11/01/2005– WWF, the global
conservation organisation, wants to see “Your
view on food and farming”.
With a Europe-wide photo competition launched
today together with a web site on the EU Common
Agricultural Policy (CAP), WWF wants to showcase
the richness of European rural life and the
variety of its landscapes, as well as the
environmental impacts of bad farming practices.
The aim is celebrate Europe’s natural environment
and farming, and to raise awareness on the
CAP’s role. WWF is calling for further reforms
of the CAP to ensure it places the environment
at its heart.
The latest Eurobarometer survey on agriculture,
published in September 2004, showed that citizens
have little or no knowledge about the CAP,
the biggest single item of the EU’s budget.
Women and those aged 15-24 years old and
over 54, in particular, have the lowest level
of awareness. Nonetheless, respondents scored
the protection of the environment as the second
most important objective for the CAP, after
food safety.
WWF, in association with Canon, is launching
the web-based photo competition “Your view
on food and farming”.
The competition runs from 10 January to 15
April 2005 and is free of charge.
Both professional and amateur photographers
are invited to take part. Each photographer
can submit a maximum of three digital photos
taken in Europe. Images can contain both positive
and negative representations of agriculture
and should reflect an environmental message.
President of the jury is Mark Edwards from
Still Pictures (http://stillpictures.weaonline.com).
Prizes will be awarded to 6 best overall amateur
and 6 best professional entries. Visitors
to the web site can also vote for their favourite
photographs and select one winner by popular
choice. Prizes include photo equipment, as
well as the prestige of being credited in
the WWF-Canon database, as photos will be
used by WWF to promote sustainable agriculture.
The photo competition is part of a larger
initiative from WWF to raise awareness on
the CAP and its effects on environment. The
CAP Initiative includes a web site with information
on what is happening in agricultural policies
across Europe: www.panda.org/europe/agriculture.
The creation of this web site is financially
supported by the European Commission, Directorate
General Agriculture.
