity Package," a set of legislative proposals expected from the European Commission on Wednesday. Over in New York, Gerardo Fortuna spoke to Bayer’s Rodrigo Santos and Axel Trautwein about regenerative agriculture and different regulatory approaches to agricultural policies.

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team talks you through the leaked draft of one of the most contentious proposals from the European Commission in the past months: gene editing. EURACTIV's Paula Andres talks to Mette Uldahl, Vice President of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe, about the state of animal welfare in EU farms and what is lacking.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team brings you an exclusive interview with Spain’s agriculture minister, Luis Planas, who details the country’s agricultural priorities ahead of the Spanish presidency starting in July. We also talk you through a leak of an additional Commission study on the EU’s plans to slash the use and risk of pesticides in half by 2030, which was requested by EU member states, and last week’s confusion over the Parliamentary vote on the EU’s nature restoration law.

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team talks you through the EU's decision to extend trade restrictions on select agricultural commodities coming from Ukraine and why this has proven controversial on both sides, and Gerardo Fortuna, together with EURACTIV's very own Transport Editor Sean Goulding, speaks with Indonesia's coordinating minister for economic affairs, Airlangga Hartanto, about palm oil.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team walks you through everything you need to know from the most recent meeting of agriculture and fisheries ministers, from algae to fertilisers, and we discuss hints from the Commission that they may look to deregulate gene editing in efforts to appease critics of its pesticide reduction plans.

We also take a deep dive into avian influenza, exploring the impact this is having on the EU industry with the help of several ‘eggs’perts, including EFSA’s Francesca Baldinelli, Gerard Leveque from the European Poultry breeders, and Paul Henri from AVEC, the voice of Europe's poultry meat sector.

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team explains the latest on glyphosate and why the Commission is expected to unilaterally extend the approval for the controversial herbicide for one more year, EURACTIV's agrifood editor Gerardo Fortuna speaks with the previous EU agriculture Commissioner, Phil Hogan, to hear his take on the roll out of this Common Agricultural Policy reform and reflections on his part in this, and Paula Andrés what happened at the COP27 when it comes to agriculture.

This week, EURACTIV’s Natasha Foote speaks to EU agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski in an exclusive interview detailing his vision for the future of the Common Agricultural Policy and EURACTIV’s agrifood team takes a look at what is involved in the Commission’s new fertilisers communication and the reactions to this.

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team speaks with Damien O'Connor, minister of agriculture of New Zealand and co-chair of the OECD agriculture ministerial meeting, about the OECD declaration and EU-New Zealand relations, including thoughts on the EU's farming subsidy programme and the recently signed Free Trade Agreement, and EURACTIV France's Hugo Struna joins us to explain the controversy over a water reservoir in Western France.

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team speaks with Damien O'Connor, minister of agriculture of New Zealand and co-chair of the OECD agriculture ministerial meeting, about the OECD declaration and EU-New Zealand relations, including thoughts on the EU's farming subsidy programme and the recently signed Free Trade Agreement, and EURACTIV France's Hugo Struna joins us to explain the controversy over a water reservoir in Western France.

This week, to get into the ‘spirit’ of Halloween, EURACTIV’s agrifood team spoke to EU stakeholders about their biggest fears about the future of farming and food production. From sleepwalking like zombies into a dark and scary future, to rural areas turning into ghost towns, it’s time to eat, drink, and be scary as we take a look at the nightmares that haunt the EU’s agrifood sector.

Featuring contributions from: Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius; Diana Lenzi, president of young farmers’ association CEJA; Gina Geală, Cătălina Rogozan and Elena Ion from rural Romanian consultancy Highclere Consulting; Morgan Ody from the European Coordination Via Campesina; CropLife Europe’s Anika Gatt Seretny; centre-right MEP Herbert Dorfmann; Green MEP Tilly Metz; European Consumer Organisation BEUC’s Camille Perrin; Celia Nyssens-James, senior policy officer for food and agriculture at green campaign group the European Environmental Bureau; Eric Gall, deputy director for EU organic’s association IFOAM; and DG MARE’s Charlina Vitchcova.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team explores the main aspects of the current reform of geographical indications (GIs), the EU’s food quality scheme.

We spoke to the key players in the reform on a range of pending issues, from online protection for GIs to the simplification of registration procedures, not to mention the increased role of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). We discussed the nitty-gritty of the reform with the help of Amandine Legros representing oriGIn EU - the association of GI producers – as well as Paolo De Castro, rapporteur on the dossier for the European Parliament, to conclude with a long interview with Christian Archambeau, EUIPO’s executive director.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team explores the main aspects of the current reform of geographical indications (GIs), the EU’s food quality scheme.

