An ideologically driven EU packaging law based on rigid targets could end up endangering the food packaging and the food system value chain, Finnish MEP Elsi Katainen told EURACTIV in an interview.
It is understandable that the EU is reorganising the fundamentals of its agricultural model in terms of strategic autonomy after the Ukraine war and the effects of both COVID-19 and climate crises, an official of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation told EURACTIV in an interview.
Europe's vision of the future of food systems needs to be improved with a focus on young generations, who will be putting into practice the Farm to Fork strategy (F2F), according to Riccardo Valentini, a prominent agricultural expert, who warned that "everything in this transition that is done without young people is a waste of money".
The EU's determination to become a global leader in sustainability will be matched by investments in solutions to deliver on the commitments set out in the EU's new food policy, Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told EURACTIV.com in an exclusive interview.
In an interview with EURACTIV's partner Le Journal de l'environnement, French socialist MEP Éric Andrieu (S&D) said that climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic make it necessary to put agriculture back at the heart of the debate and to change the agricultural model with targeted tools and resources.
Despite the agri-food chain have been under pressure in the past few weeks in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, there is no risk of food shortage provided that people behave appropriately, the head of the food retailers lobby told EURACTIV.
The announced EU food policy should also strive to create future prosperity for businesses in good harmony with the environment, not only to take policies against some parts of the food value chain, Nestlé Europe chief Marco Settembri told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
To what degree are French waters genuinely protected? In an interview with EURACTIV's partner le Journal de l'Environnement, conducted after the fourth National Marine Protected Areas Congress (23-24 October), Élodie Martinie-Cousty of the France Nature Environnement (FNE) explained the situation.
If a proper balance between resources and obligations in the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is not achieved, the future of the EU agriculture and countryside will be uncertain, said Greek agriculture minister Stavros Arachovitis.
Short food supply chains have a multidimensional role to play. They can help revitalise European farms by encouraging young people to work the land, but they also provide cheap and healthy food to consumers and attract tourists, campaigner Geneviève Savigny told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
The European Commission has learned its lesson from the glyphosate controversy and is coming forward with “bold proposals” on transparency, says Bernhard Url. The raw data of all industry-funded studies related to pesticides will be made publicly available under Commission plans, he told EURACTIV in an interview.
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has strengthened Europe’s farming sector and reduced rural poverty, but the EU must now push for the adoption of technology and open source data to drive better outcomes for all farmers, Juergen Voegele told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
The requirements of food production can be met without GMOs but we should not eliminate the broader benefits that biotechnologies can provide, Daniel Gustafson told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Studies on the safety of GMOs, glyphosate or other pesticides could enjoy higher levels of trust from the general public if there were stronger guarantees that the science behind them is really independent, says Bernhard Url, executive director of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Scientists should be more open about their findings, and lawmakers need to take the time to read and reflect on them. But today, with the rise of social media, it is difficult to strike the right balance between science and public opinion, MEP Mairead McGuinness told EURACTIV.com.
The European executive will reform the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) by the end of 2017. José Bové and Éric Andrieu argue for an agricultural system that puts the environment, human health and small businesses first. EURACTIV’s partner Ouest France reports.
The involvement of the European private sector in the mechanisation of Africa’s agriculture, currently dominated by China, will open up the market and help farmers make quality choices, FAO’s Josef Kienzle said in an interview with EURACTIV.com.
Agroforestry is a "back to the future" concept, advocating a return to the origins of farming —trees and fields— rather than the modern concept of huge monocultures, says Tony Simons.
Consumers have a crucial role to play in reducing food waste, but change will have to take place at every stage of the supply chain, including a revolution in supermarket marketing practices, according to Olivier Jan.
Every food producer should help make agriculture sustainable, Janez Potočnik told EURACTIV.com.
The EU's Common Agricultural Policy should focus on investments to become more competitive in the global market and get less dependent on subsidies, MEP Jan Huitema told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
An estimated 40% of all the agricultural land in the world today is used to grow feed grains for beef production, a trend that is set to worsen with the rise of the middle class in Asia, warns Jeremy Rifkin.
Climate change is confronting the European food sector with an unprecedented risk related to supplies of agricultural raw materials, warns Pascal Gréverath.
Swedish MEP Anna Maria Corazza Bildt explains why she wants to introduce restaurant "doggy bags" in Europe, and what the EU can do to diminish food waste.
