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Massive overproduction has pushed the dairy sector into a serious crisis, forcing many producers throughout Europe onto the streets to protest.
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ARC2020 September Newsletter

Hello and welcome to our September Newsletter.
 
As we settle into the more typical pace of work, the terrain seems a little different. A new cycle of generating a new CAP is beginning. And yet, this time, it seems farming and rural areas are not the EU priority they once were.

The signs are everywhere, yet they exist mostly in the background. They ripple as whispers at events like the Cork 2.0 Rural Development Conference held Monday and Tuesday of this week.

This follow up event to the establishment of Pillar 2 of CAP - 1996's Cork 1 - was an altogether more sober and somber affair than its predecessor.

Then the EU was expanding.The Declaration Cork 1 produced even made reference to no re-nationalisation of the CAP. Now, movements opposing the EU are popping up everywhere, including in rural areas: somehow, most UK farmers voted for Brexit. The countryside faces further disenfranchisement as the EU Commission de-emphasises rural investment. This is not a recipe to stem the rise of these new, inward looking tendencies. After all, so many of these trends are expressed in rural regions, from Carlisle to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Just what EU policy makers will, as it were,  make and do with rural development will emerge in the coming years. We will track it  - and we will input.

For more, see our two recent articles on the Cork events, here and here.

In a context of this EU rural de-prioritisation, of the emergence of other huge challenges - from the refugee crisis to  climate change - actors in rural areas and elsewhere will have to step up to the plate and make of the situation what they can, with creativity.

Expect many more farmers in the streets than in the current dairy crisis between now and the next CAP.

In rural, social, farming and environmental solidarity!

Dr. Oliver Moore and Luise Körner (Communications Team, ARC2020)
Direct Payments
post-brexit anger

How are CAP Pillar 1 Direct Payments Distributed?

Each year, the Commission presents a report on the distribution of direct aids to agricultural producers. In this report, the Commission presents the breakdown of direct payments by Member State and size-class of aid. In anticipation of the new figures on direct payments distribution, due in a couple of weeks, Alan Matthews shows in detail just how unbalanced CAP payments are between higher and lower income farmers. Read the full analysis at our website.

 

The new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, faces an unenviable task: putting farmers out of business. Those that survive will rely on advanced pesticides and intensified, genetically-modified crops. After Brexit, the UK is expected to leave the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Direct payments, or subsidies, from the CAP provide more than half of the income of the average UK farmer. Without EU subsidies, up to 90% of UK farms would not survive. Read the full article here.
Glyphosate
ARC2020 Series: Agroecology Alternatives to Pesticides and Herbicides
Part 1 | Part 2

In our dedicated series, Oliver Moore explores the options for food producers. Part 1 of the series takes a closer look at the mixed signals being sent to farmers by EU authorities on pesticides and herbicides. In Part 2 we learn about mechanical and other non-chemical weed management techniques directly from an Irish organic farmer. 
CAPSELLA
Events
The CAPSELLA project has just launched an interactive map and is also conducting a stakeholder survey. The project aims to encourage better farming by better use of already available and now far more affordable technologies. Everything from the internet of things to open soil information and primary biodiversity data enable this. ARC2020 attended and presented at the Summer workshop.
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