We spoke to the key players in the reform on a range of pending issues, from online protection for GIs to the simplification of registration procedures, not to mention the increased role of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). We discussed the nitty-gritty of the reform with the help of Amandine Legros representing oriGIn EU - the association of GI producers – as well as Paolo De Castro, rapporteur on the dossier for the European Parliament, to conclude with a long interview with Christian Archambeau, EUIPO’s executive director.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team talks about the Commission’s reluctance to commit to a timeline for the EU chemicals regulation, REACH, and how changes in the temporary state aid framework will impact farmers. We also explore the launch of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) network and what this means in practice with the help of its newly appointed team leader, David Lamb, as well as David Armellini, in charge of the rural agenda in the French national agency of territorial cohesion. We also speak to Santeri Rahkamaa about the most pessimistic town in Finland and how one innovative rural project has turned this pessimism into a positive marketing tool.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team talks about the Commission’s reluctance to commit to a timeline for the EU chemicals regulation, REACH, and how changes in the temporary state aid framework will impact farmers. We also explore the launch of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) network and what this means in practice with the help of its newly appointed team leader, David Lamb, as well as David Armellini, in charge of the rural agenda in the French national agency of territorial cohesion. We also speak to Santeri Rahkamaa about the most pessimistic town in Finland and how one innovative rural project has turned this pessimism into a positive marketing tool.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team brings you the latest on the Commission’s plans for a fertilisers communication, and why this falls short of the strategy called for by stakeholders and we explore how the EU’s plans to relax green measures in farming fell short of expectations. We also take a deep dive into what is going on in the Netherlands, where farmers continue to protest, with the help of Dutch farmer Iris Bouwers, BirdLife Europe’s Ariel Brunner and associate professor of food and agricultural policy, Jeroen Candel.

This week, EURACTIV’s original agrifood duo reunite to bring you the latest on gas supply prioritisation and how member states’ decisions may impact the agrifood sector. We also give you the rundown on the backlash from EU countries over the EU’s ambitions to slash the use and risk of pesticides, and EURACTIV’s Agrifood Editor Gerardo Fortuna travels to Italy to learn all about the world of biostimulants.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team discusses the agenda of the EU agriculture ministers’ meeting in Brussels, including industrial emissions and carnivores - and what this has to do with Ursula von der Leyen’s pony. Yaroslave Bukhta also reports from on the ground at the EU’s newly introduced organic awards, and our flavour of the week is a very special traditional Ukrainian bread called korovai.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team discusses the agenda of the EU agriculture ministers’ meeting in Brussels, including industrial emissions and carnivores - and what this has to do with Ursula von der Leyen’s pony. Yaroslave Bukhta also reports from on the ground at the EU’s newly introduced organic awards, and our flavour of the week is a very special traditional Ukrainian bread called korovai.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team comments on the agri-food parts of the State of the Union address delivered by Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and we question agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski about the current crisis in the European fertilisers supplies with agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski. We are also joined by Green MEP Thomas Waitz to dig into the nitty-gritty of the recent vote at the European Parliament on agriculture imports linked to deforestation.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team comments on the agri-food parts of the State of the Union address delivered by Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and we question agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski about the current crisis in the European fertilisers supplies with agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski. We are also joined by Green MEP Thomas Waitz to dig into the nitty-gritty of the recent vote at the European Parliament on agriculture imports linked to deforestation.

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team takes a look at the ways in which the agrifood sector is starting to feel the brunt of the energy crisis, we speak with Andreas Schweiger, professor for plant ecology at the University of Hohenheim, to hear about the ways in which solar panels can be incorporated into the farming sector and the potential problems and opportunities this could bring, and we bring you a very special flavour of the week all the way from Brazil.

Hello and welcome back to the EURACTIV Agrifood Podcast! This week we discuss the very first approvals of the Common Agricultural Policy national strategic plans, and we give you a run down of a particularly fiery debate over pesticides in the European Parliament. We also hear from EURACTIV’s very own Yaroslava Bukhta about what has been happening in Ukrainian agriculture in August, and we welcome Mi Young Kwon of the Korean cultural centre to discuss a special Korean festival for our flavour of the week.

This week in our last agrifood podcast of the season, EURACTIV's agrifood team looks ahead at the key topics of the summer, including the impact that drought is having, and will continue to have, on the agricultural sector across the EU, the Russia-Ukraine grain deal brokered by Turkey and some sneaky dealings around the sustainable use of pesticides regulation. We also speak about the recent proposal to extend derogations to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) environmental measures into 2023, and the latest on all things CAP plans, the first of which we expect to win approval in early September.

That's all from us this season - we look forward to bringing you the latest EU agriculture news each week back after the summer break!

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team discusses the long-awaited outcome of the European Court of Justice’s ruling on feta cheese, which sets a precedent for the protection of geographical indications outside the EU’s borders, and we take a look at the latest on the glyphosate debate as well as the crucial EU reform on agricultural statistics. We are also joined by Stelios Arhondakis, CEO at BioCoS, a company developing an olive oil anti-fraud tool, and we explore a mystery Game of Thrones themed flavour of the week.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team talks food security and concerns over grain shortages, as highlighted in the European Commission’s latest agricultural outlook report, we are joined by Kristian Sniter from the EU court of auditors to hear about their latest report on fraud risks in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), including practices such as land-grabbing, and we take a closer look at a natural 'LSD' for our flavour of the week.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team talks about the implications of the newly signed EU-New Zealand free trade agreement on the agrifood sector, we speak with Dmitrij Černikov, COREPER I spokesperson for the Czech permanent representation to the EU, about the priorities of the Czech Presidency when it comes to agriculture and, in keeping with the main theme of the week, we take a closer look at kiwis for our flavour of the week.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team discusses the much-awaited unveiling of the EU’s new pesticide framework and what we expect to be discussed on food security by the G7 leaders gathered in Schloss Elmau, Bavaria. For the flavour of the week, we tasted the diversity of mangoes grown in India and spoke to the Indian agriculture attaché to India’s permanent representation to the EU about the importance of this fruit for the country’s agriculture production and how geographical indications bring value to it.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team talks you through the EU’s pesticide framework revision and the 12th World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial meeting. We also spoke to Simonas Šatūnas, head of cabinet of the EU's environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius, about nature restoration targets and we had a very special tasting session of this week’s flavour of the week: the first insect approved in EU for human consumption.

