I was a guest on Agriculture of America to talk about Dutch and EU agriculture policy and why it faces pushback.
ConsEUmer podcast / EP117: Tax Magic & TAP Turbulence (w/ Jorge Teixeira)
This week’s episode is aviation-heavy: 💶 The study by T&E on kerosene taxes is just very wrong 🇵🇹 The political scandal surrounding Portugal’s national airline (w/ Jorge Teixeira) (also, the date is June 1st for this episode, not June 2nd as I said in the episode… my bad!) June 1, 2023 Follow ConsEUmer wherever you […]
For the farm bill to do any good, it needs to prioritize this one thing
Is the farm bill a welfare program for slackers or the last-ever chance to create a sustainable food model for the future? Listening to Republicans and Democrats, those seem to be the only two choices. The $1 trillion-plus spending package that is the 2023 farm bill is set to become an unprecedented point of contention […]
Dutch Farmers’ Party Election Win Foreshadows Europe’s Environmental Battles
The Farmer-Citizen Movement, or BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB), won big in the recent Dutch provincial elections, raking up a whopping 15 of the 75 seats in the Senate. This makes it the strongest party in the Netherlands’ upper chamber, with the ability to undermine the government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte. The BBB was created in 2019, […]
Food Trade with Europe Should Be a Bipartisan Priority
The United States has the opportunity to upgrade its food exports to increase revenues for farmers, but for that to happen it needs to negotiate a comprehensive trade deal with Europe. For reference, America exports more food to Japan, a market of 125 million consumers, than to the European Union, which holds (with its associated […]
Are the Feds Coming for Your Amazon Prime Account Next?
According to the Wall Street Journal, tech giant Amazon may soon face an antitrust lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Amazon has, for years, faced criticism for its business model which is seen by regulators and (some) politicians as “anticompetitive” – whether it is the accusation of preferencing its own products in its online store, […]
Europe’s Farm Reforms Come to Haunt It
When the European Commission (the EU’s executive arm) unveiled the “Farm to Fork” (often referred to as F2F) strategy in May 2020, the repercussions of the years to come were unknown. Brussels laid out an ambitious roadmap for agricultural reform: reducing land use, severe cuts in synthetic crop protection, reduction in synthetic fertilizers and boosting […]
ConsEUmer podcast / EP104: Hands off my booze (Consumer Choice Radio joint episode)
This week’s episode is a joint episode with the friends at Consumer Choice Radio. One of our topics in this episode: Ireland attempts to stick warning labels on your booze, and we’re not a fan. February 23, 2023 Check out more of Consumer Choice Radio: https://consumerchoicecenter.org/radio/ Follow ConsEUmer wherever you get your podcasts: Apple: https://apple.co/2HR4TLTSpotify: […]
ConsEUmer podcast / EP94: Energy treaty battles, Maltese cannabis, and Sharing Economy Index 2022 (w/ Emil Panzaru)
In this week’s ConsEUmer podcast: 🛢️ The Energy Charter Treaty is coming under fire 🇲🇹 Malta will legalise cannabis, but not every is happy 📱 Sharing Economy Index 2022 (w/ Emil Panzaru) Follow Emil Panzaru on Twitter @EmilPanzaru. Support the war effort in Ukraine: https://www.recyclerussia.com/ November 24, 2022 Follow ConsEUmer wherever you get your podcasts: […]
ConsEUmer podcast / EP93: French domestic flights, Hungary’s price caps, and the Dangers of TikTok (w/ Adam Kovacevich)
In this week’s episode of the ConsEUmer podcast: 🇫🇷 The effects of France’s ban on domestic flights 🇭🇺 Hungary implements price caps (w/ Zoltán Kész) 🎵 Is TikTok a threat? (w/ Adam Kovacevich) Follow Zoltán Kész on Twitter @KeszZoltan. Follow Adam Kovacevich on Twitter @adamkovac. Zoltán’s press release: https://consumerchoicecenter.org/orbans-price-caps-on-food-and-fuel-will-lead-to-shortages/ Adam’s post: https://www.smerconish.com/exclusive-content/tiktok-is-a-runaway-success-but-its-chinese-ownership-is-problematic-for-the-u-s/ Support the war […]
Bill Wirtz 