The 100-page document was drawn up after 7 months of negotiations with 29 organisations. The suggestions in it are not final
Business as usual is no longer an option for European farmers and businesses if they want to avoid climate collapse and economic hardship.
This is the top line of joint reportpresented to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday, the result of seven months of intensive negotiations between 29 organizations with participation and often opposing viewpoints on the food industry sector, Politico reported.
Von der Leyen convened the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of agriculture in the EU, which produced the report, earlier this year in a bid to address farmers’ anger at low incomes and increasing environmental regulation ahead of EU elections in June. Her call was followed by some swift concessions to the farm lobby that angered environmental NGOs and progressive lawmakers.
Drafting a 100-page consensus report with everyone from farm lobbyists to green NGOs at the table is an achievement in itself.
Here are five of the most important takeaways from the report, according to Politico:
1. Agricultural subsidies
The report opens the box on the EU’s more than €300 billion farm subsidy budget, and concludes that it should stop rewarding the biggest farms and instead support those on lower incomes.
Farming lobbies and other members have now agreed for the first time that income support should target small and medium-sized farmers – the majority in the EU – “who need it most”.
On the other hand, this income-based program should not depend on farmers complying with additional environmental rules such as nitrate pollution or habitat protection rules.
Instead, a separate set of payments is to be distributed among farmers using sustainable practices and will be managed by both agricultural and environmental authorities. Participants also called for an “annual significant increase” in environmental support.
2. Sustainable food systems
The next “two elephants in the room” were sustainable diets and meat consumption. Experts agreed that it is critical to support the continued reduction in consumption of animal-based proteins — such as meat and dairy — in favor of plant-based alternatives.
They also called for a review of EU food labeling legislation and called for attention to the marketing of food to children, while advocating for tax cuts and other social and fiscal incentives. “The sustainable choice must become the default choice,” the report said.
At the end of the previous term, the Commission was due to publish a framework for sustainable food systems to shift consumption patterns in this direction, but the initiative was shelved amid intense debate.
3. Shows
The agricultural sector is responsible for over 10 percent of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the EU — mostly from livestock. Yet, although the EU has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030, no targets have been set for agriculture.
According to the report, “the diversity and complexity of agricultural systems…require individual solutions.” The report asks the EU executive to set tailored emission reduction targets for different types of agriculture.
Regarding livestock farms, it proposes territorial action plans to ensure a fair transition in regions with a high concentration of livestock (pig farming in Catalonia or the Netherlands). This would provide for mechanisms such as voluntary buy-out schemes — to reduce the number of animals — or retraining programs to move to alternative production systems with an emphasis on young farmers.
4. Environmental law
Participants also rallied behind some of the EU’s most controversial environmental bills, such as a law to rehabilitate degraded ecosystems – although they advocated “the creation of a well-funded nature restoration fund” outside the farm budget.
The report drew particular attention to the EU’s outdated animal welfare rules, urging the adoption of a review that was due to be presented by the EU executive last year, such as the ban on the use of cages in farms. The document says the ban should be accompanied by a “species-specific and appropriate transition period”.
In addition, the document proposed a European-wide benchmark (standard) for assessing the sustainability of agricultural holdings according to a set of common criteria, as well as a just transition fund to facilitate the transition of the agri-food sector to a healthier and more climate-friendly path.
5. This is just the beginning
Last but not least: None of the recommendations in the report have been solidified. Von der Leyen has committed to incorporating the results of the stakeholder dialogue into a Vision for Agriculture and Food to be drawn up in the first 100 days. Within the EU executive, however, some recommendations from the dialogue are expected to fare better than others, according to a senior EU official.
It is also unclear whether the wider food and agriculture sector will support the results, given that the report’s conclusions touch on issues opposed by politically powerful farming groups, while its language on issues strongly supported by green NGOs, sometimes he is timid.
However, one thing is clear: the participants of the forum will soon meet again, having proposed the formation of a new advisory body, the European Board for Agri-Food (EBAF).
Von der Leyen likes the idea.
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