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 […]
Agriculture is set to become next hot political issue
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 […]
Biden’s Air Passenger Compensation Scheme is just Smoke and Mirrors
President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have announced plans that would require airlines to pay compensation to passengers in case of flight disruptions that are within the purview of the airline. The move echoes legislation that has existed in the European Union for almost two decades. In principle, delay compensation sounds good. If […]
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, […]
L’incohérence des subventions en Europe
Nous devons revenir aux principes fondateurs du marché commun. Selon une tendance que j’ai décrite à plusieurs reprises dans La Chronique Agora, les pays européens s’orientent de plus en plus vers des modèles de subventionnement de l’industrie, dans le but de s’aligner sur les très vastes projets des États-Unis visant à soutenir les transitions économiques respectueuses […]
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 / EP109: Too many ads & Healthcare costs (co-hosted w/ Liz Hicks)
This week’s episode of ConsEUmer is co-hosted with U.S Affairs Analyst Elizabeth Hicks! We’re talking about: 📺 How many ads is too many? 🩺 What is the best healthcare system? You can follow Elizabeth Hicks on Twitter @eohicks. March 30, 2023 Follow ConsEUmer wherever you get your podcasts: Apple: https://apple.co/2HR4TLTSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3l3GZdxGoogle podcasts: https://bit.ly/3fyyzto
FTC Blocking Microsoft-Activision Will Worsen Consumers’ Gaming
In many households, the word “PlayStation” has become synonymous with gaming in the same way that we now “Google” things or “call an Uber.” The same with kiwis. Did you know they are actually a trademark, and the fruit is actually called Chinese gooseberries? When brand names overtake the initial descriptions of their product, it […]
New EU Regs Could Hurt US Farmers
The European Union is carving out the legislative framework for so-called Sustainable Food Systems (SFS). In essence, these new regulations would label and then seek to phase out what Europe considers to be the least sustainable food products. This measure will hit European producers as much as American exports to the EU. In a leaked […]
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 […]