Tractor on farming field. Credit: Pixabay.
European agriculture could be on the verge of its most significant shift in decades. After seven months of intense, behind-the-scenes negotiations, a groundbreaking report has been published.
It signals broad support for a fundamental overhaul of the EU’s food production systems. This development comes after years of public protests and growing concerns over the environmental and social impacts of Europe’s farming policies.
EU agriculture’s call for change
The newly published 110-page report is the result of months of debate between environmental organisations, farmers’ unions, and lobbyists from both industrial and organic farming sectors. The outcome? A united acknowledgment that the current farming model, propped up by the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for over six decades, is no longer sustainable.
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“This agreement is not just a milestone but hopefully a game-changer,” said Ariel Brunner, Director of BirdLife Europe, one of the environmental groups involved. For many stakeholders, this moment is seen as a turning point – where the need for transformation is no longer a fringe idea but widely recognised by even the largest players in the agriculture sector.
A shift in funding priorities for agriculture
At the heart of the debate is how the EU allocates its farming subsidies. The CAP, with a staggering budget of €378 billion between 2021 and 2027, has long faced criticism for disproportionately favouring large-scale industrial farms. One of the most notable recommendations from the report is to better target this funding. Instead of basing payments solely on the area farmed, subsidies should be distributed according to genuine need, encouraging environmentally-friendly practises.
Marco Contiero, Greenpeace EU’s Agricultural Policy Director, was especially vocal about the flaws in the current system: “Subsidising rich landowners and choking the countryside with the excrement of millions of suffering pigs and cows isn’t helping the majority of farmers.”
He urged the EU to stop financing mega-farms that contribute to pollution and climate crises and to redirect funds toward smaller farmers working towards nature restoration and healthier food production.
Agriculture’s environmental accountability
Environmentalists are breathing a sigh of relief as the report steers clear of rolling back key EU environmental regulations. Instead, it emphasises the importance of enforcing existing directives, including the Birds and Habitats Directives and the Water Framework Directive. These rules, designed to protect Europe’s natural ecosystems, have long been a point of contention, particularly in countries like the Netherlands, where farmers staged protests against strict nitrogen limits.
Reducing meat consumption and increasing plant-based foods
The report also hints at a significant cultural shift: reducing meat consumption. Acknowledging the need for Europeans to obtain more of their protein from plant-based sources is a bold step, breaking taboos in EU policy discussions.
Compromises
While environmental groups have hailed the report as a “pivotal moment” in EU farming policy, there are still compromises. The language around transitioning away from industrial farming is cautious. However, for many, including Faustine Bas-Defossez, Nature, Health, and Environment Director at the European Environmental Bureau, the report represents a crucial first step.
“This starts with an unequivocal call to overhaul the EU’s archaic farm subsidies policy,” she said, noting that the focus should be on rewarding sustainable farming practises and redirecting funds to those farmers who truly need them.
What’s next for agriculture?
The real test will come in the next few months. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has promised that the findings of this report will feed into a new “Vision for Agriculture and Food”, set to be published in the first 100 days of her second term, beginning in November. Whether this vision will lead to real, lasting change remains to be seen.
Farming lobby groups Copa and Cogeca, historically critical of green reforms, have cautiously welcomed the dialogue process, especially the proposal for a Just Transition Fund to support farmers during the shift. However, they urged the European Commission to take into account the concerns of all stakeholders in the weeks ahead.
The debate over the future of European agriculture is far from over, but the unanimous endorsement of this report suggests that the winds of change are blowing. For expats living in the EU, the outcomes of this process could have far-reaching effects, from the food on supermarket shelves to the landscapes of their host countries. Whether the EU can balance the needs of farmers, environmentalists, and consumers while addressing the global challenges of climate change and food security is the question that now hangs in the balance.
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