The Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture report commissioned by the European Commission, calls for aid to be retargeted to the farmers who need it most, and for the creation of a specific fund dedicated to the sector’s green transition.
The President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, commissioned this report at the beginning of 2024, in the midst of farmers’ anger in several European countries (see EUROPE 13472/7).
The result of a strategic dialogue between agricultural players and environmental NGOs, led by the German academic Peter Strohschneider, the document presents calls for a structural reform of the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and its €387 billion in funding.
Negotiating the future CAP (2028-2034) is one of the sensitive issues for the ‘von der Leyen II’ Commission which is in the process of being formed.
Current policy must be modified to meet current and future challenges and accelerate the ongoing transition of agri-food systems towards more sustainable, competitive, profitable and diversified systems, according to the Strategic Dialogue report.
These changes are also essential for adapting the CAP in the context of the EU enlargement process. In light of the above, the future CAP should focus on these central objectives: 1) providing targeted socio-economic support targeted to farmers who need it most; 2) promoting positive environmental, social and animal welfare outcomes for society; 3) invigorating enabling conditions in rural areas.
To ensure the economic viability of farmers, the CAP should deliver income support for certain active farmers in a much more targeted way. This specific support should prevent farms from being abandoned and help to ensure that farmers have a decent income, targeting those who need it most.
Financing the transition. Both public and private capital must be mobilised to guarantee sufficient funding for the transition. “A Temporary Just Transition Fund should be established outside the CAP to complement support for the sector’s swift sustainability transition”, the report says.
Trade. The authors of the report also believe that the current approach to conducting negotiations on agriculture and agri-food should be reviewed. In particular, the European Commission needs to better recognise the strategic relevance of agriculture and food products in trade negotiations, they stress.
In order to improve the sustainable balance between animal and plant protein intake among the European population, it is crucial, according to the report, to “support this trend by rebalancing towards plant-based options and helping consumers to embrace the transition“. The European Commission should conduct a full review of EU food labelling legislation and publish a report assessing current measures on marketing to children.
A roadmap. “My team and I will of course carefully study these recommendations in the report. They will feed into a vision for agriculture and food. And I will present this roadmap within the first 100 days of the next mandate”, the re-elected President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, told the press. Among the priorities, she cited the need to “ensure fair and sufficient incomes for our farmers” and to have a good look at the agri-food value chain, as farmers are too often “the weakest link” in this value chain (see EUROPE 13460/6).
Peter Strohschneider said that reaching a consensus among the 29 participants was a “feat”.
Satisfied stakeholders. Initial reactions to the report have been positive, both from trade organisations and NGOs.
Copa-Cogeca welcomed the consensus on the recognition of agriculture and food as strategic sectors for Europe, a coherent trade policy and the need for funding for the necessary transitions.
The Dialogue has encouraged the emergence of a new model of governance, which the European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA) hopes will continue over the next five years. The European Coordination Via Campesina is said to have wanted to see more ambitious measures, such as a revision of the EU directive on unfair trade practices, the strengthening of the common market organisation and the drafting of a European directive on agricultural land.
The NGO Greenpeace has lent its support to this report, judging the current operation of the CAP to be “dumb”, as it is too favourable to factory farms.
David Cormand MEP (Greens/EFA, French) said that the report shows that “major changes to EU agricultural policies are urgently needed”. Farmers need to be supported in their transition to more sustainable practices.
Link to the report: https://aeur.eu/f/db6 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)