Europe

The day article 50 was triggered

A token post to mark a momentous day in British and European history (I’ll draw the line at saying world history so as not to inflate British sense of self-importance). At 12.30 today Theresa May will officially trigger Article 50, launching two years of incredibly complex negotiations that will decide the future relationship between BritainContinueContinue reading “The day article 50 was triggered”

What is High Nature Value Farming and why should we support it?

Recently I came across High Nature Value farming (HNV) as an ‘alternative’ approach to looking at the food and environmental sustainability debate. The more I have read the more embarrassed I feel to not have heard about it before. In fact, it has deep roots as an idea and has been European policy for someContinueContinue reading “What is High Nature Value Farming and why should we support it?”

French Agriculture and the 51st Salon de l’Agriculture

This year is the International Year of Family Farming, a UN scheme that aims to ‘raise the profile of family farming and smallholder farming by focusing world attention on its significant role in eradicating hunger and poverty, providing food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods, managing natural resources, protecting the environment, and achieving sustainable development, in particularContinueContinue reading “French Agriculture and the 51st Salon de l’Agriculture”

A New Common Agricultural Policy for Europe

I have written before on the prospect of a new CAP for a new era of farming in Europe. The proposed changes were actually published about 6 weeks ago but it has taken a bit of time to sift through everything and really look at who wins and who loses out of this new approach.ContinueContinue reading “A New Common Agricultural Policy for Europe”

The biodiversity challenge in Europe

Yesterday evening I attended the 43rd Annual Bristol University Alumni Convocation Lecture. The subject chosen was something of great interest to me personally, ‘Biodiversity in Europe’, delivered by Dr Hans Friedrich, who only recently left his post as the European Regional Director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Dr Friedrich, a Dutch geographerContinueContinue reading “The biodiversity challenge in Europe”