On a crisp sunny afternoon in late January, the CDP 2016 team met for our penultimate visit in the departure hall of St Pancras Station, ready and raring for our trip to the political capital of Europe, Brussels.
Our first visit the next morning was hosted by Copa Cogeca, the united voice of farmers and their cooperatives in the European Union, where we kicked off with an interesting presentation from the British Agricultural Bureau (BAB) about the history and intricate workings of the European Parliament and its associations. We discovered how the NFU works with BAB feeding into Copa, along with all other 27 agricultural unions across Europe, and gained an insight into how this might change with Britain coming out of the EU moving forward.
Arnaud Petit Director Commodities and Trade at Copa gave us a more detailed understanding of the operational side of Copa and its role and position within the EU. A much welcomed coffee break gave us a chance to review the morning as a team followed by a meeting with Pedro Narro, Public Affairs Manager at Europabio. Pedro gave us a passionate insight into agricultural innovation and genetic modification for both present and future agricultural use. He also provided a very succinct overview of the legislation and regulations surrounding GM within Europe. A fascinating talk which continued to stir the debate within the room. For example did you know that the EU imports 35m tonnes of GM soya every year!
Chris Leggett Counsellor (Agriculture) at the Canadian Mission to the EU then gave up his time to talk us through the agricultural situation in Canada, where extreme weather and size of country has a huge impact. Chris also gave an overview of the numerous different insurance schemes the country offered its farmers, explaining how they worked, a pertinent and interesting topic considering the future of UK agriculture may indeed be a future without subsidies; an alternative option to consider?
A quick trip upstairs from the COPA offices to the BAB where lunch was provided, and then we were briskly walked through the streets of Brussels arriving at the European Parliament for the afternoon session.
Our visit to the European Parliament was very kindly hosted by Geoffrey Van Orden MEP who outlined his role as an MEP, the changes British MEPs face following a BREXIT vote and gave an insight into the daily life of MEPs and the challenges they face. This was followed by Henry an official from the Commission who, in a more comedic manner, went into more detail of the inner workings of the European Parliament, a thoroughly enjoyable and educational session. To top this off we got the rare opportunity to visit the main chamber to view the day’s conference. This has certainly made it easier to relate to the different motions within parliament, something which many farmers find hard when focusing on the day to day workings of the land.
Following some free time, much of it spent celebrating a team member’s birthday, we headed off to the evening meal where we once again got the chance to meet the NFU President, Meurig Raymond, along with president for NFU Scotland, NFU Cymru and Ulster Farmers Union. Geoffrey Van Orden MEP and members of BAB also joined us allowing us to once again pick their brains.
The following day saw (nearly) all of us rise bright and early to travel as VIPs via the official Team Anderlecht Tour Bus to Bayer in Ghent, just outside Brussels. Another fascinating talk outlining new breeding techniques and the differences between genetic modification and gene organisation. This was followed by a captivating tour of the Bayer laboratories, which put simply, is mind blowing, and we know we only scratched the surface on understanding the possibilities of plant science. Our final tour allowed us to explore the Bayer greenhouses, an insight into an industry at the pinnacle of agricultural innovation.
Overall our trip to Brussels was one of the true highlights of the Cereal Development Program, allowing us access to some fascinating people involved at the highest level of agricultural policy and innovation, a privilege to be part of, and a great set up for the next trip, Westminster and the Houses of Parliament!