GMOs
Green party insists no U-turn on gene-editing despite recent dissent
Est. 4minFollowing a paper in which a group of German Green MPs and one MEP unexpectedly backed the use of gene-editing technologies, EURACTIV spoke to MEP Martin Häusling, agriculture spokesman for the Greens/EFA in the European Parliament, who stressed that nothing has changed for the party, which has historically been vocally opposed to the technology.
EFSA will keep British experts despite Brexit [Part II]
Est. 6minThe European Food Safety Authority will keep UK experts in its ranks despite Brexit, because science does not recognise borders "and we want to have the best people", the EU food watchdog chief told EURACTIV.com in an exclusive interview.
EFSA chief: Assessing fast-changing agrifood innovation is key challenge [Part I]
Est. 8minBeing equipped with the right methods to assess industry’s rapidly changing innovation will be a key challenge for the European Food Safety Agency, (EFSA), Bernhard Url, the EU food watchdog's chief, told EURACTIV.com in a wide-ranging interview.
French MEP: When it comes to the environment, the future CAP is regressive
Est. 6minIn an interview with EURACTIV France, French MEP and vice-chair of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group Eric Andrieu spoke about the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and highlighted its lack of environmentally-focused provisions.
EFSA boss: Next time we should also assess consequences without glyphosate
Est. 11minThe next re-authorisation process for the controversial glyphosate weedkiller should also include an assessment of a potential ban of the substance in terms of food availability, biodiversity and farmers’ income, Bernhard Url told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Bayer boss: Digital farming-sustainable production link ‘not yet clear’ to policymakers
Est. 8minThe connection between digital farming and sustainable production is not yet clear in the minds of many policymakers, Bayer’s Bruno Tremblay told EURACTIV.com in an interview, adding that some farmers look at this kind of innovation as a way to control them.
EFSA boss: Our advice should not be misused for short-term political interests
Est. 9minThe selective approach of some campaign groups regarding the credibility of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) results in a “general erosion of trust” in the bodies designed to protect public health, EFSA director Bernhard Url told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
British farmers’ boss: I hope outside the EU, decisions will be science-based
Est. 8minThe leader of Britain's farming union, Meurig Raymond, hopes that the agriculture-related decisions made in London after his country leaves the EU will be more science-based and less emotional than is currently the case in Europe.
UK shadow minister: Britain needs a real food policy after Brexit
Est. 9minAfter Brexit, the UK should develop a real food policy focused on consumer health and self-sufficiency, while ensuring public money gets to the farmers who need it, David Drew told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
FAO official: GMOs not needed but we should be open to biotechnologies
Est. 11minThe 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.
EFSA boss: Trust in integrity of science has a cost
Est. 24minStudies 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).
José Bové: ‘The purpose of agriculture is to feed our citizens’
Est. 4minThe 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.
Nobel Laureate: EU politicians ignore ‘politically unwelcome’ GMO science
Est. 5minEuropean politicians support a great deal of scientific research but they often do not pay attention to the results if they are “politically unwelcome”, Nobelist Richard Roberts told EURACTIV.com.
Tony Simons: Agroforestry is a ‘win-win’ for developing nations
Est. 7minAgroforestry 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.
Trade body: Don’t lump ‘new plant breeding techniques’ in with GMOs
Est. 12minIf new plant breeding techniques fall under GMO legislation, SMEs in Europe will be severely hit, Dr Teresa Babuscio said in an interview with EURACTIV.com
Agriculture Secretary: Geographic protection ‘not an easy issue’ in TTIP
Est. 11minEXCLUSIVE / Tom Vilsack, the United States Secretary of Agriculture, said that Washington “respects” Europe’s claim for geographic protection of food in the transatlantic trade talks. But he said this should not prevent similar US products from being marketed under brands used on the American market.
Jeremy Rifkin: ‘Number two cause of global warming emissions? Animal husbandry’
Est. 13minAn 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.
Hogan: Empowering women farmers in developing countries is ‘absolutely crucial’
Est. 8minSPECIAL REPORT/ In a wide-ranging exclusive interview, Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan shared his vision of how the EU and developing countries could greatly improve global food security togther, through innovation and sustainable farming practices.
Commission official: The EU is not going to change its food legislation because of TTIP
Est. 13minThe EU is not going to change its food safety legislation under the negotiation for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which means that GMOs can be marketed in the EU only once they have been authorised, and beef from the USA would be marketable in Europe only if it is hormone free, Ignacio Garcia Bercero of the European Commission told EURACTIV Czech Republic.
Farming boss: TTIP must not rock the boat
Est. 9minThe Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership the EU and the US are trying to establish is being called the "mother of all bilateral trade agreements", but negotiators must jump the potentially damaging hurdles of GMOs and hormone-raised meat and avoid rocking consumer confidence in either market, says Pekka Pesonen.
EU chief scientist: ‘It is unethical not to use GM technology’
Est. 6minGenetically modified crops can provide solutions to famine and malnutrition in developing countries and it would be "unethical not to use the technology when other approaches have failed," says Anne Glover.
Risk expert: Policymakers often misuse precautionary principle
Est. 14minEvaluating risk requires a balance of quantitative assessment and regulatory review. But often in the European Union, there is a “misuse” of the precautionary principle to appease national of political interests, says Ragnar Löfstedt.
EU science advisor: ‘Lots of policies are not based on evidence’
Est. 17minPoliticians sometimes shy away from science, but they should be clear about why they reject scientific evidence in future, the European Commission’s first chief scientific advisor told EURACTIV. In an interview, she says GMOs are a good example of where policy has trumped science.
Brown: ‘We are on the edge’ regarding food security
Est. 10minThe world faces a severe food security crisis as a result of climate change, soil erosion and population growth. Food security is a much greater threat to national security than armed aggression, Lester Brown told EURACTIV in this exclusive interview on the fringes of the 'Forum for the Future of Agriculture'.