This week, we welcome the EURACTIV agrifood team’s newest recruit, Yaroslava Bukhta, to speak about her interview with the Ukrainian deputy-minister of agriculture and his take on the EU’s solidarity lanes proposal. We also hear from Gerardo about his recent adventures in the salt marshes of Cadiz bay national park in Spain, and we learn all about the Ukrainian berry Kalyna, which also holds significant symbolism for the country.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team talks you through what happened in last week’s meeting of EU leaders, which had a strong emphasis on food security, we hear from a tour guide on the island of Sardinia about the role prisoners played, and continue to play, in its agricultural sector, and we take a closer look at honey and the sad reality for beekeepers dealing with a changing climate.

In this special edition of the EURACTIV agrifood podcast, EURACTIV’s agrifood team takes you on a tour of 7 of Europe’s capitals, including France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Slovakia, Poland and Ireland, to hear about their Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) strategic plans, through which member states explain how they intend to meet the objectives of the new CAP reform. How are these evolving in light of the Ukraine war? Where are they at in the approval process? EURACTIV’s network explains more.

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team discusses the agenda for the upcoming meeting of EU agricultural ministers, which will be the first for France's new agricultural minister, Marc Fesneau, who has a shiny new addition to his title, we talk about a call from MEPs to put the CAP on pause, and we hear from EU Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly about her decision to caution the European Commission over how it will ensure transparency and a balanced representation of interests during the implementation of the CAP reform.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team brings you the latest on the first high-level meeting to strengthen the EU-Turkey agri-trade and we discuss our thoughts about what to expect from these talks. We also talk about the debate in Germany over suspending crop rotation rules and the Commission’s plan to help Ukraine in exporting grain despite Russia’s blockade of the country’s ports. In this week’s focus, we cover the inter-institutional talk around the EU deforestation law.

Welcome back to the EURACTIV agrifood podcast! After a short break, EURACTIV’s agrifood team are back and this week discussing all things food security, including the deepening cracks in the Commission over its response to the Ukraine war and the missing Green Deal target in MEPs report on organic farming. We also speak with crop scientist and analyst Sarah Taber, who explains why the panic over food security in light of the war is the real risk to global food systems and how countries can compensate for the lost agri-trade with Russia and Ukraine.

Feeling lost about everything that has happened this week in the agrifood world? No need to worry, EURACTIV’s agrifood team has your back. In this week’s podcast, we cover all the major events this week, from food security to the Commission’s emissions proposal, and we are joined by EURACTIV France’s Hugo Struna to discuss the French elections and how this may impact the direction of the food sector.

This week, EURACTIV is once again talking about the hot topic on everyone’s lips right now - food security - and we hear about how German companies are cashing in from the Belarus sanctions. We also discuss our thoughts about the latest draft of the Commission’s Sustainable Use of Pesticides proposal, and we are joined by Olivier De Schutter, co-chair of IPES-Food and UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights.

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team discusses food accessibility, affordability and security in light of the Ukraine war, as well as the news that the European Commission decided to 'postpone' (although not in their words) the proposal of the sustainable use of pesticides directive. To help us do so, we are joined by Marilda Dhaskali, EU agriculture policy officer at BirdLife Europe, Olivier de Matos, Director General of Croplife Europe, and Pauline Constant, head of communications at EU consumer organisation, BEUC.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team brings you the latest about the current EU debate over holding off the implementation of the main sustainable EU farming policies, the Farm to Fork and the Biodiversity strategies, due to food safety concerns. We are also joined by a very special guest who tells us more about the first ‘salty’ flavour of the week.

With the looming threat of the Ukraine war on the world's food supply, the key theme of the week has been food security. Here, EURACTIV's agrifood team brings you up to speed on why stakeholders and raising the alarm over food, what this means for the sector and what is being discussed to tackle this. We also bring you a (very apt) focus on sunflowers.

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team gives you the run down on the impact of the war on Ukraine on the EU's agrifood sector and are joined by EURACTIV's Alice Taylor to hear why it might mean that bread is off the table in Albania. We also have an agrifood podcast first with live reporting from the Salon de l'Agriculture in Paris, and for those of you with a sweet tooth, we take a closer look at sugar.

In this special edition of the agrifood podcast, EURACTIV’s agrifood team takes a closer look at knowledge sharing in the agricultural sector - why is this so important, what challenges do farmers face in exchanging information on innovative approaches, and what projects already exist to help them overcome these? To dig deeper into the topic, we are joined by agroecological farmer Klarien Klingen, who is the co-founder of agroecological farmers association Toekomstboeren, Alice Minichini from the EU’s young farmers’ association CEJA, Ilias Sousis, CEO of WikiFarmer and DG AGRI’s Inge van Hoost.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team explores what the EU-Africa summit holds for the agrifood sector, we are joined by Brendan Coolsaet, associate professor of environmental politics at the European school of political and social Sciences at Lille Catholic University, to talk about what he learned in his trip around Italy visiting farms, and, in honour of the fact that Valentine’s Day coincided with the EU-AU summit this week, we bring you some fun facts about chocolate.

