Prospects of a free trade deal with India

During the summer the EU Council published “A Globally Connected Europe”, in which it outlined its geopolitical strategy towards Asia, intending to deepen its …

Time to finish fishing subsidies

Historically the EU has subsidised certain industries, especially those in the agricultural sector. EU fisheries are no exception, with the European Maritime and Fisheries …

Food Security in the wake of Covid-19

Global food supply chains have been disrupted by restrictions on movement, and rising food protectionism has threatened access to food and its affordability. Emerging …

A new pro-science citizens’ initiative deserves support

A new student organized EU Citizens’ Initiative demands a streamlined process of authorising scientific innovations in the field of agriculture. They deserve to be …

Agricultural innovation over intervention

There is reason to believe that population growth, natural resource scarcity and climate change will challenge agriculture to deliver food security in the coming …

Corrupting CAP

A tale of corruption, political scandals, and even murder: the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has turned agriculture in Europe into an environmentally unsustainable, …

CAP Subsidies Harm the Environment

Environmental degradation is a regular by-product of agricultural practices. Greenhouse gases, mass irrigation, water quality issues, and disrupted ecosystems are all examples of side …

CAP Subsidies Impinge on Australasian Free Trade

In a world of increasing economic protectionism, the EU claims to remain committed to free and fair international trade. Yet, the Common Agricultural Policy …

New Zealand is a testament to the benefits of market liberalisation – and a warning of the subsequent back peddling that can arise

Jamie Whyte at the First Economic Freedom Summit, addressing liberalising reforms in New Zealand
The transformation of New Zealand’s economic policy from 1972 …

Doing more with less: The future of the Common Agricultural Policy post-2020

On May 2 the European Commission released a Communication that outlined the Union’s overall budgetary plan for the 2021 – 2027 Multiannual Financial Framework …

Glyphosate: the case for constructive realism

For a number of years now, the use of the glyphosate molecule as a herbicide has been controversial to the point that the member …

Accepting the scientific consensus: GMOs in the EU

The ECJ ruled that Italy had been wrong to ban the cultivation of an EU-approved genetically modified maize. This was a big victory for …

Reforming the Common Agricultural Policy

The EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has undergone several waves of reforms over the last few decades. Yet, many market- and trade-distorting practices still …

Let’s make EU agriculture great again: lessons from New Zealand

As the debate on the modernisation and simplification of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) gathers pace, European policymakers are called – once again …

Sea Change: How Markets and Property Rights Can Advance the Common Fisheries Policy

As the United Kingdom withdraws from the European Union, the UK Government is expected to lay claim to a 200-nautical-mile fishing border off its …

The CAP and the struggle for development policy coherence

Since the 1992 MacSharry reform, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has undergone substantial changes. However, despite a noticeable move towards less market- and trade- …

The precautionary principle and the GMO paradox

 
Since the adoption of the 1990 Directive 90/220/EEC the EU has “de facto” imposed a moratorium on cultivating GM crops.
As the European …

The Common Agricultural Policy: a drag on productivity?

Since the 1992 “MacSharry” Reform, which – among other things – scaled down price support to farmers and replaced it with direct payments, the …

Innovation in Agriculture

The Common Agricultural Policy
Population growth, natural resource scarcity and climate change will challenge agriculture to deliver food security in the coming decades. Innovative …

Innovation in Food Labelling

18 October, 2016
 
Geographical Indications
 
According the European Commission, a Geographical Indication (GI) is “a distinctive sign used to identify a product …

Ploughing the Wrong Furrow

The precautionary principle provides non-farming interest groups with a pseudo-official means of influencing policy. The result is a drift towards overregulation and regulatory failures …

Prospects for agricultural reform in the EU

6 April 2016
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is today the EU’s most expensive policy, taking up almost half of the annual budget. It …

EU Member States’ bans on GM crops defy reason

Diego Zuluaga // 26.10.2015
On Sunday, the New York Times ran a powerful op-ed (“With GMO policies, Europe turns against science,” Sunday 25 Oct …

A Human Challenge: Environment, growth and the future of our planet

 
Niklas Elert, Timbro, May 2014
 
Economic growth is not necessarily bad for the environment. On the contrary, a richer world is in …