BASIS and LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) have developed a new Integrated Farm Management (IFM) course, designed to provide farmers and advisers with the skills and knowledge to take a whole farm approach to more sustainable farming.
Read more …

National news

• Press coverage of the symposium co-organised by FARRE/UNIFA/AXEMA on fertilization, held on 22 October, is available here (French). Striking facts were given during this symposium:

1. Mr. Lejeune, former Director of cabinet of the DG of FAO:
   “Without nitrogen fertilizer, grain production would be reduced by 50%”.
   “About 40% of the fertilisers sold in Africa are not in line with the nutrient value expected and this leads to farmers not buying them anymore, which is a great danger for the food safety of this continent.””
2. Mr. Loyer, President of UNIFA:
   “We need to stop pitting mineral fertilisers against organic fertilisers; they are both useful and complementary.”
3. Dr. Demarque, nutritionist:
   “Nitrates are in fact beneficial for human health. The threshold of nitrates in drinking water of 50mg/l is based on a study that was misinterpreted then, and the fact that it is still the current regulation costs between 0.5 and 3€ / inhabitant depending on the EU country.“
4. Mr. Balny, rapporteur on the better use of nitrogen:
   “It is important to highlight the efforts made by farmers: since 1990, nitrogen inputs by farmers have decreased by 24% and yields have increased by 30%. This already corresponds to what the government calls “double performance”!”

• An Extraordinary General Assembly of FARRE will be held on 27 November to adopt the adjustments in the Statuses (name, logo, object of the association).

Local news

• Videos to discover this week:
  – The portrait of Michel and Benoît Déhu, Champagne producers. Watch here (French)
  – A focus on their practices and notably how to reconcile organic and integrated farming on the same vineyard. Watch here (French)

16 October 2013

ECPA, the European Crop Protection Association, aisbl, one of the associate EISA members, has chosen Jean-Charles Bocquet to be its new Director General, effective on 5 November 2013. Bocquet will replace Dr. Friedhelm Schmider, who is retiring after having held the top ECPA position since 1 May 2002.

Bocquet is French and has been the Director General of the Union … Read more …

23 October 2013

 National news

• The symposium co-organized by FARRE and UNIFA on sustainable fertilization, held on 22 October in Paris, gathered about 100 people and provided real insights on how things have already improved, what changes are now possible and the limits of regulations. A synthesis (in French) of the interventions will soon be available, but you can already take a look at Mr Hervé Lejeune’s opening speech here. Mr Lejeune was a former director of cabinet of the Director General of FAO.
• Save the date ! The annual FARRE symposium will be held on 16 January 2014 on Integrated Pest Management, in Paris. More info here and at llequere@farre.org. The annual Convention will be held on 17 January.

Local news

• Mr Paul Campas, a FARRE farmer in Western France, will be invited to the General Assembly of Beekeepers of Mayenne on 26 October to present views on intercrops and hedges.
• To discover this week on our Youtube channel :

– The Collard family farm : a video presentation

– Biodiversity conservation on the Collard farm

Members

• On 20 and 21 November in Poitiers, COMIFER organizes the 21^st annual conference on balanced fertilization and analysis. More info here
• 2 conferences not to be missed at the SITEVI (Internation exhibition for the wine-fruit-olive growing sectors, in Montpellier) :

– Project Safe Use Initiative in Gironde, organized by UIPP on 26 November 2-4 pm

– Fertilisation feeds from innovation, organized by UNIFA on 28 November 12:30-1:30

Information in English on the SITEVI’s website : http://en.sitevi.com/

14 October 2013

National news

• We invite you to discover this week’s video on our YouTube channel :

Ms Even and Mr Daniel, pig farmers in Brittany, introduce their environmental practices and their methanisation unit: Watch video

• Mr Benoit Collard, a FARRE farmer in Champagne-Ardenne, is invited to participate to a symposium on “Agroecology and research”, organized by the French National Institute for Agricultural Research on 17 October 2013. INRA collected more than 150 scientists’ participations to prepare this symposium: you can have an overview (in English) here : http://www.inra.fr/en/Scientists-Students/Agroecology/All-reports/Agroecology-at-INRA-mobilising-research
• Mr Gilles Maréchal, Director of FARRE, and Mr Mickaël Jacquemin, a FARRE farmer in Eastern France, will lead an IFOCAP (farmers training institute) training on the subject of environmental regulations and their consequences, held on 21 October 2013.
• Mr Philippe Collin, a FARRE farmer in Easter France, will give a speech at the General Assembly of France Conseil Elevage on 20 November and at Supagro Dijon on 28 November to explain his global approach of on-farm sustainability.

Local news

• FARRE Meuse has now a running and independent website : check it here
• Open House Day at Ms. And Mr Francart’s farm on 20 October : programme here

Members

• FARRE, together with UNIFA and AXEMA, organize a symposium on “Nitrogen fertilization : how to reconcile performance and sustainability ?” on 22 October in Paris.

Miscellaneous

• The French National Commission for Environmental Certification announced on 9 October the end of the certification “Agriculture raisonnée” and the creation of a logo for the level 3 of the environmental certification (HVE : High Environmental Value). So far, only 70 farms have undertaken level 3 of the certification. Read the press review (French)

Elveden Farms has become the latest farm to join LEAF’s nationwide network of LEAF Demonstration Farms.  It joins over 40 other farms across the UK set up to showcase the very best of sustainable farming practices. Read more …

(Photograph: Left: Galton Blackiston, Chef de Patron, Morston Hall; Middle: Jim Rudderham, Conservation & Wood Manager, Elveden; Right: The Earl of Iveagh)

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recently published a report on the sales of veterinary antimicrobial agents in 25 EU/EEA countries in 2011 (third ESVAC report). See IFAH-Europe press release on that issue …

Report available for download here: http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/Report/2013/10/WC500152311.pdf

LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) has announced its programme and speakers for its forthcoming President’s Event held on the 5^th November in London, UK. The conference will address the three pillars of sustainability – economic health, environmental quality and social health, exploring new ideas on how money can be made from each of them. Read more …

Programme available for download here:
http://www.leafuk.org/resources/000/809/289/LPE13_Programme.pdf