This week is the week of pesticides, with both the leak of the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive and new rules aimed at accelerating the approval process of biopesticides. EURACTIV also hears from our own Julia Dahm who was on the ground at the agricultural ministers informal meeting in Strasbourg this week, and we hear from EURACTIV Slovakia’s Marián Koreň about the latest news on Slovakia’s missing national strategic plan for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team brings you the latest about the timeline of the CAP national strategic plans approval, and we are joined by EURACTIV Germany’s Julia Dahm to talk about Commission’s plans to address food security within the EU in crisis situations. We also speak to Greek leftist MEP Petros Kokkalis about the first interinstitutional negotiations on the revision of the current agricultural statistics framework.

This week, EURACTIV France's Magdalena Pistorius joins EURACTIV's agrifood team to explain how French agricultural minister Julien Denormandie's debut speech under the French presidency was received in the European Parliament, we explore some of his main priorities in more depth, including carbon farming and trade reciprocity, and we speak to the newly elected Vice Chair of the European Parliament's agriculture committee, Benoît Biteau, about his ambitions for the role and the importance of strengthening collaboration between the ENVI and AGRI committees.

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team talks about the first AGRIFISH Council under the French Presidency (including anecdotes from inside the building), including issues in the pig sector as well as the fallout from the Belarus food embargo, and we are joined by EURACTIV Germany's Julia Dahm together with Green MEP Tilly Metz to hear what happened in this week's plenary vote on animal welfare during transport.

Welcome back! For our first podcast of 2022, EURACTIV’s agrifood news team brings you up to speed with where we’re at on the CAP national strategic plans, we discuss tensions between wolves and EU farmers with the help of Dutch ecologist and wolf expert Glenn Lelieveld and we explore why upcoming changes in geographical indications have sparked some controversy.

In the last EURACTIV agrifood podcast of 2021, EURACTIV's agrifood news team takes a trip down memory lane to discuss the biggests moments and themes from 2021, including the conclusion of the CAP and the thawing of EU-US relations when it comes to agrifood, and we also take a look at the key things coming up on the menu in 2022.

This week, EURACTIV takes a look at the outcome of the vote on a report on live transport of animals, we explore the Commission's increasingly favorable stance to gene editing and we take a look at a new NGO report which flags concerns over the level of ambition in member states' eco-schemes with the help of BirdLife Europe's Honey Kohan.

This week, EURACTIV’s Natasha Foote is joined by EURACTIV France’s Magdalena Pistorius to discuss how the final vote on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) went down this week in Strasbourg, including reactions and next steps for the farming subsidy programme.

This week, EURACTIV talks about what to expect from the final CAP vote in Strasbourg next week, we take a look at the EU's recently unveiled soil strategy, including comments from Renew Europe's Martin Hojsík, and we hear from the European Food Safety Agency's Marta Hugas about the upcoming week focusing on antimicrobial resistance.

This week, EURACTIV looks at whether the COP26 summit was a 'cop' out on agriculture, we bring you the latest on the transposition of the unfair trade practices (UTPs) directive int he EU and hear from the rapporteur on the UTP file, Paolo de Castro, and we explore the new chapter that was opened this week in EU-US agri relations with the creation of a new knowledge exchange platform.

This week, EURACTIV discusses the outcome of the European Parliaments vote on their own initiative report on the Farm to Fork strategy, and we speak with Diana Lenzi, President of young farmers' association CEJA, about her experience in converting her family farm to organic, including her motivations for doing so and the challenges she encountered along the way.

This week, EURACTIV hears reactions from MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen and rapporteur Herbert Dorfmann to the news that the European Commission chose to delay on the publication of their controversial JRC report on the impacts of the Farm to Fork strategy for half a year.

We take a look at a leaked draft of the Commission's 2022 work programme to see what's on the menu for the agri sector, and we explore the sustainable use of water in the EU with the help of EURACTIV France's Magdalena Pistorius.

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team explores the controversy surrounding the UN’s food systems summit with the help of IPES-Food’s Nick Jacobs and Attila Szocs of small farmers association European Coordination Via Campesina, the Commission gets in touch with its hippy side on the Autumn equinox to celebrate the EU’s new Organic Day and EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski teases stakeholders about a new impact assessment on the Farm to Fork strategy

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team digs deeper into a controversial vote in the Parliament on the European Commission's new delegated act designed to tackle anti-microbial resistance, we talk about Parliament's preliminary approval of their report on the EU's flagship food policy, the Farm to Fork strategy, and we explore what Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had to say about the agrifood sector in her State of the Union speech.

Welcome back! This week, EURACTIV explores the ways in which agriculture can part of the solution for preventing wildfires with the help of Claire Mignet, director of the NGO 'Shared Mediterranean Conservatory', journalist Monica Pelliccia, secretary general of Italy's programme for the endorsement of forest certification, Antonio Brunori. We also speak to Joao Pacheco of Farm Europe to hear his take on the controversial Joint Research Centre report which focused on the impact of the the EU's green goals on the agriculture sector.

