Jess Williams

Cork byore. Works in conservation & land use. Secretly wants to be a farmer.
Busy making rainforests with

[BirdLife Europe & Central Asia @BirdLifeEurope]

🚨Members of the European Parliament just voted to strip away the already weak environmental measures from the EU’s Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).🚨

With a shocking 425 votes in favour and 130 votes against, the Parliament has agreed to weaken the Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs). The GAECs are meant to safeguard biodiversity and soil health – both crucial for food production and the livelihoods of farmers.

This outcome follows yesterday’s vote on GAEC 1, where the Parliament voted to allow valuable grasslands, crucial for climate regulation and water retention, to be ploughed up more easily. In addition to negatively affecting farmers, the results of these votes are also a significant setback in the European Union's efforts to promote sustainable agriculture and combat climate change.

Within just one month, the entire process, from the Commission's proposal of the simplification package in March, to the vote in the Parliament today, has been completed. Breaking from the usual process, this emergency voting procedure skipped stakeholders' consultations or impact assessments.

This move, orchestrated by right and far-right parties and supported by the majority of the Renew and Socialist & Democrat groups, exploits ongoing farmer protests to advance narrow political agendas. Most importantly, it fails to address the real issue: the disproportionate distribution of #CAP subsidies, with 80% going to the wealthiest 20% of farmers.

The European Commission's vague insistence on 'political urgency' to justify deviating from democratic rules is extremely concerning. It undermines the integrity of the decision-making process, and disregards over 3.5 years of collaborative stakeholder effort on these legislative files.

By dismantling environmental safeguards and catering to the interests of a select few, today’s decision makes a mockery of the nature and climate crises, undermines democratic processes, and betrays the trust citizens place in them.

The European Council has already expressed support for this legislative proposal and is likely to officially endorse it before the European Elections in June.

#NoNatureNoFood #Farmersprotest2024 #farmers #EUAgriculture

[Enough is Enough @eiecampaign]

Today, @theRCN has announced the first national strike in its 106-year history.

Nurses across the UK are underpaid and overworked.

They’re not just fighting for themselves – they’re fighting for our NHS.

RT if you’re behind them 💙

[Greenpeace EU @GreenpeaceEU]

🚨WARNING: GREENWASHING INCOMING🚨

The EU politicians behind the new EU farm policy will claim it's a green reform – but don't believe the greenwashing

This #CAP deal is a disaster for small farms, nature and the climate

The EU Parliament must #VoteThisCAPDown

#FutureOfCAP

[Martin Harper @martinBirdLife]

In 2000, UK Govt pledged 90% of growing media to be peat free by 2010.

In 2010, it calls for a complete phase out of peat by 2020.

In 2021, peat-based compost is set to be banned the government will announce this week.

This time, make it happen @DefraGovUK

[Jessica Law is no longer on X @JessicaTheLaw]

Wow, a weird convergence of my two worlds today as I just found out that fellow folk musicians @JohnnyFlynnHQ and @cosmosheldrake auctioned this lovely poster to raise a massive wad of dosh for my workplace, @BirdLife_News! Thanks chums!

[BirdsMatter_ie @BirdsMatter_ie]

State warned by EU official in 2017 over eco-credentials of forestry licensing process - @BirdsMatter_ie will continue to fight for better environmental protection in Irish forestry.
https://t.co/qyK82PU7Ad

[Ariel Brunner🇺🇦 #Xdissenter @ArielBrunner]

Same in many countries of Europe. Biologically valuable forests keep being destroyed, sterile plantations expanded and are passed for forests, tree planting used to bamboozle the public about what's actually going on. Ancient trees have little to do ecologically with x-mas trees!

[Jess Williams @Jessicamae_W]

@elephantsatdawn Pingin!

[SHERELLE 🌐 @iamsherelle]

The inventor of Rock and Roll...

SISTER ROSETTA THARPE.

[Irish Wildlife Trust @Irishwildlife]

You have until March 26th to make your views known on the review of the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
We would to see a
1. well resourced
2. independent
3. ambitious
nature conservation agency that brings nature back to our lives & our landscapes
https://t.co/d6Re02icXV

[Jess Williams @Jessicamae_W]

Seachtain na Gaeilge #SnaG21

[Honey Kohan #RestoreNature @honeykohan]

ʜɪꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ.

This is about bring nature back to our forests, mountains, rivers & seas.

The EU wants to make nature restoration legally binding across the EU.

Make history happen and sign now👇🏻
https://t.co/l2srcbtgUN

#RestoreNature #WorldWildlifeDay

[Killian Sundermann @killersundymann]

Today we're reviewing stone walls

[Jess Williams @Jessicamae_W]

Ireland does not adequately fund “even basic environmental compliance” while the Irish State itself is the “biggest transgressor of environmental law in Ireland”

When is the government going to cop that this isn't just a "green" issue @MichealMartinTD
https://t.co/xR7kX3iAKq

[Jess Williams @Jessicamae_W]

Irish bird twitter: wild parrots in Ireland... kid you not! If you spot one, please report it 🦜⬇️

[BirdWatch Ireland @BirdWatchIE]

Have you seen Ring-necked Parakeets in the wild in Ireland? If you have or if you do @BirdWatchIE and @BioDataCentre want you to report your sightings here: https://t.co/B76x3lez3R. Reporting parakeet sightings will improve our knowledge of their numbers and distribution 🦜🦜🦜

[Harriet Bradley @HarrietFBradley]

The CAP will continue to be a stain on the EU's reputation as long as it's not radically changed to address the real environmental and social challenges we face

@vonderleyen @TimmermansEU @jwojc @VSinkevicius

#WithdrawtheCAP

[George Monbiot @GeorgeMonbiot]

I've just finished my research on the EU's farm and biofuel policies. As a Remainer, I feel obliged to admit that if the bloc were judged on these issues alone, it would be one of the most corrupt, perverse, self-serving, wasteful and destructive political bodies on Earth.

[Jess Williams @Jessicamae_W]

If ever *more* proof was needed that the CAP system was completely unfit for purpose: last year the queen of England was handed close to a million pounds in farm subsidies for just one of her (many) estates 🤮 https://t.co/eAEQMu9b4S

[European Environmental Bureau @Green_Europe]

Later this year the @EU_Commission will publish a Textile Strategy 👕

We need accountability and binding rules to ensure the textiles we all use every day stop harming people and planet 🌏

Read our feedback to the European Commission on its approach 👇

https://t.co/WCS7dcqdJH