This month some interesting news that worth more than a look come from both EU & U.S. recent research results and polls. Researchers from Cambridge University highlighted the capacity of transposons, better known as “jumping genes” to rapidly generate new traits in various crops to make harvesting more efficient and maximize yield at the same […]
First of all a quick look at the 2019 harvest forecasts for main EU wine producers: extreme weather conditions of last summer had a huge impact, notably for Italy, where a decline of 10% in comparison with 2018 has been estimated. Same goes for France, with a wine output fall of an average of 12% in […]
Deforestation and EU imports of agri-food products How can the EU avoid actually importing deforestation? September 2019 The recent forest fires in the Amazon have put a renewed focus on the loss of forests at a global level, and on its connection to the EU’s international trading policy on importing various agri-food products that are […]
Here below a quick “catch-up exercise” with latest news and market insights from the wine sector. First of all, on 1 July 2019 the full text of the EU-Mercosur Association Agreement (reached on 28 June 2019) was published. Wine is amongst the key agri-food products of EU export interest which would be liberalized. Furthermore, provisions covering […]
Today, the agri-food sectors are more than ever confronted with 3 major demands from our society: To provide safe and quality food not only to European citizens but as well to world markets, To keep rural areas lively and viable. This means, first and foremost to maintain and develop a profitable farming activity in all rural […]
The European food chain is facing a big challenge, which is to find a harmonious and positive relationship between diet and health. This is mainly due to the fact that, the EU agro food model is constantly evolving and improving, and its relationship with health issues is becoming growingly important. This is a key […]
The EU has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. Agriculture and agro-forestry have an important role to play to sequester and store carbon, and there is scope to reduce emissions using more efficient and sustainable production methods. Also reducing water pollution, soil erosion and preserving biodiversity can greatly benefit […]
Farmers’ incomes, productivity and investment The agriculture sector is facing severe headwinds. Farmers’ incomes have stagnated, and according to the European Commission forecasts they are bound to drop by a staggering 14% (in real terms) in the next decade, taking into account the European Commission initial Common Agriculture Policy reform proposals. Productivity is also […]
Biofuels produced from EU feedstock (mostly from colza, maize , sugar beet and wheat) generates at least 6.6 billion euros of direct revenue for EU farmers. In addition, the bioethanol industry is said to have created70 000 direct and indirect jobs since the EU introduced its biofuels policy, while thebiodiesel sector has generated 220 000 […]
MEPs in the European Parliament 9th parliamentary term 2019 – 2024 2019 July The European Parliament, which has come out of the polls on May 26, will be responsible for guiding the European agricultural and agri-food sectors for the next decade. In this context it has to define a framework that meets the dual […]