Annexes to COM(2025)75 - Vision for Agriculture and Food Shaping together an attractive farming and agri-food sector for future generations - Main contents
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This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2025)75 - Vision for Agriculture and Food Shaping together an attractive farming and agri-food sector for future generations. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2025)75  |
| date | February 19, 2025 |
(b)The Union framework for a competitive agri-food sector
At the same time, the Union will ensure domestically that ambitious EU standards do not lead to economic, environmental and social leakages, and that the European agri-food sector is not put at a competitive disadvantage without corresponding reciprocity. To this end, the EU will coherently implement an SME and competitiveness check in its policies as stated in the Competitiveness Compass, consistently assessing the impact of Union regulations on EU farmers and agri-food SMEs, on trade and on risks of creating leakages, and thoroughly examine the implications of free trade agreements under negotiations for EU farmers and global sustainability.
To ensure that the EU’s concerns about animal welfare and environmental protection are considered, and to uphold EU’s moral values in response to societal demand, the Commission will pursue, in line with international rules, a stronger alignment of production standards applied to imported products, notably on pesticides and animal welfare.
In that respect, the Commission will establish a principle that the most hazardous pesticides banned in the EU for health and environmental reasons are not allowed back to the EU through imported products. To advance on this, the Commission will launch in 2025 the Impact Assessment that will consider the impacts on the EU’s competitive position and the international implications and, if appropriate, propose amendments to the applicable legal framework. Similarly, the Commission will also assess the issue of the export of hazardous chemicals, including pesticides, that are banned in the EU 27 .
Another non-negotiable element of the Union’s policy towards imports is food and feed safety, animal and plant health. The EU product standards are the highest in the world and ensure that all imported agrifood products are safe. The Commission will ensure that relevant food safety legislation is properly implemented and enforced. A dedicated task force will be established, pulling expertise and forces from the Commission and Member States, which will significantly increase the Union’s response to further strengthening the control on imports, including a powerful strengthening of controls on the ground
In the area of animal welfare, the Commission will make sure that future legislative proposals apply the same standards for products produced in the EU and those imported from third countries, also addressing enforcement related issues and concerns expressed by EU citizens. The targeted review of the animal welfare legislation will be an opportunity to apply this, in a WTO compliant way and based on an impact assessment.
Where our trade partners resort to unfair competition and unilateral actions that unlawfully target our agri-food sector or that of individual Member States with the aim to divide us as a Union, the EU will use all protective tools at its disposal. The Union will develop (in 2025) an ambitious Unity Safety Net for the EU agri-food sector. In cases of economic coercion of the EU or its Member States by non-EU countries, the Union will protect the agri-food sector through all available means, including in the context of the WTO or EU autonomous instruments such as the Anti-Coercion Instrument, where appropriate.
The Commission will also work with the EIB to provide export credits that de-risk exports for Union agri-food sector.
In this context, the reserve of EUR 1 billion announced in the context of the EU-Mercosur agreement in the next MFF will play an important role.
In addition, the Commission will work on strengthening the competitiveness and resilience of sensitive sectors such as livestock, present a simplification package that will contribute to the competitiveness of European farmers while preserving the contribution to societal objectives, propose an extension of the country of origin labelling in line with sectoral specificities and Single Market rules and intensify its promotion policy.
Preparedness and risk-proofing agri-food sector
“We must be better prepared, not only to survive, but also to thrive in this new reality”, states the Niinistö report 28 . This new reality has been marked by significant shocks, from the pandemic, the Russian war of aggression and market disturbances to animal/plant diseases and a volatile geopolitical situation. Moreover, extreme weather events, once relatively rare, are becoming more frequent while precipitation patterns are changing.
Farmers are at the forefront of many of these crises. The growing number of risks, threats and uncertainties call for an ambitious European risk and crisis management approach which would review and strengthen the toolbox to better manage risks and crises at EU level.
Firstly, the incentives for farmers will be reinforced to reduce their vulnerability and exposure to risks through adaptation at the farm level, as well as incentives for farmers to share risks (e.g. via producer organisations or cooperatives). A climate-resilient EU agriculture must rely on policies tailored to local, regional and national needs, supporting agricultural practices and interventions that make agricultural local productions fit for future climate conditions.
