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

The outcome is a collective call for change, stating clearly that “business-as-usual is not an option”. It also sets out concrete recommendations including “substantially increasing funding” for nature and climate-friendly farming, with a focus on results rather than practices (going well beyond existing environmental and climate legislation), “targeting income support only at the active farmers who need it most” while moving “away from area-based payments”, and “supporting trends towards rebalancing diets towards more plant based proteins”.

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’s 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].

Faustine Bas-Defossez, EEB Director for Nature, Health and Environment said:

“Today 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.

This starts with an unequivocal call to overhaul the EU’s 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.”

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].

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.

Other key components of the agreement include: 

• Strong support for the maintenance and enforcement of EU environmental legislation listing explicitly the Birds and Habitats Directive, Nitrates Directive, Water Framework Directive, the Nature Restoration Law and the climate legislation and for the establishment of a Nature Restoration Fund [9]; 

• A clear recognition of the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and a call to establish policy mechanisms to do so and to ensure that incentives for carbon sequestration do not replace emissions reductions; 

• A call for the Commission to bring forward the promised ban on cages in animal farming as part of a wider revision of animal welfare legislation; 

• A call for a new Just Transition Fund for the agri-food sector outside of the Common Agricultural Policy; 

• A call to end the export of pesticides banned in the EU; 

• A clear call to the European Commission to publish the Integrated Nutrient Management Action Plan [10]; 

• Recognition that is it “necessary for the future success of food systems that full gender equality is achieved”, including in EU agricultural policy making; 

• A call for the establishment of a new consultative body to the Commission, the European Board for Agri Food, with balanced representation based on composition of the Strategic Dialogue but with the addition of amongst others scientists and health groups. The work of this body should be streamlined with Civil Dialogue Groups.  

[ENDS]

Contacts

Faustine Bas-Defossez
Director for Nature, Health and Environment
European Environmental Bureau
faustine.bas-defossez@eeb.org

Célia Nyssens-James
Policy Manager for Agriculture and Food Systems
European Environmental Bureau
celia.nyssens@eeb.org

Notes for editors

[1] Report

[2] List of Strategic Dialogue members and their organisations: Leo Alders (Fertilisers Europe), Lili Balogh (AgroecologyEurope), Faustine Bas-Defossez (European Environmental Bureau), Kristjan Bragason (EFFAT), Ariel Brunner (BirdLife Europe & Central Asia), Marco Contiero (Greenpeace European Unit), Christel Delberghe (EuroCommerce), Thierry de L’Escaille (European Landowners Organisation), Michael Gohn (Euroseeds), Monique Goyens (BEUC), Thibaut Guignard (LEADER), Nelli Hajdu (CELCAA), Sjoukje Heimovaara (Wageningen University & Research), Dirk Jacobs (Food Drink Europe), Christiane Lambert (Copa), Joseph Lechner (GEOPA), Philip Lymbery (Compassion in World Farming), Peter Meedendorp (CEJA), Marta Messa (Slow Food), Lennart Nilsson (Cogeca), Spyros Papadatos (Rural Youth Europe), Jan Plagge (IFOAM Organics Europe), Rocco Renaldi (Food Service Europe), Claire Skentelbery (EuropaBio), Geneviève Savigny (European Coordination Via Campesina), Nina Schindler (European Association of Co-operative Banks), Uno Svedin (Stockholm Resilience Centre), Jacques Vandenschrik (European Food Banks Federation), Gelsomina Vigliotti (European Investment Bank).

[3] European Commission website on the Strategic Dialogue

[4] META: “Greenlash”: The truth behind the farmer protests

[5] EEA EU Climate Risk Assessment

[6] IUCN

[7] Oxfam

[8] European Journal of Public Health

[9] BirdLife Europe & Central Asia press release on the Strategic Dialogue Report

[10] European Commission webpage illustrating the level of progress on the INMAP