On January 18, 2014 in Berlin nearly 30 thousand people show up for an annual march for preserving traditional farming methods and against industrialized agriculture that is a threat to food quality. This year a group of 15 people from Poland attended the event. Following is a photo report on our presence in Berlin:
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| Marek Kryda, Berlin 18.01.2014 |
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| Andrzej Nowakowski, Berlin 18.01. 2014 |
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Weronika Bloch & Jola Kryda
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| Josephine Löwenstein |
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| Jerzy Niczyporuk & Josephine Löwenstein |
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| Berlin 18.01.2014 |
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Berlin 18.01.2014
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The Call for Action
The outlook for our food and farming is bleak. Over the past 50 years, EU taxes have been used to support industrialized production. This form of agricultural is threatening the existence of our farmers in the global North and South. It is creating excessive food waste on the one hand and global food insecurity on the other: a situation now being worsened by increasing food speculation. The overuse of chemical fertilizers and harmful pesticides is harming the environment, destroying biodiversity and threatening bee populations worldwide. Factory farms are also disregarding animal welfare, aggravating climate change and leading to the abandonment of rural areas. The continued European reliance on soy imports and the growing trend of land grabbing is devastating farming communities worldwide. It is time for change.
The policies responsible for all this are currently being reformed. In 2013 the direction of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the next 7 years will be finalized. Responsible for over 40% of the total EU budget, policymakers are currently deciding how to distribute the 60 billion Euros available each year. Whether small family farms will benefit, or whether the majority of the money will continue to subsidize large industries remains to be seen. These decisions will be made as the international community debates how to combat world hunger and ensure the right to food for all.
In January 2013, agricultural ministers from all EU Member States will gather in Berlin for the International Green Week. They will be joined by EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Cioloş. This provides a perfect opportunity for European citizens to come together to show policy makers responsible for the future of EU food and farming policy, not to mention German Chancellor Angela Merkel, that we demand change for better! We are calling on all those who want to see a green and fair reform of the CAP to come to Berlin to join an international demonstration. The demonstration will take place on January 19th, just days before the EU Parliament’s Agriculture Committee will hold their final vote on CAP reform, and the final stages of negotiations in Brussels begin.
The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy affects everyone. Whoever you are – farmer, consumer, chef, activist, parent – we must stand up for what we all care about: Good Food and Good Farming.
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| Hannes Lorenzen, ARC2020, Berlin 18.01.2014 |
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