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team reflects on the biggest stories from this 'school' year and the fun to come after the summer break, and we speak with Green MEP Sarah Wiener on turkey welfare and Professor Doreen Boyd from the University of Nottingham on how satellite technology can help monitor labour exploitation in agriculture

The EURACTIV agrifood team speaks about the Fit for 55, the European Commission's package of energy and climate laws designed to cut carbon emissions by 55% before the end of the decade, and its implications for the agrifood sector, and we talk about the agricultural priorities for the Slovenian Presidency

This week, EURACTIV spoke with EURACTIV France's very own Clara Bauer-Babef and Magdalena Pistorius about what the 'polluter pays' principle has to do with agriculture and the bubble battle brewing between France and Russia, and we take a look at the newly-launched EU Code of Conduct on responsible food business and marketing practices.

EURACTIV brings you up to speed with all the developments on the long awaited CAP reform and exactly what was decided last week. To put this CAP reform in perspective, we spoke with Angelo Di Mambro, a journalist with the Italian media ANSA and long-time CAP follower, about how this CAP reform compares to previous policies. We also delve in to all of the most contentious elements of this reform with the help of ENVI Chair Pascal Canfin giving his take on the alignment of the Green Deal, Birdlife's Harriet Bradley, who explains the issues with the GAECs, Enrico Somaglia from the European trade union of food and agriculture about the conclusion reached on social conditionality, Irish MEP Colm Markey on internal convergence, and young farmer's assoication CEJA's recently elected new President Diana Lenzi on what this CAP reform holds for young farmers

This week, EURACTIV spoke with Jindrich Dolezal of the European Court of Auditors about their recent report which lambasted EU agricultural funding for combatting climate action - totalling €100 billion - saying it has so far been ineffective, especially when it comes to livestock farming and peatlands.

This week, EURACTIV discusses the controversy around the fact that EU farmers association COPA-COGECA was invited to this week's informal AGRIFISH Council, we explore the EU-US trade truce and what this means for the agrifood sector, and we speak with journalist and campaigner Georgina Downs about a recent referendum in Switzerland on a ban of the use of synthetic pesticides and the UK's upcoming environment bill, which may also restrict their use.

This week, we spoke with EURACTIV's very own Ben Fox about the so-called "sausage war" between the EU and the UK which has hit headlines this week, and with Green MEP Francisco Guerreiro to hear his reaction to the news that the European Parliament voted for a resolution to ban cages for farmed animals in the EU, marking a first step towards a ban by 2027.

This week, EURACTIV reflects on the final CAP down week, exploring why talks collapsed and negotiatiors did not manage to seal a deal, and we speak with Nathalie Sauze-Vandevyver, director in DG Agri in charge of quality, research & innovation, on promotional policy.

This week, EURACTIV speaks to the EU's Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski ahead of next week's pivotal CAP reform negotiations about the thorny issues remaining in the reform, how he sees his role and his relationship with the EU farming community, and his vision for the future of farming beyond this reform. We also speak with Ulrike Müller, CAP rapporteur for horizontal regulations, about her expectations for next week's discussions.

This week, EURACTIV spoke with Riccardo Valentini, Professor of Forest Ecology at the University of Tuscia, about carbon neutrality and carbon markets for farming, and we hear from Green MEP Thomas Waitz about the news that the Spanish government has rejected a request from the European Parliament to speak about the two livestock ships that departed from Spanish ports in mid-December and ended up stuck in limbo at sea for months.

This week, the EURACTIV agrifood podcast is buzzing about insects, starting with an interview with Maria Saponari, from Italy's Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, about the latest research on the olive tree disease Xylella, including an exclusive clip of the mating call of the disease-carrying spittlebug. We also speak with Christophe Derrien, secretary general of the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed, to hear if the idea of edible insects has wings, and we discuss the news that a common food additive, Titanium Dioxide, has been ruled unsafe by the EU's food safety authority.

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team delves into the publication of the Commission's controversial new study on gene-editing, hearing reactions from a range of stakeholders, including Green MEP Tilly Metz, centre-right MEP Herbert Dorfmann, Garlich von Essen, secretary general of EU seed sector organisation Euroseeds, and Eric Gall, deputy director of the EU organic association, IFOAM.

This week, EURACTIV explores the definition of an active farmer with the help of Morgan Ody, a farmer and member of EU farmers association European Coordination Via Campesina, EURACTIV's agrifood news team talks about a 'ruckus' between farmers and the EU agricultural Commissioner after a series of tweets this week, and we speak to David Wilkinson of PepsiCo about the company's new initiative to support regenerative agriculture.

Welcome back to EURACTIV's agrifood podcast! After a brief hiatus, we're back this week to speak about the latest developments on the reform of the EU's farming subsidies programme, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), in an interview with the Chair of the European Parliament's AGRI Committee, Norbert Lins, and we give you a rundown of the top 10 agri-news stories this week, including why halloumi cheese is hitting headlines and the latest on the campaign to End the Cage Age in farming.

This week, EURACTIV gives a recap on what to expect from the so-called "super-trilogue" on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform, discussing what is on the menu for the meeting and the main remaining sticking points in negotiations.

