Sommer Ackerman of the Helsinki local group of Extinction Rebellion began a hunger strike at Kampintori by Euroopasali on Sunday November 15th at 12 o’clock because of the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) that was accepted by the European Parliament on October 23rd. She invites people to participate in short (max 24 hours) solidarity hunger strikes for agricultural policies that benefit a sustainable climate and the maintenance of biodiversity upon the consultation of health professionals. 

European Union’s CAP reform will guide agricultural policies in the Member States for the next seven years, which are critical in regard of climate action. Finland is currently planning its own national CAP plan under the lead of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and it will be handed over to the European Commission in the coming months. 

Ackerman and Extinction Rebellion Finland demand that the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry speaks truthfully about the effects of the CAP reform on climate and environment. The proposed CAP reform for 2021-2027 is not sufficient in its climate ambitions and it will water down the Paris Agreement. Extinction Rebellion considers the CAP reform to be in striking contrast with the European Parliament’s declaration of climate emergency and the European Green Deal too. “Finland has to decide to make national agricultural policies that are more climate ambitious than the current CAP reform and send the EU a national CAP plan which takes climate science seriously,“ Ackerman appeals to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry preparing the CAP plan.

Extinction Rebellion is appalled by the media silence in which European agricultural policies are being designed; the obvious climate and biodiversity problems of the CAP reform are not discussed adequately. “The CAP reform favors harmful industrial agriculture at the expense of organic farming and directs land use toward weakening biodiversity, for example draining of wetlands and farming of peatlands. What is especially concerning is that is includes no clear targets to reduce carbon emissions,” Ackerman explains. She continues,”If the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry disagrees, I ask that they will clearly indicate how the Finnish CAP plan is in accordance with the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal.”

Media contact:

Sommer Ackerman, +358 (0) 452532002
Hunger strike tent at Kampintori, Malminkatu 16