Nature & Food

#Farming

Industrial farming has a huge impact on the climate, the local environment and our health. Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers pollute our soil and the air we breathe, while deforestation to make space for intensive farming and meat production fuels greenhouse gas emissions. It's time to shift to a sustainable farming system that works with nature, not against it.

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Publications

Patchy at best: EU unveils coronavirus recovery plan – Greenpeace

May 2020

The European Commission’s €1.85 trillion recovery plan is contradictory at best and damaging at worst, said Greenpeace.

Three tests for Europe’s Covid recovery plans

May 2020

As the European Commission and many European governments decide on recovery plans worth trillions of euro, Greenpeace warned that ‘green growth’ - as touted by Commission President Ursula von der…

EU Commission says meat harms climate and nature, but does nothing

May 2020

Last-minute U-turn on meat advertising reveals internal fights

President von der Leyen: EU Farm to Fork plan must cut meat and dairy

May 2020

It is no exaggeration to say that intensive animal farming is the largest single problem with the global food system, and it would be extremely remiss to ignore this in…

Will the Commission get to the meat of the food and nature crisis?

May 2020

Reductions in meat and dairy will make or break European Commission’s ‘Farm to Fork’ and ‘Biodiversity 2030’ plans 

Letter to EU Commission: scrap the CAP

May 2020

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to unfold, it is increasingly clear that we are witnessing a crisis on top of other already existing crises, concerning human and planetary health, climate…

Scrap the CAP: a fresh start for Europe's food system

May 2020

We already knew the global food system was broken. Controlled by corporate powers, it drives destruction of natural ecosystems and contributes massively to climate breakdown.

The EU must scrap the CAP

May 2020

New farm subsidy system needed for post-Covid-19 Europe Brussels – The European Union must scrap its common agricultural policy (CAP) and start again to build a food and farming system…

Save small farmers and stop public money for factory farming to avoid pandemics

April 2020

The EU and European national governments must save small farmers but block any support for industrial animal farming in rescue packages or other public subsidies, to lower the risk

15 European governments call for green recovery plan

April 2020

Ten governments from across the EU issued an open statement calling for a green recovery as a response to the Covid-19 crisis and the resulting economic downturn.

How the EU’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic could make our society more resilient

March 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic is showing just how fragile our societies, economies and democracies can be. Along with many other organisations and governments, the European Union is scrambling to prevent the…

EU climate diet: 71% less meat by 2030

March 2020

Meat consumption in the European Union should drop by 71% by 2030, and by 81% by 2050, to tackle farming’s contribution to climate breakdown, according to new analysis by Greenpeace.

EU must stop importing food treated with banned pesticides

March 2020

A wide range of NGOs have written to the EU Commission to say that the EU needs to be consistent. If a pesticide isn’t allowed, it shouldn’t be exported, nor…

Food for a healthier life and planet

March 2020

Greenpeace priorities for the European Commission’s ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy

EU Farm to Fork plan must tackle meat and dairy

February 2020

Brussels – Greenpeace and 19 other NGOs wrote to European Commissioners Timmermans, Kyriakides, Wojciechowski and Sinkevičius, calling on them to stop ignoring meat and dairy in the European Commission’s upcoming…

EU Commission in denial about Europe’s industrial meat problem, Greenpeace

February 2020

Brussels – A European Commission presentation to national governments on the Commission’s upcoming ‘farm-to-fork’ strategy denies Europe’s industrial meat problem, said Greenpeace. The presentation, given on 31 January by the…

No Planet B

Open letter to Commission President von der Leyen on the European Green Deal

December 2019

Greenpeace sent a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her team, calling on them to use the European Green Deal to restructure the economic system that for…

Politicians Talk - Leaders Act

Leaked European Green Deal is not up to the task, Greenpeace

November 2019

Brussels, 29 November 2019 – Draft plans for a European Green Deal would have minimal impact on the worsening climate and ecological emergencies, warned Greenpeace.  Greenpeace has obtained a recent…

Incoming EU farming boss must back less and better meat and dairy, Greenpeace

October 2019

The nominee to be the next European agriculture commissioner, Janusz Wojciechowski of Poland, must steer EU farm policy away from industrial production of meat and dairy to keep his promises…

Activists urge von der Leyen to save forests, fight climate breakdown

September 2019

Incoming EU Commission President greeted in The Hague with burning globe The Hague – Greenpeace activists greeted incoming President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, this evening in…

European leaders must stop complicity in Amazon fires

August 2019

Twenty-six NGOs sent an open letter to European leaders urging them to end European complicity in the fires raging in the Amazon. NGOs believe the EU can act decisively in…

UN report on land exploitation exposes blind spot in EU climate action

August 2019

EU Green Deal must begin shift to climate change-resilient farming, Greenpeace Brussels – A landmark UN report on the impact of human land exploitation has exposed a giant gap in the…

340+ organisations call on EU to halt trade negotiations with Brazil

June 2019

Brussels – In an open letter published today, over 340 civil society organisations are demanding that the European Union immediately halt trade negotiations with the Mercosur bloc (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay…

Pigs in Factory Farming in Germany. © Greenpeace

EU Commission buries climate impact of farming policy, Greenpeace

May 2019

Brussels – Greenhouse gas emissions from European farming have been rising steadily since 2012, according to a new European Commission report about the climate impact of the EU’s common agricultural policy.…

Open letter to EU Commission president candidates on EU food system

May 2019

Over 30 civil society organisations, in the areas of farming, fisheries, environment, animal welfare, health, consumers, consumer co-operatives, development, social justice, climate, and forestry, wrote to the ‘Spitzenkadidaten’ – the…

