agriculture

MEPs’ rejection of cuts for EU’s Fund for Most Deprived should be followed by more healthy and nutritious food provision

Following the vote by the European Parliament’s Social Affairs Committee on Monday (21 May 2013) rejecting the Commission’s proposal for one billion cut to the Fund for the 2014-2020 European Aid to the Most Deprived, EPHA applauds the Committee’s move whilst asking to re-consider its take on health and nutritional value of the food aid provision to the EU’s poor. The new 2014-2020 programme is intended to replace the Food Distribution Programme designed to (...)

[EPHAC response] Review of the CAP schemes providing agricultural products to school children

This article is a contribution to DG Agriculture public consultation on the Review of the CAP Schemes Providing Agricultural Products to School Children EPHAC response to CONSULTATION ON THE REVIEW OF THE CAP SCHEMES PROVIDING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS TO SCHOOL CHILDREN EPHAC response is based on our reflection on the Commission’s consultation background documents. Summary: EPHAC welcomes the opportunity to provide the European Commission with input from a public health angle in (...)

[EPT] CAP reform – new regulations - Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) revision for 2014-2020

Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) revision for 2014-2020 The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is due to be reformed by 2013. After a wide-ranging public debate the Commission presented on 18 November 2010 a Communication on "The CAP towards 2020", which outlines options for the future CAP and launched the debate with the other institutions and with stakeholders. On 12 October 2011 the Commission presented a set of legal proposals designed to make the CAP a more effective policy for a more (...)

EU Parliament votes to adopt Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) measure as part of agricultural reform

The European Parliament voted on its plenary session on 13 March on the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP). As part of this vote, amendments concerning Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) were offered and adopted as part of the Parliament’s position for the second reading procedure. The relation between AMR and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) The adopted amendment 192 and 193 introduces a new Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) standard (containing a (...)

[EPT] Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) – EP report: EU-wide plan to tackle the proliferation of AMR (22 March 2013)

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) – EP report - EU-wide plan to tackle the proliferation of AMR Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been described as one of the biggest threats to public health - a worrisome development since resistance to drugs designed to treat severe diseases is becoming more widespread. In 2001 the WHO published its Global Strategy for Containment of Antimicrobial Resistance, describing what AMR is and what strategies should be (...)

EU Agriculture Ministers reach agreement on Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform

On 19 March 2013, agriculture ministers from the EU’s Member States agreed a negotiating position on reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP). They reached an agreement on a number of issues: (1) the general approach to the proposals for the direct payments regulation; (2) the regulation for single common market organisation (CMO); (3) the rural development regulation; (4) and the horizontal regulation within the framework of reform of the CAP. Background - common agricultural (...)

[EPT] Fund for European Aid - European Fund - Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (updated on 18 March)

Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived The European Commission (DG Employment) has proposed to set up a European Aid Fund to help the most deprived persons in the EU. A successor to the Food Aid to the Most Deprived, this new Fund would support member state schemes not only by providing food aid to the most deprived people, but also clothing and other essential goods to homeless people and materially-deprived children (such as shoes, soap and shampoo). The proposal is yet to be (...)

[Press Release] Out of touch - European Parliament backs tobacco subsidies & votes an agriculture policy unfriendly to public health

Brussels, 13 March – The European Public Health & Agriculture Consortium (EPHAC) is disappointed by the European Parliament’s approval of coupling subsidies to tobacco production. Tobacco should not have a place in the 2014-2020 EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). With this move, the European Parliament (EP) wants to inject taxpayer’s money into a toxic crop that causes nearly 700,000 annual deaths (1) in the EU. Today’s vote did very little to fix all that is (...)

Decision day - Farms instead of Factories

Will our tax money continue to flow into the pockets of agribusiness and monocultures? Or will Europe’s farm subsidies finally be used to fund a sustainable and globally responsible agriculture? On 12 March 2013 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will hold a final debate on how they will vote on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) the very next day. On the very same day, civil society representatives will be in Strasbourg to call for the start of a new agricultural policy fit (...)

[Press Release] EU agriculture budget must favour healthy foodstuff, not chronic disease in the form of tobacco subsidies

Brussels, 4 March – In the run up to next week’s European Parliament (EP) vote on the 2014-2020 EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), national delegations from the three largest political groups in the EP (1) are set to decide their negotiating mandate for the agriculture funds: a budge heading that will consume 38 percent of the next seven-year EU budget. The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) calls on Europe’s political ‘families’ not to support the (...)