Building on the experience of the initiatives carried out in the past years 29 , additional steps are needed. The upcoming European Climate Adaptation Plan, and the upcoming Water Resilience Strategy, will play an important role, in particular in supporting Member States on preparedness and planning, and addressing the risks and impacts of climate change on energy, transport and other infrastructure, water, food and land in cities and rural areas.
The future CAP will support, in a more targeted way, measures and investments that make the agricultural sector more resilient to the changing conditions. More ambitious transformational changes will be needed in places where the current productions are not sustainable for the longer term, through for example new local strategies, research and innovation, including new genomic techniques to produce more climate resilient crops.
Secondly, ambitious action is needed on risk preparedness, insurance and de-risking. In that domain, cooperation with the European Investment Bank (EIB), with banks, insurance and re-insurance companies and with value-chain actors will be crucial. This should lead to a better pooling of risks and an improvement in the availability and affordability of agricultural insurances for farmers.
Thirdly, the Commission and the Member States must ensure policy coherence between risk and crisis management tools as well as greater flexibilities. Crisis management tools should encourage farmers to proactively manage risks and Member States to work towards efficient and adapted risk management strategies.
Moreover, the functioning of the agricultural reserve should be carefully assessed with a view to refocusing it to specific crises of a significant magnitude, such as major market disturbances and animal/plant health issues. Furthermore, the provision of exceptional support to farmers should be better linked to appropriate risk management and preventive measures.
As a follow-up to the Niinistö report, the EU should step up its level of preparedness on food security across the whole food chain. The activities of the European Food Security Crisis Mechanism (EFSCM) should continue, be further developed and linked to overall EU crisis management within a wholeof-government approach. In consistency with the upcoming Preparedness Union Strategy, synergies and more coordination should be sought for preparedness. In addition, new agriculture and food specific tools could be explored related to food reserves, joint procurement, and increased transparency in times of crises. Like for other essential sectors such as health, holistic preparedness and response plans should be developed at national and regional level covering all aspects relevant to the whole food supply chain within a wider EU approach to preparedness.
Supporting the resilience of agricultural markets
The geopolitical events resulting in trade distortions, the global competition, the impacts of extreme climatic events and the changing consumption patterns are a source of uncertainty for many commodity markets, from wine, cereals, animal products to olive oil. The Commission closely monitors all markets and rapidly acts when market situation deteriorates.
The specific situation of the wine sector required such a response, and the Commission will advance towards the implementation in 2025 of the recommendations of the High-Level Group on Wine 30 .
The EU livestock sector is particularly vulnerable to different shocks and global competition. High EU standards require EU livestock farmers to be world leaders, but their efforts are not reciprocated globally where they compete on an uneven level playing field. Such standards also come at a cost that the market does not always reward. Livestock is and will remain an essential part of EU agriculture, competitiveness and cohesion. Sustainable livestock is crucial for the EU economy, viability of rural areas and preservation of the environment and of rural landscapes. It is a sector in which innovation can thrive and bring tangible benefits.
The EU livestock sector requires a long-term vision that respects the diversity and sustainability of livestock production across Europe. Protecting this diversity means that there cannot be a 'one-size-fits-all' approach but rather targeted, territorial solutions for the sector’s competitiveness and sustainability. A powerful drive could be given by designing conducive conditions for the development of an “excellence livestock production chain”. The Commission will launch a work stream on livestock to develop policy pathways that: a) provide a diagnosis of the sector’s challenges, including global competition; b) propose appropriate tools to accompany the sector and, where justified, reciprocity measures; c) seek ways to address its climate/environment footprint, including ways to valorise the link between livestock production and maintenance of environment- and climate-valuable grasslands through more extensive livestock systems beneficial to the preservation of biodiversity and landscapes; d) foster investments, technological development and innovation; and e) enhance the development of sustainable production models.
Reducing red tape to foster a competitive agri-food sector
Farmers should be entrepreneurs and providers, not carrying unnecessary bureaucratic or regulatory burdens. As the Draghi report stated, excessive requirements and reporting obligations impede the competitiveness of the EU economy and innovation.
