Documents by topic : Agriculture and fisheries

In the last few months farmers across Europe have taken their tractors to the streets to protest at what is being termed the biggest milk crisis for decades. Falling prices are destroying livelihoods across the continent. Members of the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee have already backed plans to shore up the market and extend help to the cheese sector. We spoke to the Chair of that Committee, Italian Socialist Paolo De Castro, about the causes and consequences of the crisis.

Europe's controversial fishing policy was under scrutiny Tuesday at a public hearing in Parliament about its future shape. Caught between scientists who say stocks are collapsing and fishing communities dependent on fish for their livelihoods, the Common Fisheries Policy has always had a stormy ride but reforms should be in place by 2013, supporters hope.

Rules to protect animals aren't being enforced properly according to two British MEPs who will raise the issue in a debate in Parliament on Thursday morning. The fate of horses being moved around Europe in lorries is of particular concern. The debate can be seen live online from 1000 am.

The world is facing "an acute food crisis". That was the verdict of a report adopted by MEPs in the Agriculture Committee on 8 December. We spoke about the issues involved to Irish MEP Mairead McGuinness who wrote the report and Portugal's Luis Manuel Capoulas Santos who drafted prior reports on Europe's agriculture policy.

The ability of the EU's common agriculture policy (CAP) to cope with the challenges of affordable food and climate change was discussed in Brussels 3-4 November. MEPs were joined by national MPs and farming organisations to discuss the future of Europe's farms.

On Monday MEPs will debate a recovery plan for cod stocks in the North Sea and West Scotland. With over 70% of the world’s fish species already fully exploited or depleted, fisheries faces a crisis. Ahead of the debate we spoke to French Liberal Philippe Morillon who chairs parliament's Fisheries Committee.

Dolly the sheep was the first and most famous animal clone, created back in 1996. Since then, cows, pigs, goats, horses, mice, cats and dogs have also been cloned. So should these animals be used for commercial purposes? Not according to Parliament's Agriculture Committee. In June, they called for an EU ban on the cloning of animals for food. Next week MEPs will question the Commission about the issue during the first September plenary.

Rising fuel prices are having a devastating effect on Europe's fisheries industry, prompting a wave of strikes and blockades of ports and oil depots in protest. The current crisis was discussed on Wednesday 25 June by MEPs on Parliament's Fisheries Committee. MEPs heard from representatives of the fishing industry about the pressure the industry is under with fuel up 40% since January. On 19 June Parliament passed a resolution calling on more state aid to be afforded to Europe's fishermen.