*[Enwl-eng] More factory farms?
ENWLine
Would you sign off on a death sentence to nature? Would you sign a deal that will kill more bees and birds? That will pollute our water and air? That's exactly what could happen if European leaders sign off on plans for how we'll farm in Europe for years to come.
The new EU agriculture deal will pay billions to industrial farms, fuelling the environmental crisis. Farmers will get money based on how large their fields are and how many animals they have. [1] Their farms require massive amounts of artificial fertilisers, chemical pesticides, and antibiotics. This threatens our health, pollutes the countryside and destroys soil. Many small-scale farmers are giving up.
We thought all was lost in October when the European Parliament agreed to this deal. But youth activists across Europe have pressured powerful politicians to drop it. Executive Vice President of the EU Commission, Frans Timmermans, joined them saying: “The agricultural policy is not sustainable [and] cannot continue like this." [2]
We don't have much time left to tip the scales: this Saturday youth activists will rise up across Europe to put real pressure on the EU Commission. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Commission, can still withdraw the deal - but she won't do that unless a whole lot of us speak out. [3]
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Youth climate activists sparked an important debate on the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) last year and showed how this deal undermines efforts to protect the climate and nature. This is our chance to join them.
The EU Commission has the right to propose and to withdraw legal plans. Even at this final stage of negotiations, Commission President von der Leyen has the power to propose an alternative sustainable and greener package. In her words, she has been a champion of climate action. But now she needs to act - to ensure this agriculture deal doesn't destroy her good intentions.
Together with activists around Europe we can put pressure on the Commission to stop the CAP. It will take a massive, joint effort of all of us. It's not often that the Commission has pulled out from a deal. But if there's one thing we've learnt over the last year it's that the impossible can become possible overnight. Let’s stop this disastrous deal before it’s too late!
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It’s when we work together with movements and activists across Europe that we bring about the biggest change. Together we helped bring climate activists into the European Parliament for a die-in that sparked climate action on EU level. Together over 4 years we fought against patents on plants and animals -- and won. [4] Together we can move our leaders again.
Thank you,
David (London), Annemarie (Berlin), Mika (Bordeaux) and
the entire WeMove Europe team
PS: The agriculture deal forces farmers either to intensify their farming in order to compete, or to quit farming. Many are giving up: between 2007 and 2013, three million farms disappeared in Europe. [5] We cannot keep losing small farms in Europe. Sign now.
References:
[1] The common agricultural policy,
known as CAP, pays subsidies to EU farmers. It’s a big deal. It
distributes 35% of the EU's budget.
[2]
https://euobserver.com/green-deal/150068
[3]
https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/euobs-media/7aa83d256634f1bd5d1ec216481bb453.pdf
[4]
https://www.wemove.eu/big-win-patents?utm_source=civimail-34693&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20210115
https://www.wemove.eu/sites/wemove.eu/files/2019_wemoveeu_annual_report_eng.pdf?utm_source=civimail-34693&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20210115
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=534461327106848
[5]
http://www.srfood.org/images/stories/pdf/officialreports/20110308_a-hrc-16-49_agroecology_en.pdf
Resources:
EU misses 2020 biodiversity targets:
https://www.eurogroupforanimals.org/news/eu-misses-2020-biodiversity-targets-long-shot-eea-report-shows
WeMove Europe is an independent and values-based organisation that seeks to build people power to transform Europe in the name of our community, future generations and the planet.
WeMove Europe is funded by donations from our community across Europe. Can you chip in with a few euros a month and help make sure we can move fast to win the campaigns that matter to all of us? Donate
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