The Commission will deliver an unprecedented simplification effort 31 , including in agriculture. There is no place for the Union to design in such detail the on-farm practices that must be respected. Numerous requests for derogations from these obligations, often justified based on national and regional specificities, have proven that one-size-fits-all approaches are not the most appropriate tool for such a diversified sector.
Additionally, there must be a better burden-sharing when it comes to the implementation of regulations and requirements between farmers and Member States, paired with a stress-test and reality-check of existing and new legislation. Equally, gold plating should be avoided and a cumulative assessment of impacts is essential.
Positive prospects for simplification stem from new technologies. For example, earth observation satellites help reduce on-the-spot controls and reduce reporting obligations by providing real-time and actionable data at farm level. The integration of satellite technology leads to better resource use, reduced input costs, and improved sustainability. Accordingly, continuity and evolution of EU space assets i.e. Copernicus and Galileo will further foster simplification and competitiveness. Furthermore, data-sharing technologies could cut red tape by providing for more streamlined and automated reporting opportunities.
The Commission will propose in Q2 2025 a comprehensive Simplification package of the current agricultural legislative framework which will deliver: (i) On-farm simplification and streamlining of requirements that better recognise various situations and farming practices (such as organic farming); (ii) Streamlining support for smaller and medium-sized farms by greater use of simplified payments; (iii) Boosting competitiveness through improved and simplified planning and access to financial instruments available under the current MFF; (iv) Giving greater flexibility to the Member States for the management of strategic plans.
In addition, the Commission will work in 2025 on delivering a cross-cutting legislative simplification package of measures that deliver meaningful simplification in other policy areas than the CAP that affect farmers, the food and feed businesses and the related administrations. It will focus on elements that will help farmers and food and feed businesses be more competitive and resilient, also in view of geopolitical shocks and global competition.
3.3.Future-proofing the agri-food sector that works hand in hand with nature
Like no other sector, food production is based on, and inextricably linked to, nature and ecosystems. The ability of farmers to produce food in the long run and be resilient depend on resilient ecosystems, maintenance of soils, fight against pests and diseases, pollination of crops, water quality and availability, clean air and climate conditions. The EU has the objective to be climate neutral by 2050 and fight and reverse environmental degradation. The agri-food sector has an important contribution to make towards this objective and draws benefits from this.
At the same time, the ecological transition must carefully integrate economic and implementation challenges, as well as the need for a just transition in social terms. It must also recognise specificities of farming: on the one hand, agriculture will always have a degree of impact on natural resources, with limitations in terms of mitigation compared to other sectors of the economy. Similarly, situations across regions and territories differ greatly. This naturally calls for well-tailored and targeted solutions, including nature-based solutions.
Where decarbonisation and competitiveness go hand in hand
Agricultural activities can remove carbon from the atmosphere into soils and biomass; in most cases, these activities also make food production more resilient to climate-related damage, and therefore contributing to food security. As all sectors need to contribute to the emissions reduction, climate action in the agri-food sector is essential to meet the broader goal of a climate-neutral and resilient EU by 2050.
The Commission expects agriculture to achieve the emissions cuts in alignment with the EU climate target for 2030. Building on this, the Commission will consider pathways for the contribution of the agricultural sector to the EU’s 2040 climate target, taking into account the specificities of the sector and focusing on its competitiveness, the need to ensure food security and to strengthen the bioeconomy, and in dialogue with the sector and the Member States. This approach will be reflected in the review of the relevant legislation regulating GHG emissions and removals from the agriculture and the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry sectors.
With effective policies that reward good practices and approaches tailored to specific needs, there is room to further decrease emissions from agriculture faster while enhancing carbon removals in the land sector, in soils and forests. For prevailing emissions from livestock, the recommendations from the livestock work stream will serve as the basis for the further development of a toolbox of tailored measures to support the sector and regions in their efforts to reduce emissions. Technological advancements, including in feeding strategies, will also contribute. Linked to this, the future CAP will assess how to support farmers best in reducing further greenhouse gas emissions from their farming and livestock activities.
