POLICY BRIEF
Title: European Agriculture: Is it possible to promote both competitiveness and environmental sustainability?
Authors: Kerry A. Waylen, Kirsty L. Blackstock, Keith B. Matthews, Alba Juarez-Bourke, Mike Rivington, Dave G. Miller, Doug Wardell-Johnson (The James Hutton Institute)
Date: 09 May 2019
Overview
The Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union aims to support multiple objectives for farming, rural communities, and the environment. However, is it really possible to deliver all these objectives? In MAGIC, we consider this question by taking a ‘social metabolism’ approach to consider the flows of input and outputs associated with current farming systems and their effects on stocks of natural capital. Our results suggest that some current farming systems have negative environmental impacts. This is a matter of concern, given the objectives for CAP post 2020 explicitly aim to balance economic, environmental and social sustainability.
