On Tuesday 13 February, at the opening of the 7th Global Food Forum in Brussels, the think-tank Farm Europe presented its ‘Sustainable Food Systems Indicator’, which shows that the EU still has a long way to go to achieve agricultural sovereignty.
This indicator presents the strengths and weaknesses of each EU Member State.
While the EU remains a world agricultural power, it is also a fragile one, exposed as it is to geopolitical games, climate risks and dependence on animal feed and fertilisers. Furthermore, the EU is not taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the bioeconomy (bioenergy and biomaterials).
In most EU countries, certain agricultural economic indicators are in the red: income per hectare has fallen by 12% over the last 20 years, the EU has lost 37% of its farmers and direct payments have fallen by 31%. “Overall, consumers and public finances have been the big winners from EU policies, while farmers have been the big losers”, explains Farm Europe. Over the last 20 years, emissions from the agricultural sector have fallen by 8% across Europe, and by 20% for arable crops. The use of the most dangerous plant protection products has been reduced by 43% since 2011, says Farm Europe.
See the indicators: https://aeur.eu/f/aua (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)