The food and drink industry, as well as the retail sector, have also a crucial role to play in contributing to the 2040 climate target and the environment protection. Clear policies and incentives should be put in place to realise the innovation potential in the food system and the bioeconomy at large and to deliver healthy, affordable and sustainable food to EU citizens.
Incentivising sustainability
Environmental sustainability is increasingly a license to produce for farmers. The opportunities from nature and climate protection can provide a positive agenda for European agriculture. Working with nature provides resilience for farming for future generations, and it has started its incremental steps to draw in financing from the private sector, which should be further explored as a complementary source of income, in addition to public support. When it comes to carbon removals, carbon farming and carbon storage, these approaches will become more harmonised in the EU thanks to the Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming (CRCF) certification framework. The upcoming harmonised CRCF methodologies and verification rules will bring more clarity in that regard.
However, in recent years European farms have seen a substantial multiplication of sustainability standards, certifications and reporting requirements, set by various actors, organisations and institutions, both public and private. These different methodologies and reporting requirements touch on wide range of aspects related to sustainability and are resulting in a fragmented landscape, characterised by inconsistencies between standards, incomparability of initiatives, and misleading signals as to the direction to take. This creates high transaction costs and confusion for farmers and bears the risk of ‘greenwashing’ practices.
To address this problem, in addition to simplifying and streamlining EU requirements, the Commission will also develop and gradually phase in a voluntary benchmarking system for on-farm sustainability assessments, thus allowing simplification and benchmarking to go hand in hand. Similar benchmarking approaches could be developed together with and extended to the whole agrifood sector, including supporting consumer choices.
An example of benchmarking: On-farm Sustainability Compass
The sustainability compass should act as a one-stop-shop that streamlines reporting and reduces administrative burdens for farmers, allowing them to monitor and record sustainability data only once. Secondly, it will support farmers in gradually adopting more sustainable practices and attracting new sources of financing. It will allow them to better measure and benchmark their sustainability performance and demonstrate their provision of ecosystem services through easier data sharing. Thirdly, improved measurement and reporting can help design public policies in a proportionate way. This voluntary system for on-farm sustainability assessments will be developed based on a bottom-up, participatory and ‘customer-driven’ approach.
Farming and nature
Ensuring that agriculture and nature go hand in hand requires better implementation, streamlining and enforcement of existing legislation and using incentives and new market-based tools to promote change.
Additionally, farmers need a more advanced toolbox to be able to farm in a nature-friendly way and achieve the set objectives. This toolbox requires a well-calibrated mix of a better targeted public support from the future CAP, investments into nature-friendly solutions, more economic incentives, tailored advice drawing on advances in research and innovation, and a more agile regulatory environment.
One such example is the EU ambition to reduce the use of harmful pesticides. This is important both for the long-term resilience of farming, nature and health protection. However, the introduction of alternatives in a form of biological or innovative low-risk plant protection products has not followed with the same pace as the withdrawal of active substances from the EU market. If this trend continues, it can affect the EU’s ability to ensure food production. The Commission will therefore carefully consider any further ban of pesticides if alternatives are not yet available, unless the pesticide in question represents a threat to human health or to the environment that agriculture relies upon for its viability.
Equally, the Commission will in 2025, as part of the simplification package in Q4, put forward a proposal that accelerates the access for biopesticides to the EU market. It will provide a definition of biocontrol active substances, introduce the possibility for Member States to grant provisional authorisations for plant protection products containing such biocontrol active substances while their evaluation is still ongoing and create a fast-track procedure for their approval and authorisation.
Furthermore, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will have to be reinforced with additional resources to speed up risk assessment procedures so that it can continue playing a central role in providing timely, transparent and independent scientific advice. This will facilitate the access to the EU market of innovative plant protection products while ensuring a high level of protection of consumers’ health and the environment.
Healthy soil is the basis for farming, today and tomorrow. At the same time, European soils are under strain from factors including climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and in some cases unsustainable soil management. To address this, the Commission will incentivise and support farming practices that recover, maintain or improve soil health. Continuous support for organic farming remains essential, while other integrated approaches could be further encouraged. In this respect, putting in place independent and reliable advisory services will be critical to ensure that farmers can draw on best knowledge profiting soil and farming.
