Whether it’s Mexico’s threat of banning the import of American corn, or the five-year revamp of the American Farm Bill, agriculture is not merely about growing food. As the politics of farming affects the livelihoods of each American, it transforms agricultural policy into an electoral issue. The Biden administration recently announced the creation of a […]
La nouvelle cible réglementaire de l’UE
Nos régulateurs et leur approche paternaliste risquent de faire encore des ravages. Si vous vous parfumez avant une soirée ou que vous appliquez un anti-moustique cet été, il se peut que vous utilisiez des huiles essentielles. Ces extraits concentrés de plantes sont largement utilisés à la maison, et pas seulement par les blogueurs spécialisés dans […]
Innovation in agriculture can actually drive climate protection
The challenge of food systems around the globe is to address the climate impact of agriculture. Farming accounts for about 11 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Arguably, we could just “stop farming” — as suggested by a recent viral video of an environmental protester on Twitter — but as long as we need to […]
ConsEUmer podcast / EP108: Dutch airport roadblock, Nuclear debates, and Game-changing GMOs (w/ Dr. Graham Brookes)
In this week’s episode of ConsEUmer: 🇳🇱 Dutch farmer’s party threatens Lelystad airport ☢️ Nuclear energy continues to be controversial in Brussels 🌱 How GMOs are a game-changer (w/ Dr. Graham Brookes) March 23, 2023 Follow ConsEUmer wherever you get your podcasts: Apple: https://apple.co/2HR4TLTSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3l3GZdxGoogle podcasts: https://bit.ly/3fyyzto
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 […]
L’UE met en danger tout le secteur agricole
Si le prix de la viande continue d’augmenter, le nombre de végétaliens suivra… par pure contrainte financière ! A l’heure où les capitales européennes sont le théâtre d’importantes manifestations d’agriculteurs, il est temps d’analyser ce qui a provoqué le mécontentement des acteurs du secteur agricole et ce que cela signifie pour l’ensemble de l’industrie. Au […]
ConsEUmer podcast / EP106: UK consumers downgrade, Plastic items bans, and Farming realities (w/ Jusper Machogu)
In this week’s ConsEUmer episode: 🇬🇧 UK consumers are buying own-label brands to cut costs 🧋 What are the effects of an EU single-use plastic ban? (w/ Emil Panzaru) 🚜 Modern agriculture and human progress (w/ Jusper Machogu) Correction note: Jusper let us know that the numbers of mecanised farm material versus manual labour would […]
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 / EP102: Subsidy war, IP changes, and Chemophobia (w/ Dr. Angela Bearth)
In this week’s episode of ConsEUmer: 💸 The EU considers its options in response to the Inflation Reduction Act ⚕️ Proposed Commission changes on patents are a bad idea (w/ Fred Roeder) 🧪 What makes us afraid of chemicals? (w/ Dr. Angela Bearth) You can follow Dr. Angela Bearth on Twitter @a_bearth, or on her […]
Feeding 8 Billion People Has Never Been Easier
The United Nations recently confirmed that the world population has officially reached 8 billion. However, what should be a celebration of humanity’s ability to innovate and populate has many analysts worried about the future: How is the planet supposed to lodge, power and feed this large number of people? According to a recent Politico headline, for one, climate […]