This week, the EURACTIV agrifood team explores what can be expected from the upcoming Organic Action Plan, due to be published on 24 March, and we speak about the latest chapter in the longstanding saga on front of pack nutritional labelling.

This week, EURACTIV spoke with Portuguese agricultural minister Maria do Céu Antunes, who is the current chair of the AGRIFISH Council, about the challenges involved in wrapping up the CAP, including the thorny issue of social conditionality and how she hopes to tackle the remaining outstanding issues to reach a conclusion within the next few months, and we discuss the thawing relations between the EU and the US.

This week, EURACTIV takes a look at why butter is hitting the headlines in Canada and what implications this could have for the EU, and we talk about the upcoming 'super-trilogue' which has been called by the Portuguese Presidency this week in an attempt to finally wrap up CAP negotiations.

This week, EURACTIV speaks with Green MEP Viola von Cramon about a new report released which found that agricultural subsidies continue to be misused across countries in Central and Eastern Europe, we discuss a new proposal for a 'Mediterranean diet' label, and we speak with Simon Wancke, vice-president of the EU young farmers association CEJA, about concerns over the looming Mercosur agreement.

This week, EURACTIV speaks with Enrico Somaglia, deputy secretary-general of the European federation of food, agriculture and tourism unions, about social conditionality and what this would mean for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform, and we speak with Irish MEP Chris MacManus about the demise of small farms in the EU.

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team sat down with the World Soil Champion Luca Montanarella, head of the new Joint Research Centre's action on Soil Data and Information Systems and advisor to the European Commission, to speak about all things soil and the importance of this natural resource, and we bring you our personal agri-food takes from a recently published Parliament survey.

What do Roman gods and vices have to do with agriculture? Find out in this week's EURACTIV agrifood podcast, where we delve deeper into the publication of the EU's Beating Cancer Plan and what this holds in store for the agrifood sector and we speak with MEP Herbert Dorfmann, agricultural coordinator for the EPP, about this week's amendments on the Farm to Fork strategy and what this means for the future of the strategy.

This week, EURACTIV takes a sneak peek at a draft version of the EU's 'beating cancer' plan, which outlines plans to phase out red and processed meat and alcohol from EU agrifood promotional programmes alongside other several fiscal measures designed to target the sector, we speak with Tassos Haniotis, director of strategy, simplification and policy analysis at the EU Commission's DG AGRI, about agricultural statistics and to Gianluca Brunori, chair of the EU Commission' standing committee on agricultural research, about a recently released report on the resilience of the agrifood sector.

This week, EURACTIV speaks about the latest developments on the CAP and the timeline for this year, we explore the news that the Czech Republic is on its way to introduce a protectionist food law despite warnings that this could be in violation of the EU’s free movement of goods, and we speak with Green MEP Eleonora Evi about the differences between the EU Parliament and Commission when it comes to genetically modified crops.

This week, EURACTIV's agrifood team speaks with Paul Kelly, director of Food Drink Ireland, about the impact of Brexit on the sector so far and what he sees as the key concerns for the future, and we explore what's on the menu for 2021, including the finalisation of the CAP and hashing out the details of the Brexit agreement.

This week is EURACTIV's last podcast of 2020 - and what a year it has been. Here, we take a look at the agrifood highlights of 2020, including the unveiling of the long-awaited Farm to Fork strategy, the EU's flagship food policy, a re-CAP of the final CAP-down, and EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski's tweets.

This week, EURACTIV takes a look at the debate over live animal transport in the EU as the UK moves to ban the practice, we hear from Aneta Zachová from EURACTIV Czech Republic about the latest news on the allegations of fraud surrounding Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and the agricultural company Agrofert, and we speak with Joan Calabuig Rull, regional secretary for the EU of the Government of Valencia, to hear the Committee of the Regions opinion on the EU's flagship food policy, the Farm to Fork strategy.

In this special edition of the agrifood podcast, EURACTIV’s agrifood team delves deeper into all aspects of EU agrifood trade - why it's is so important in the context of the general EU’s trade policy, what makes EU foodstuff and the European Single Market so different for trade partners, as well as the social, political consequences that come from closer trade relations. To bring you the nitty-gritty of the EU’s agrifood trade policy, we speak with a range of experts, from lawmakers to academics and NGOs.

This week, EURACTIV spoke with our very own digital editor, Sam Stolton, about digitalisation in agriculture, including the challenges involved with rolling out broadband to rural areas and concerns over data protection, we speak on the issue of food products using the term "natural", which is not legally defined by the EU, and we discuss the resolution of the latest CAP scrap.

This week, EURACTIV spoke with Daniel Azevedo, Commodities and Trade Director of EU farmers association COPA-COGECA, about their recent report on the impact of COVID on the farming sector, and EURACTIV's very own Transport Editor, Sam Morgan, about transporting the EU's agrifood products via train and his musings about Greta Thunberg and scrapping the CAP.

This week, EURACTIV hears about the reaction of the US farming community to the news of Joe Biden's win from Jonathan Ahl ofSt. Louis Public Radio, we speak about the EU taxonomy regulation and its implications for agriculture, and we explore the results from FoodDrinkEurope's annual report on the latest data and trends in the food and drinks industry with their director of communications, Will Surman.

