Food

Agribusiness lobbying in Brussels involves biotech, food, animal feed, agrofuels and pesticide producers targeting decision makers to weaken regulations or to get subsidies. You can find CEO's work on food and agriculture here or visit our specific page on the EU's food safety authority (EFSA).

Round Table Set to Certify Damaging Soy

02.09.2008

Buenos Aires/Asunción/Amsterdam The Round Table on Responsible Soy is seeking to legitimise irresponsible, socially and environmentally damaging soy production, according to a new report published today (Tuesday 22 April) ahead of the Round Table on Responsible Soy’s third conference in Buenos Aires [1].

PRRI: are these public researchers?

18.06.2008

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) biosafety negotiations have been the target ofbiotech industry lobbyists and pro-biotech governments from the outset. But some have taken a more subtle approach to their lobbying, hiding their agenda beneath a veneer of public interest. Scrape beneath the surface however and their links to the biotech industry become clear. One such organisation is the Public Research and Regulation Initiative (PRRI) which appeared on the scene after the first biosafety negotiations under the CBD.

The Round Table on Ir-Responsible Soy

10.06.2008

This report, compiled by ASEED Europe, Base Investigataciones Sociales,Corporate Europe Observatory, Grupo de Reflexión Rural and the Rain
Forest Action Network, looks at the impacts of soy production in Latin America ahead of the third Round Table on Responsible Soy conference, and warns that rather than promoting more sustainable production, the Round Table is legitimising the existing environmentally and socially destructive practices within the soy industry.

MEP report calls to drop target

04.06.2008

The report by the European Parliament’s Rapporteur for the new laws on biofuels, Claude Turmes MEP, concludes that there is “overwhelming evidence to drop the mandatory 10 per cent target for fuels from renewables” [1].

Campaigners from a range of Europe-wide organisations welcomed the proposals to scrap the target and urged the industry and environment committees to drop the target [2].

Sofia Monsalve
Suárez from FIAN said:

A view from Bonn

04.06.2008

Bonn, 19 May -- The biosafety negotiations in Bonn ended without a legally binding agreement on who could be held liable for compensation
for damage caused by GM crops. Negotiators reached an "accord" which will be negotiated further over the next two years. This time it was Japan blocking progress, with the silent approval of New Zealand, Peru,and probably others. This does not look good for Japan who is host for the next CBD.

Groups Slam Industry's Agrofuel Plans

26.03.2008

Civil society groups demonstrated this morning in front of a gathering of the European Biofuels Technology Platform (EBFTP) in Brussels, protesting against the plans of this industry-led EU advisory group for a dramatic boost of Europe’s target for agrofuels use in transport to 25% (by 2030). The EBFTP’s demand comes at a time when the European Commission’s current proposal for a 10% target is facing intensive criticism due to the severe social and environmental effects of expanding production of agrofuels crops, especially in developing countries.

Open letter to Commissioner Potočnik

12.03.2008

On 15 January 2008, six organisations and networks sent a letter of protest to Research Commissioner Janez Potočnik about the ‘Strategic Research Agenda’ and ‘Strategy Deployment Document’ composed by the European Biofuels Technology Platform.This platform, initiated by the European Commission itself, is heavily dominated by industry and has been given the opportunity to advise the EU about how public research money should be spent regarding agrofuel research. But not only that.

Paving the way for agrofuels

29.08.2007

The EU is proposing a 10 per cent mandatory target for agrofuel use in transport by 2020. Yet there is strong and growing evidence that, far from reducing emissions, the rush to agrofuels will significantly accelerate climate change and contribute to a range of other social and environmental problems. While criticism of agrofuels grows, EU policy makers are developing ‘sustainability’ criteria and standards for agrofuels and biomass.

The EU's agrofuel folly

04.06.2007

Despite growing public concern about the risks associated to agrofuels, the European Union (EU) is throwing its weight behind the promotion of these often very harmful crops. In March 2007, a proposal set targets to increase the use of agrofuels in all road transport fuel to 10 percent by 2020. The Commission is also planning to channel large amounts of EU public funds towards the research & development of agrofuel projects.This report looks at the EU's Agrofuel Folly.