A couple of days ago it was Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year. In Scandinavia this was once an important cause for celebration. For the Vikings it not only marked the coming of winter (with the amount of snow outside my windows right now that is certainly still true) but it was also an occasion to celebrate the fact that the days would get longer, that the light would return.

It is difficult for me not to draw a parallel to our farm sector. 2009 has been a …

Over the last couple of months I have received a lot of questions about the EU organic logo competition both here on the blog and on Facebook with lots of young budding designers asking when the winner of the logo competition would be announced.

That is why I am happy to tell you that we are one step closer to having the final logo. Three logos have been selected by an expert committee, they’ve been checked for copyright issues and they are now ready for public scrutiny …

As people who climb a mountain or run a marathon would know, one of the best feelings in life is the satisfaction of achieving a goal after working long and hard to get there. Today, I reach a goal which I set out when taking office in 2004: to get the Court of Auditors’ seal of approval on how we spend the agricultural part of the EU budget.

Year after year, we have improved our record. Last year we came so close that we could almost …

Over the last few months, EU consumers have probably felt from time to time that they’ve been watching a kind of “magic trick”.

They get the car and the kids back from the weekly food shopping, and turn on the TV to see images of demonstrating farmers. Their own wallets just got a lot lighter in the supermarket – more so than a couple of years ago – but the farmers’ wallets are apparently not getting any heavier. So where did the money go?

There’s been a lot of talk in recent months …

Earlier this week we had an Agriculture Council meeting in Luxembourg. Among the many issues discussed, there were two rather contradictory points on the agenda.

One the one hand, we had yet another deadlock in the vote on the approval of three varieties of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for import, which have already been cleared by scientific risk assessments from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). One of these was the GM maize Mon88017, which has effectively shut down the crucial soy imports from the US, leading to higher feed prices for …

We often hear that successful businessmen are those who are able to predict how the market will change and who have the strength and determination to act on it.

Such traits, however, are not enough to guarantee success in farming.  It is common knowledge amongst people who enjoy outdoor activities that the gods simply can’t be trusted to deliver perfect conditions. Growing crops and raising animals are not mechanical processes. Weather and animal diseases can easily interfere with the business of even …

Last Thursday (17 September), while speaking to the full European Parliament I announced proposals for the next steps to speed up the recovery of the EU dairy sector.

I say “steps” deliberately. These are not dramatic, blind leaps – because a huge amount of support is already on offer to help the sector through the current crisis, and because the action taken is bearing fruit.

Let me first repeat what’s already being done – because in some of the louder comments that come my way about the dairy sector, …

On Sunday I announced at the Växjo Informal Council that I wouldn’t seek a second term as Commissioner. 

It was not an easy decision. I’ve had fantastic 5 years. We have achieved much, continuing the reforms of the CAP, making our policy more market-orientated and geared towards new challenges such as climate change.

But it was the right decision. It’s a very demanding job and our farmers deserve that the person in charge will give 110% or not do it at all. One should never talk about a lady’s age but if I were …

On Monday I sounded the alarm over the situation on the European feed market at the monthly meeting with EU agriculture ministers in Brussels. I did so because I am truly worried that we may be heading for a dangerous situation.

On several occasions over the summer, very small traces of one genetically modified (GM) maize variety, which is authorised in the US but not in the EU, were detected in US soy meal imports for feed - I have heard of at least 6 occurrences in feed consignments bound for Germany, …

I just got back to Brussels this morning after a busy but relaxing summer in Denmark. Batteries fully charged - sleeves rolled up; I must admit that I’m eager to get back to work.

First thing on my agenda will be to meet with the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development tomorrow. This will be the first committee meeting after the recent European elections. Although there will be some familiar faces from the last term, there is also quite a few new MEPs who I of course look forward to …

It has been a very busy summer as always with the smell of the harvest in the air and the tractors and combines going at full speed. I know most of my colleagues are also taking the time to relax and recharge their batteries away from Bruxelles. Myself, I have gone back to my farm in Denmark which is now run by my daughter and her husband.

I have been demoted or should I say promoted, to fetching and carrying this year, to …

The EU’s dairy farmers feel like they’re sailing through a storm right now.

As the market crisis continues, it’s real people who are feeling the pain - not just statistics on a spreadsheet. EU heads of state and government are very concerned, as am I. This is why the Commission has today published an analysis of problems and possible solutions in the dairy sector.

Do have a look at the paper: there’s a lot in it. But I want to draw out one or two …

As I am writing this, a competition jury is gathering in Brussels to find the ten best entries for the new EU-wide organic logo. This will not be an easy task. We had 3393 entries! I am amazed and I find it really reassuring to see such a huge interest in the logo, which must be on all organic produce as from mid-2010.

On board the jury we have highly esteemed graphic design experts - including the chairman, Rob Vermeulen, who is the former president of the Pan-European Brand Design Association. The graphic …

Summer is here and I guess most people are looking forward to spending some quality time away from the office. Yet as we lie on a sunny beach, flicking through the latest page-turner or enjoying the ambience of a new and exciting city, we ought to send a warm thought to our farmers for whom summer equals hard work and harvesting. Personally, I am often recruited to help out when I spend summers at my farm in Denmark. It may be hard work but I honestly also consider it an …

Last week I went to Paris for the latest in a string of events promoting dairy products in schools. By coincidence, it was also the second day in office for the new French Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Bruno Le Maire, so I of course could not resist the temptation to meet Mr Le Maire in person. After all, I am a firm believer in good personal relations being the key to getting good results.

As I said to Mr Le Maire, I am very glad that it is a young …

I have just returned from two and a half fascinating days in Croatia, the country which is furthest down the road to being the next to join the European Union.

The reason for my visit was the conference we had organised on agriculture and enlargement, where we were privileged enough to be able to welcome the Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, who joined me in opening the event.

Croatia may be more advanced in its negotiations than the other candidate countries, but a key task for me was to increase …

Today I was interviewed by a journalist who asked me how we could get people to vote at the European elections. This, I must admit, was not an easy question to answer.  Paradoxically enough, the interest of the citizens in the European Parliament seems to be inversely proportional to the assembly’s influence. The more powerful it gets the lower the turn-out at the polling stations.

This is highly concerning. The European Parliament already plays a big role when we make laws in the EU. And the Parliament does not yet have any …

I’m just back from a fascinating trip to China, where I was supporting the work of an EU agri-food trade delegation and discussing related issues with various Chinese ministers.

As always, the country left me with strong impressions. One of these was that, when the Chinese decide to deal with a problem, they really tackle it head-on.

This was certainly true when the authorities put a member of my Cabinet straight into quarantine for a day because a fellow-passenger seated near him on the plane …

Whenever I participate in conferences and seminars, I always try to go and visit local farms, food businesses or rural development projects. For me, it is a very good way to keep my feet on the ground because no one can explain better the consequences of our policies than the people who deal with them on a daily basis and whose livelihood depends upon them.

This was the case with my visit to Salzburg, Austria last week. I went there mainly to participate in a very interesting conference on Food security …

Most people know the meaning of a symbol with twelve yellow stars on a blue backdrop. The same goes for five rings in yellow, blue, red, green and black. But do you know what a white AB with a butterfly on a green backdrop means - or a small red ladybird on a leaf?

In a world where consumers are making up their minds in split seconds, instant brand recognition is crucial. Some people only look at the price tag, but more and more consumers look for organic produce and other kinds of …