This week, EURACTIV gets you up to speed about the latest goings-on of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), including what to expect from the trilogue, which started this week, and we speak about the ailing EU honey sector, which is struggling on the back of severe climatic conditions.

This week EURACTIV explores a new study which found that policymakers' failure to understand farmers' underlying motivations may be detrimental to the environmental ambitions of the CAP, how the recent cases of avian flu found in the Netherlands might impact trade, and how stakeholders are calling for agrifood SMEs to be given an extra helping hand in the COVID-19 recovery period.

This week, EURACTIV gives a rundown of the main points to come out of last weeks marathon on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), including what happened with the infamous veggie burger ban, and we learn more about the news that the EU Commission may be looking to ban the production and export of pesticides which are not permitted in the EU.

This week was a turning point for the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), with proposals presented for its reform by both the EU Parliament and the Council. But what exactly has been decided this week and what's next for the CAP? Here, EURACTIV gets you up to speed with the latest news on the policy and talks to a number of key stakeholders, including the chair of the ENVI Committee of the EU Parliament, Pascal Canfin, and the agriculture coordinator of the EPP, Herbert Dorfmann.

This week is all about the Common Agricultural Policy in the run up to the European Parliament’s plenary vote next week where decision makers will hash out negotiations on the reform of the policy, and EURACTIV talks you through several key developments to do with pesticides, from a ruling from the EU's highest court, to a call to halt the export of banned pesticides.

This week, we discuss the news that French lawmakers have approved a draft bill allowing sugar beet growers to use neonicotinoid pesticides, we explore the outcomes of the European Parliament Plenary and talk about a ruling from Europe's highest court which concluded that national measures requiring mandatory labelling of foodstuffs are allowed under EU law but need to be justified.

This week, we explore a curious tale about pig tails and take a closer look at EURACTIV's special report on new terminologies in sustainable agriculture, including agroforestry and carbon farming.

This week, EURACTIV spoke with Christiane Lambert, the newly elected President of farmers association Copa, about her priorities for her new role, the fight against the Nutri-Score system as the EU-wide nutrition food label has kicked up a notch with the addition of a new non-paper backed by several member states, and the EU Commission has launched an initiative to improve sustainability in the cocoa sector.

This week, EURACTIV discusses the role agriculture plays in the EU’s carbon-neutral ambitions, European Parliament lawmakers are considering asking the European Commission to step in and help nix any doubts about the terminology used for plant-based meat substitutes, and we take a look at the agenda for the upcoming AGRIFISH council.

This week, EURACTIV takes a closer look at the Commission's announcement of the launch of a public consultation on its future action plan on organic farming and also its proposal to postpone by one year the entry into force of the new organic regulation, we hear what Agriculture CommissionerJanusz Wojciechowski had to say about releasing recovery funds, and we discuss how the appointment of the new EU Trade Commissioner has raised a few eyebrows in the agriculture community.

Welcome back to EURACTIV's agrifood podcast, with your hosts Gerardo Fortuna and Natasha Foote. In this episode, we catch you up on all that you might have missed over the holiday period, offer the latest EU news from this week and also a look-ahead for the most important policy developments coming up in the Autumn. This week also features two special guests, FAO chief economist Maximo Torero and Aurélie Catallo from the campaign organisation Pour Une Autre PAC.

German Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner laid out the German Presidency's agrifood priorities this week, listing CAP negotiations, animal welfare, and digitalisation among her main focuses, young farmers have said that they need a toolbox “as broad as possible” to achieve the goals of the Farm to Fork strategy, and, with soil health high on the EU policy agenda, EURACTIV spoke with US-based farmer Trey Hill, whose innovative approach to farming explores the potential of no-till agriculture, a practice that can contribute to the EU’s sustainability goals.

An EU Commissioner has for the first time suggested the possibility of revising the ambitious targets of the new EU food policy at a later stage, EURACTIV explores the ways in which innovation and a well-balanced regulatory framework can help to cope with the trade-offs of the Farm to Fork strategy, and agriculture stakeholders are calling on the EU Commission to update the sustainable use of pesticides directive to allow the use of drones for aerial spraying of pesticides.

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, food security has become the hot topic on everyone's lips, but not everyone is in agreement over the best way to strengthen the EU's food security, farmers have expressed concern that organic targets may could “kill” the sector, and lawmakers agree to delay post-2020 CAP by two years.

Row over veg-meat name heats up in Europe, rekindling the debate about possible consumer deception when it comes to novel food products, the European Parliament approved the setting up of an Inquiry Committee on live transport and Commission’s firm opposition to having an interim two-year period before the next EU farming subsidies programme starts has irritated co-legislators.

In an unprecedented move, a group of German Green MPs and one MEP have backed the use of gene editing technologies in a new paper, lawmakers on the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee reacted angrily as their colleagues on the Environment Committee decided to halt cooperation on the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy file, and EURACTIV takes a closer look at how the hospitality sector will play a vital role in the process of “re-connecting” European citizens socially after the coronavirus pandemic.

New sustainable food policy bears risk of unsustainable imports, ministers have warned this week, major agrifood stakeholders warn that a Brexit no deal could severely disrupt the EU agrifood sector and EU lawmakers have said that any potential reduction of glyphosate in the EU should be preceded by an impact assessment exploring the consequence for farmers.

Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn has said this week that it is very difficult to make the EU’s main farm policy greener when figures on the bottom line are red, a new report exposes the vulnerabilities of the global meat sector, and lawmakers in the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee have turned down a section of an aid package proposed by the Commission for wine, fruit and vegetable producers, as it was not ambitious enough to cope with disruption caused by the pandemic.

This week in this special edition of the EURACTIV Agrifood podcast, we spoke to a range of stakeholders and policymakers to hear their reactions to the presentation of the highly anticipated Farm to Fork strategy which, after several delays, was finally presented on the 20 May.

EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski has said he will support Poland’s proposal to increase the budget for EU’s farming subsidies by 10%, the excessive use of state aid to bail out struggling farmers during the COVID-19 crisis could be a cause for concern for the single market and fair competition in the member states, and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides has revealed the Farm to Fork strategy will not provide a compulsory EU-wide nutritional food label scheme.

Backed by the organic food sector, EU lawmakers are pushing the European Commission to delay the coming into force of the reformed organic regulation; after being delayed twice, the European Commission is ready to unveil on 20 May its much-awaited food policy, the Farm to Fork Strategy; and EURACTIV takes a look at how the agritourism sector is struggling during the COVID-19 crisis. This week featuring Matteo Metta from ARC2020, who explains the findings from a recent analysis on the transparency and stakeholder inclusivity of the design process of national Common Agricultural Policy plans.

The European Parliament’s agriculture committee has approved a negotiating mandate for upcoming talks with national ministers on a transitional period for EU farming subsidies, MEPs voice strong reservations about the market measures put forth by the Commission to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, and farmers are noticing an increase in the use of unfair trade practices (UTPs) in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Member states are increasingly considering protectionist measures in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the European Commission announced exceptional market measures, and stakeholders are calling for urgent action to protect agri-food workers

The current budget for the deployment of market measures is very limited says Commissioner Wojciechowski, the launch date of the highly-anticipated new EU food policy, the Farm to Fork strategy (F2F), is currently under review and MEPs called on reducing volume production in the dairy sector to avoid milk storage or destruction

Due to pressure caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, farmers association COPA-COGECA has backed the further postponement of the Farm to Fork strategy, but this stance has been heavily criticised, agriculture sherpas rubber-stamped a partial negotiating mandate to discuss with MEPs the transition period for EU farming subsidies and we take a look at EFSA's annual report on pesticide residues found in food in the EU.

The lack of agricultural workforce remains a concern for the entire European food supply chain, Parliament's plenary vote on the post-2020 CAP to be hold after the summer break, EPP group called for another postponement of the Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy

In this special edition of the agrifood podcast, we explore the consequences of the recent coronavirus outbreak on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), focusing on what this outbreak shows about the EU farming system, how farmers can best be supported during times of crisis, and what effect this crisis will have on the on-going CAP post-2020 negotiations.

EU agriculture ministers have called for further measures to address the difficulties faced by the agri-food sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Europe’s farming sector could face a dramatic shortfall in workers, and lawmakers in the European Parliament have called on the European Commission to prepare a strategy anticipating the difficulties that might arise in implementing the CAP during the crisis.

The launch of the new EU food policy will be delayed by another month, EU countries have now been offered the option to extend the deadline to submit applications for CAP payments and food supply chain in Germany functions despite COVID-19.

This week: The latest leaked draft of the Farm to Fork strategy features several notable changes from the previous version, how the new circular economy action plan will work alongside the Farm to Fork strategy and EFSA's conclusion that there is currently “no evidence that food is a likely source or route of transmission” of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

This week: the leaked draft of the Farm to Fork strategy says that it will base its mandatory pesticide reduction targets on the controversial Harmonised Risk Indicator 1 and that it envisages setting five targets in the flagship new food policy and EURACTIV takes a look at the concerns surrounding digital farming

This week: Plant-based diets and reducingmeat conusmption in the Farm to Fork strategy, how dergulating gene editing will affect SMEs and young farmers protests in Brussels for fairer CAP funding

This week: The director of EFSA tells EURACTIV about the challenges of regulating innovation, EU honey producers call for an action plan to save the sector, EU Health Commissioner speaks at the Environment Committee about the new Farm-to-Fork strategy

This week: Agriculture Commissioner says that intensive farming should be addressed in the Green deal, which has proved contentious, a French court has ordered the government to apply stricter regulations on new plant breeding techniques and a UK sugar tax has resulted in drinks manufacturers lowering the sugar content in drinks

This week: a new EU Court of Auditors report on pesticides, the latest news on African Swine Fever in the EU and controversy surrounding a potential 'sustainability charge' on meat.

This week: EU Health Commissioner speaks on gene editing and EURACTIV reports on the perspectives of policymakers, MEPs and farmers

Welcome to EURACTIV's Agrifood Brief, where we give you the rundown of all the agricultural news in the EU. This week: the agricultural priorities for the Croatian presidency, agricultural protests in Germany and concerns from EU fishermen over Brexit.

Welcome to the first edition of EURACTIV's Agrifood Brief, where we give you the rundown of all the agricultural news in the EU. This week: The New Green Deal, controversies surrounding the Nutri-Score labelling system and a new farm bill in the UK.