Agriculture is heavily reliant on water, requiring a steady and safe supply to ensure the health and wellbeing of crops, livestock, and all forms of life. However, water is vulnerable to a number of challenges including agriculture-related abstraction and pollution. The EU is increasingly affected by water stress since water scarcity is further exacerbated by climate change. Adverse weather events due to climate change are a key risk to crop production, especially in Southern Europe 32 . The Commission will soon present a Water Resilience Strategy that will outline the Commission’s response to the pressing need for more efficient water uses, reducing water pollution and addressing challenges elated to over-abstraction of water resources.
Special attention needs to be paid to improving nutrients management at farm level and increasing nutrients circularity. Priority should be given to addressing nutrient pollution hotspots and promoting integrated territorial approaches. A key aspect of this would be the management and control of nutrients from livestock farming to limit negative externalities, support extensification in regions with high livestock concentrations, and promote circularity which can help reduce the use of synthetic fertilisers. The evaluation of the Nitrates Directive due at the end of 2025 will provide further evidence to inform the discussion.
3.4.Valuing food and fostering fair living and working conditions in vibrant rural areas
Food connects people across territories and regions. It connects farmers with consumers and links urban centres with rural dwellers. Farmers, fishers and food production are the glue that keep rural and coastal communities strong and form the basis of further economic activity. Dynamic rural areas foster quality food production which in turn supports their economy. Reinvigorating these connections between food and territory and revitalising rural areas will be essential for the future of farming in Europe.
Fair living and working conditions across European rural and coastal areas
Demographic challenges, ageing and depopulation trends in particular, paired with poor generational renewal, are leading to a decline in the working age population in most rural and in many coastal areas throughout the Union.
As a result of the geopolitical tensions, the EU’s Eastern border regions most affected by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine are rural areas of particular vulnerability and concern and need particular support. Socio-economic decline and increasing depopulation will have additional security implications here, while these mostly rural areas are of strategic importance for the EU’s security.
Besides access to land and capital, the availability of better education, quality jobs and career opportunities, better mobility, basic health services, and connectivity are all pre-conditions for the vitality of rural areas and for attracting new workforce in the food sector. Food and feed production in the EU is also dependent on farm workers, which are frequently coming from other EU Member States or from third countries and too often work under precarious conditions. This needs to be, more than before, proactively addressed and considered in public policies. Linked to this, social dialogue and collective bargaining have an important role to play, in line with national law and traditions.
Farming is a rewarding but also a demanding profession, often characterised by lack of work-life balance, and frequent isolation and loneliness, which many times affect mental health. Suicide rates among farmers are 20% higher than the national average in certain Member States 33 . The Farm Advisory Services under the CAP can be instrumental in raising awareness on mental health and accidents at work through specific advice to farmers. For example, the Irish Teagasc has been actively supporting farmers’ mental health and raising awareness through its numerous activities 34 .
Alongside the CAP, a number of other policies, including Cohesion policy, have a significant impact on rural areas and contribute to social, economic and territorial cohesion in Europe. The contribution of Cohesion Policy to the economic diversification and the provision of infrastructure and associated services can play a greater role to help rural areas to remain attractive places to live for farmers, their families and other rural inhabitants, as well as stimulate tourism. Agritourism in particular can provide farmers with a complementary income.
Synergies and complementarities must be further enhanced to ensure effective support and tangible impact in rural areas. A closer coordination of funding instruments with sectorial policies can contribute to the development of rural areas through integrated planning and implementation efforts.
In 2025, the Commission will launch an updated EU Rural Action Plan that will be consolidated with projects, initiatives and actions from numerous policies of the EU to respond to the new European policy priorities post-2027. The rural proofing principle, including territorial impact assessments, will be further operationalised and sufficiently resourced at EU level. Moreover, the Rural Pact 35 , launched in 2021 to provide a framework for cooperation with stakeholders, will be further strengthened as the instrument for dialogue and engagement of civil society and rural communities – both in supporting implementation and policy discussions. The Commission will also take further action to address the targeted spread of disinformation in rural areas.
