{"id":115778,"date":"2024-09-04T11:51:39","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T09:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/?p=115778"},"modified":"2024-09-10T09:05:14","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T07:05:14","slug":"strategic-dialogue-farmers-and-ngos-reach-historic-consensus-calling-for-a-fair-and-sustainable-transition-for-eu-food-and-farming-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/strategic-dialogue-farmers-and-ngos-reach-historic-consensus-calling-for-a-fair-and-sustainable-transition-for-eu-food-and-farming\/","title":{"rendered":"Strategic Dialogue: Farmers and NGOs reach historic consensus calling for a fair and sustainable transition for EU food and farming"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new report published today [1] marks the end of seven months of debate between stakeholders (including green NGOs, consumer groups, farmers\u2019 unions and industry actors [2]) to reach a consensus on the future of EU agriculture [3].<\/p>\n

The outcome is a collective call for change, stating clearly that \u201cbusiness-as-usual is not an option\u201d. It also sets out concrete recommendations including \u201csubstantially increasing funding\u201d for nature and climate-friendly farming, with a focus on results rather than practices (going well beyond existing environmental and climate legislation), \u201ctargeting income support only at the active farmers who need it most\u201d while moving \u201caway from area-based payments\u201d, and \u201csupporting trends towards rebalancing diets towards more plant based proteins\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Strategic Dialogue was announced by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in September 2023 and started just as farmer protests were spreading across Europe [4] and scientists issued yet another warning of the need for urgent action to address the rapidly growing climate risks facing EU food and farming [5]. The EU\u2019s agri-food system is the single largest cause of nature loss in the EU [6], as well as being associated with human rights abuses [7] and driving an epidemy of diet-related diseases [8].<\/p>\n

Faustine Bas-Defossez, EEB Director for Nature, Health and Environment said:<\/p>\n

\u201cToday marks a pivotal moment for the future of EU food and farming. This report shows that there is broad consensus on the urgent need to transform how we produce and consume food to respect planetary boundaries.<\/p>\n

This starts with an unequivocal call to overhaul the EU\u2019s archaic farm subsidies policy to focus precious public funds on rewarding nature- and climate-friendly farming outcomes and redirecting funds to support the farmers in genuine need, which would end decades of wasteful, unfair subsidies that benefitted the largest farms at the expense of everyone else and the environment. Now we call on the President of the European Commission to uphold her promises and incorporate the collective recommendations into her Vision for Agriculture and Food within the first 100 days ensuring urgent action that is truly fit for purpose.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While the compromise falls short on some aspects – for example containing only timid language when addressing the need to move away from industrial animal farming and reducing overall animal numbers in the EU – it is a leap in the right direction and consistent with the direction of travel set out in the Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy [9].<\/p>\n

There can be no further delay, this is now a clear and collective call steaming from all actors of the food chains and civil society to politicians across Europe to act now, and rapidly, by constructing the necessary policies to drive a just transition towards genuine social, economic and environmental sustainability in the food and farming sector.<\/p>\n

Other key components of the agreement include:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n