Sustainable Agriculture

LIFE will promote the use of sustainable agricultural and fishing practices.

The inclusion of Sustenance within the WellFair universal service structure will do more than any other policy to promote locally sourced, naturally produced foods.

GMOs

LIFE will suspend the application of all patents on genetics, pending international agreement on their abolition.

The right of citizens to know what is their food is fundamental, and the labelling of GMO content in foods will not be curtailed by law.

Research Centres

UK national agriculture research centres will focus on an agenda driven by farmers, rather than arichemical corporations. For instance, what is the best crop rotation for long term soil regeneration?

Fisheries and the EU Common Fisheries Policy

LIFE will protect our coasts and our marine preserves as recommended by our scientific institutions.

We will work in the EU to make sure that the CFP is reformed to:

• Give fishing rights to those who can clearly demonstrate environmental and social benefits, rewarding those who support local communities and look after their fisheries.
• Stop using public money to bankroll destructive fishing practices both in Europe and around the world, and ensure that strict European rules apply equally to all European vessels wherever they fish.
• Put the health of our seas and oceans, and the fish stocks they support, at the very heart of the CFP.
• The CFP must bring an end to needless discarding, match fishing effort to fish stocks and create a better tomorrow for those that fish sustainably.

The EU Common Agricultural Policy

LIFE will work within the EU for the abolition of the CAP. In the short term we will work to reduce the subsidy payments to a cap of a maximum of 250 acres, and to remove the requirement to maintain land in a state fit for commercial agriculture.