Furthermore, circular economy contains significant potential for the economy of rural areas, in particular through the bioeconomy. In the long-term Vision for rural areas 36 , the Commission estimated that the further development of the bioeconomy will lead to the creation of 400,000 new highly skilled jobs by 2035 and up to 700,000 by 2050, mostly in rural areas.
Participatory local development tools, like LEADER/community-led local development and other forms of cooperation like Smart villages, which proved their efficiency, will be further strengthened. The concept of functional rural areas will be further developed in view of addressing the gap in the availability and affordability of services for rural citizens, in line with the Commission’s commitment to address the need for an effective ‘right to stay’ for all European citizens. This concerns all rural areas, with relevance for remote areas and those that do not have immediate access to services offered by towns and cities. Here, small and medium-sized towns have an important role in providing access to services and infrastructure.
Outermost regions have specificities that require specific and targeted support. The Commission confirms the importance of the POSEI scheme to support farmers in the outermost regions. The results of the ongoing evaluation will feed into the reflection on how to ensure that POSEI can guarantee the long-term future of the agricultural sector in the outermost regions, further contributing to their food security and sovereignty, competitiveness and resilience.
To attract more women to farming and to allow for exchange of experience, the Commission will establish a Women in Farming platform that will strengthen women's engagement and equal opportunities in the farming sector thanks to the actions brought about by the Platform members. It will also serve as a forum to discuss and exchange good practices.
Valuing food: reestablishing the essential link between farming, territory and food and harnessing the power of innovation
Over the past decades, consumers’ relationship with food has evolved. Food is more processed, eating habits are changing and supply chains have gotten longer and more complex. At the same time, food affordability remains a major concern, especially for low-income households. While the link between farming, food and territory has weakened, changing societal expectations with regard to food hold opportunities for the sector. Therefore, going back to the “roots” and re-establishing the link between food, territory, seasonality, cultures and local traditions is very important.
Consumers have an important role to play in the transition. Farmers and fishers face pressure to improve their environmental performance, while markets fail to reward the progress already made and to incentivise further sustainability practices.
To make informed choices, consumers need access to trustworthy information. The Commission will continue to enforce EU consumer protection laws to prevent unfair commercial practices. Clearing out misleading environmental claims and unreliable sustainability labels is a prerequisite for equipping consumers with the information they need to make sustainable choices.
Food is a crucial part of any discussion on the future of agriculture and food production in Europe. But it is also sensitive, as experience shows, where social and cultural traditions come into play. This chapter identifies areas where Union action can bring added value, without encroaching on the national and regional competences in health policy and the freedom to choose.
Local authorities are often well placed to lead engagement on how to shape favourable food environments through community-led initiatives, including food councils that foster dialogue on how to enhance the affordability and availability of healthy, high-quality food. The Commission will promote such initiatives at national and regional/local level and facilitate further exchange of good practices across Member States. One aspect where the Union can help is to bring this dialogue and interaction to the EU level.
Therefore, the Commission will hold every year a Food Dialogue with the food system’s actors, including consumers, primary producers, industry, retailers, public authorities and civil society. This dialogue would be the forum to address pressing issues such as food reformulation, collection of data on dietary intake and food affordability, just to name a few. To support this dialogue, the Commission will launch a study on the impact of the consumption of the so-called ‘ultra-processed foods’.
In this context, the Food Dialogue should also aim to promote the exchange of best practices and monitor the way food poverty is addressed in Member States by the use of EU and national instruments, including social policies, school schemes and food stamps for the most vulnerable households.
Additionally, the Commission will come forward with a legal proposal to strengthen the role of public procurement. Public procurement should pursue a “best value” approach to reward quality and sustainability efforts made by European farmers, food industry and services, and should provide opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to participate in such activities. This can provide the right incentives to promote the consumption of local, seasonal products, and food produced with high environmental and social standards, including organic products and food originating from shorter supply chains. Linked to this, the development of short food supply chains remains of strategic importance to ensure fairer prices for farmers, fishers and improved access to fresh and seasonal products for consumers.