Scientists and indigenous groups right to raise alarm about impact of EU trade – Greenpeace

April 2019

Brussels – Over 600 scientists from across Europe and representatives of 300 Indigenous groups from Brazil have called on the European Union to make trade talks with Brazil conditional on the…

Factory farms divide the European Parliament

April 2019

Agriculture committee votes against basic animal welfare, Greenpeace Members of the European Parliament’s agriculture committee voted today for the EU to continue subsidising Europe’s most environmentally destructive factory

EU Parliament must choose family farms over factory farms, Greenpeace

April 2019

A giant squealing pig in a cage greeted members of the European Parliament today in Brussels, ahead of a crucial vote on the future of farming in Europe.Activists called on…

MEPs to vote on the future of factory farms

March 2019

On 2 April, MEPs on the European Parliament’s agriculture committee will weigh in on a European Commission plan to reform the EU’s common agricultural policy The committee will vote on…

Letter to Commissioner Hogan on EU money for livestock

February 2019

Greenpeace wrote to the EU agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan, requesting a response to the Greenpeace report Feeding the Problem.  Download the letter here.

Crunch time for factory farming in Europe

February 2019

On 2 April, the European Parliament’s agriculture committee will have its say on the next seven years of the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP). Will the agriculture committee MEPs follow…

MEPs slowly turn tide against factory farms

February 2019

Environment committee votes for more funding for ecological farming, cuts for intensive animal farms Strasbourg/Brussels – The European Parliament’s environment committee has voted to increase environmental and animal welfare protections under…

Feeding the Problem: the dangerous intensification of animal farming in Europe

February 2019

Industrial production and excessive consumption of meat and dairy products have grave impacts on our climate, our environment and our health. Europe’s consumption habits and production levels have widely exceeded…

Over 71% of EU farmland dedicated to meat and dairy, new research

February 2019

At least 71% of the EU’s farmland is used to feed livestock, according to new research published by Greenpeace. Around 63% of arable land is dedicated to feeding farm animals.

Leak: European governments pave way for bee-killing pesticides

January 2019

Retreat from safety standards that led to ban of three neonicotinoid pesticides Brussels, 23 January 2019 – Under pressure from pesticide producers and governments, the European Commission is planning to…

NGO letter to Commission President Juncker on bee-killing pesticides

January 2019

NGOs wrote to European Commission President Juncker to tell him that bees are still exposed to dangerous pesticides, despite EU ban of three neonicotinoids Download the letter to President Juncker…

Bees still exposed to dangerous pesticides

January 2019

Despite EU ban of three neonicotinoids, bees are still at risk Greenpeace and over 50 other organisations wrote to European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker calling on him to ensure EU…

EU Commission promises to step up action against deforestation

December 2018

Brussels – In a roadmap released today, the European Commission has promised to address global deforestation and cut the EU’s footprint on the world’s forests. The roadmap highlights the link between…

Governments call for swift EU action on global deforestation

November 2018

Brussels – Seven European governments have ramped up pressure on the European Commission to deliver a long-awaited action plan by the end of the year to tackle global deforestation. The letter…

EU financial auditors poke holes in farming plan’s green credentials

November 2018

EU risks a race to the bottom in European farming environmental standards, Greenpeace Brussels – The European Court of Auditors, the EU’s financial watchdog, has poked holes in the European…

Meat and dairy is elephant in the room at EU agriculture Council

October 2018

Brussels – European agriculture ministers made no reference to meat and dairy production’s contribution to climate change, as they set out their national positions on the EU’s ongoing reform of…

EU Parliament demands urgent action to meet 2020 goal to halt deforestation

September 2018

Brussels – The European Parliament has demanded swift action from the European Commission to cut Europe’s footprint on the world’s forests and its associated impact on climate change, species loss and…

Greenpeace response to EU measures against impact of heatwave on farming

August 2018

Brussels – The European Commission has announced measures in response to drought conditions in Europe. Farmers will receive subsidies in advance, and will be exempted from requirements to protect the…

Our food, our future: 8 demands for the next CAP

June 2018

Agriculture affects us all. It affects our food, our local environment, the global climate and our economy. What we eat and how it is produced determines our health and the…

EU court tells Germany to cut the crap

June 2018

Industrial farming to blame for manure polluting water, Greenpeace The Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) has ruled that Germany breached EU law by allowing manure runoff from farms…

EU farming plan could spell disaster for environment, Greenpeace

June 2018

The European Commission proposal for the new common agricultural policy (CAP) fails the environment and the climate, according to Greenpeace. The new CAP proposal gives national governments the responsibility to…

Investigation: Majority of EU Parliament agriculture committee linked to industry

May 2018

Involve other committees in EU agriculture policy reform or risk health and environment, Greenpeace A majority of MEPs on the European Parliament’s agriculture committee have strong links to the farming…

Out of Balance - industry links in the European Parliament AGRI committee

May 2018

For 56 years, European farming has been guided by the European Union’s common agricultural policy (CAP) and the subsidies it distributes to European farmers. The CAP currently accounts for almost…

EU budget leaves environment in the cold

May 2018

The European Commission has slashed funding earmarked for environmental protection in a draft seven-year EU budget released today. The Commission has removed environmental funding under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP),…

Investigation: EU subsidises Europe’s most polluting livestock farms

April 2018

CAP payments fund factory farms leaking ammonia into air and water Subsidies from the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are supporting some of Europe’s most polluting livestock farms, a…

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