“The proposed simplification rules will ultimately only exacerbate discontent in the farming community” warns small farmers organisation European Coordination Via Campesina and organic farmers org IFOAM Organics Europe in a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen 👇

Gutted to see the redundancies at openDemocracy - the UK is losing so many vital independent journalists and outlets at the moment, there are real implications for scrutiny of politicians and corporates. Solidarity with everyone laid off.

New: Lobbyists for the world’s biggest meat companies have celebrated the outcome of the COP28 climate summit in December, which they say left them “excited” and “enthusiastic” for their industry's prospects. 1/

desmog.com/2024/04/08/us-…

Meat lobbyists were “excited” and “enthusiastic” for their industry’s prospects after Cop28

While scientists and campaigners criticised the summit's failure to take vital steps for cutting meat and dairy consumption

Great scoop by Rachel Sherrington for DeSmog

I know many of you will be shocked, but this piece by Matt Ridley in the The Telegraph on solar farms has quite a lot wrong with it

Let’s start with the impact on farming. Getting to the target of 70GW will take ~0.4-0.7% of English farmland

Not the ‘5-10%’ Ridley claims…

Quite a finding: more than 80% of EU ag subsidies go to high-emissions animal agriculture. 'We’re incentivising the worst-case scenario' - Paul Behrens

theguardian.com/environment/20…

Agricultural subsidies in Europe, per kg of product.

Important trends in UK GHG emissions.

As other parts of the economy decarbonise at a faster rate than agriculture, farming becomes a greater % of national emissions.

1/

More CAP cuts coming
leaked doc available at the link

In POLITICOEurope this morning.
“[It represents] a massive rollback of the already limited green requirements within the CAP, several EU officials told Morning Agri.“
This comes a couple of days after EU EnvironmentAgency #EUCRA stark warning on #climate risks…

(It's a grim read)

'Hundreds of thousands of people would die from heatwaves'

As EU politicians plough down green policies ahead of the elections

The European Env Agency publishes its first assessment on devastating impacts of climate inaction for the continent 😧
eea.europa.eu/publications/e…

It's brave to speak out, especially when it risks upsetting your peers. martin williams shares his worries Scribehound about No Farmers, No Food & explains why he & others left the original WhatsApp group because of 'horrendous & vile' content #NoFarmersNoFood
scribehound.com/lifestyle/s/on…

Great take on No Farmers, No Food, conspiracy theories and hijacking of farming protests in Scribehound

'It was just horrendous. It was conspiracy theorists, campaign organisers, all trying to get their noses in front like racehorses, pushing agendas'
scribehound.com/lifestyle/s/on…

NATURE NEWS from Labour's shadow defra team. They say they want to end the use of bee killing neonicotinoid pesticides - which the government yesterday granted the use of. Tiny amounts can kill millons of bees. theguardian.com/environment/20…

Context: The US has pushed 'climate-smart' ag at COP, allied with big agribusiness

It has also promoted it in opposition to the EU's green farming reforms, which could've come at high cost to US multinationals

(Ace article by Rachel Sherrington on COP27 👇)
desmog.com/2022/10/06/aim…

'More than 50% of US funds for ‘climate-smart’ farming do not help crisis... and in some cases, would even increase' emissions 👀

theguardian.com/environment/20…

'Animal agriculture giants are waging a disinformation war', claims a new report.

Meat and dairy groups are spending millions of dollars to cast vegan products as unhealthy, unnatural and ultra-processed.

Latest DeSmog report from Clare Carlile 👇

desmog.com/2024/03/01/mea…

🔴NEW 🔴

Meat Industry Using ‘Misinformation’ to Block Dietary Change, Report Finds

✍️ Clare Carlile

desmog.com/2024/03/01/mea…

The meat and feed industries find allies in universities when it comes to climate obstruction, and the 'researchers' they hire do more PR and lobbying than research -- article with Viveca Morris: link.springer.com/article/10.100…