Needs of farmers and agri-food companies are significant, also in light of the COVID-19 crisis, and EAFRD funded financial instruments have a role to play in bridging these gaps Based on the feedback of 7,600 farmers and 2,200 agri-food companies across the EU, 24 country-specific fi-compass reports present the main challenges faced by these two groups […]
PhD student plant-microbe-insect interactions: biological control of pest insects
KU Leuven is looking for a dynamic and highly-motivated PhD student who will perform innovative scientific research in the field of biological control and chemical ecology. More specifically, they aim to improve biological control of pest insects by parasitoids (i.e. parasitic wasps that lay their eggs in other insects, their ‘hosts’) by an in-depth study of […]
Coronavirus: Commission announces further measures to support the agri-food sector
The European Commission announces a new set of measures to help the agri-food sector in this unparalleled crisis, following the outbreak of the Coronavirus. The Coronavirus response investment initiative plus (CRII+) proposed today by the European Commission introduces exceptional flexibility and simplification in the use of the European structural investment funds (ESIF), including the European agricultural fund […]
Coronavirus: supporting EU’s agri-food sector
Ensuring food security and an effective food supply chain across the continent remains one of the Commission’s priorities. Following the outbreak of coronavirus, the European Union’s agri-food sector is showing its resilience and continues to provide Europeans with high quality and safe food. Nonetheless, farmers and producers are facing difficulties and increasing pressure. The Commission […]
Open Public Consultation: Evaluation of the EU strategy on Animal Welfare
Following a recommendation from the European Court of Auditors (i.e. Special report No 31/2018 on Animal welfare in the EU), the Commission has started an evaluation of the EU Strategy for Protection and Welfare of Animals (2012-2015). This evaluation will assess the extent to which the strategy delivered on its objectives and whether they are relevant and […]
Member States must cut emissions across all sectors to achieve EU climate targets by 2030
Emission cuts in the European Union’s (EU) Effort Sharing sectors need to accelerate considerably from 2018 onwards to achieve the current EU 2030 targets, according to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing. In particular, the large amount of emission reductions from planned measures in the transport sector need to materialise through concrete actions. The EEA […]
Healthy Agricultural Soils: 24 EU countries coordinate unprecedented research programme
Over the next five years, 26 partners from 24 European countries will work together on climate-smart, sustainable management of agricultural soils. The European Joint Programme on Soil will be closely aligned with future work to be developed under the Horizon Europe Mission on “Soil health and food”, and it is expected to contribute to the […]
Promotion of Agricultural Products: Information and promotion about merits of Union agricultural products
The expected ultimate impact is to increase the awareness of the merits of Union agricultural products and to enhance the competitiveness and consumption of Union agri-food products amongst others. Scope This topic covers information provision and promotion programmes aiming at highlighting the specific features of agricultural methods in the Union and the characteristics of European agricultural and […]
The effect of wastewater contaminants on crops
Growing antibiotic resistance is risking the health of future populations. As part of the problem stems from antibiotics entering agriculture via treated wastewater. Current situation With increasing demand for freshwater resources due to climate change and global population growth, reusing wastewater has become a viable alternative for crop irrigation in water stressed regions. However, this […]