Flashlight of the CAP

All Plants Bulletin is deeply interested in how the Common Agricultural Policy 2014-2020 is shaping up.

It's not just the fact that we have some rural development communication background. It's easy to see, that EU funding is deeply affecting the food we eat, the countryside we walk on, the livelihoods of people living still outside the urban areas. The air, the waters, the animals, the plants. It's extremely important, yet, the debate is raging on largely outside the public's attention.

The new CAP is almost done, here is how Friends of the Earth describes the situation:

• Members of the European Parliament voted to reject attempts to scrap most of the European Commission’s wish to ensure that farmers carry out some basic environmental measures in order to get public subsidies;
• The rotation of crops, crucial to protect soil and water, reduce emissions, and preserve wildlife, and beneficial for both farmers and the environment, is not included. This will lead to the further expansion of monoculture farming practices and an increase in accompanying pesticides use;
• Large industrial farms will continue to receive the lion’s share of the subsidies while small farmers will find it harder to survive;
• Developing countries will still be expected to deliver cheap raw materials for the European food industry and will not be protected from the dumping of Europe’s surplus production on their markets.

We will be back with more updates on the subject soon. Meanwhile, direct your hardest questions to your MEPs!