Furthermore, the Commission will propose a targeted review of a successful EU school scheme to strengthen its education dimension, adapted to the local and regional needs and traditions. The EU promotion policy will remain a strategic policy tool to be used to enhance consumer awareness about EU agricultural and fishery and aquaculture products and quality schemes, including the EU organic farming label. Linked to this, the Commission will continue working to promote further uptake of geographical indications (GIs) which are a powerful tool for European producers in valorising their food and drink products, preserving food heritage across Member States and creating growth and jobs in the rural areas where they are located.
The contribution of the food industry is essential to develop business models that strengthen every part of the value chain and look also at the wellbeing of farmers, fishers, sector workers and consumers. In this respect, a comprehensive approach is needed to encourage investments in the competitiveness, innovation, resilience and sustainability in food processing, distribution and sale to address current gaps and challenges. The Commission will also continue supporting very actively the uptake and results generated by the implementation of the EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices and evaluate whether further action is needed if the achievements generated by the Code of Conduct do not meet the expected ambition. Business support organisations should be mobilised to better support food processing SMEs and create virtual innovation hubs.
In this respect, SME networking can be facilitated by the European Cluster Collaboration Platform, as well as by the upcoming agri-food Transition Pathway Platform. This Platform will also facilitate the overall implementation of the Code of Conduct and the transition pathway for the agri-food industrial ecosystem.
As diverse and balanced nutrition can impact positively people’s well-being and health, it is important to advance with Member States the work on monitoring the effects of certain advertising and marketing practices of food. In particular, the impact on the health and well-being of the most vulnerable groups of consumers, such as children, should be investigated.
Innovative technologies have emerged, including in the field of food technology, biotechnology and biomanufacturing. Keeping Europe’s innovation edge in such new technologies is paramount for the sector to remain competitive and for the EU to remain a world leader in food innovation. At the same time, certain food innovation is sometimes seen as a threat to the traditions and culture across Europe. This calls for an enhanced dialogue on this matter and better knowledge, to make sure that these innovations can be assessed in an inclusive way that also considers social, ethical, economic, environmental and cultural aspects of food innovation.
Finally, new societal expectations regarding food are shaping consumer behaviour, in particular when it comes to animal welfare and product origin. If well supported, this can present new opportunities for farmers. To address this, the Commission will closely exchange with farmers, the food chain and civil society and on that basis present proposals on the revision of the existing animal welfare legislation, including its commitment to phase out cages. This revision will be based on the latest scientific evidence and take into account the socio-economic impact on farmers and the agri-food chain, providing support and appropriate, species-specific transition periods and pathways. Linked to this, the Commission will consider targeted labelling in relation to animal welfare to address societal expectations.
At the same time, continuing efforts to reduce food loss and food waste is a key priority for the years to come. Reducing and valuing food losses and food waste will not only benefit EU citizens, farmers and all other actors across the food supply chain but will also increase the sustainability of the EU food system, contributing to more efficient resource use and food security.
4.Creating An enabling environment: Putting research, innovation, knowledge and skills at the heart of Europe’s agri-food economy
Digitalisation as a driver to further advance the transition
The digital transition moves at unprecedented speed and can contribute to quickly improving farm economic performance, resilience and sustainability. Advanced digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, in combination with data from Internet of Things (IoT) and other sources can significantly enhance operations and drive innovation and revolutionise the way we produce food, taking care of the environment, climate and people. Nonetheless the adoption of digital tools lags behind in agriculture and other parts of the food system. Perceived high costs, lack of digital skills and trust, absence of tailored solutions and connectivity issues are among the main reasons why farmers are not fully tapping into the digitalisation wave.
The priority will be to ensure connectivity in rural areas, particularly in remote areas, while also taking advantage of the opportunities provided by alternative connectivity solutions and edge computing. Investing in the enabling environment, such as lifelong training in digital skills and advice, is also crucial, as well as encouraging testing and adoption, also collectively (e.g. via cooperatives). Digital systems need to be further integrated and harmonised, both for the collection of data by farmers, other food system actors and Member States’ systems. The Commission will pursue a ‘collect once, use multiple times’ principle, reducing reporting burden for farmers under consideration of existing and already evolving EU level initiatives, like the Common European Agricultural Data Space.
To deliver on these challenges the Commission will launch an EU digital strategy for agriculture to enable the transition to a digital-ready and future-oriented farming and food sector, while avoiding possible pitfalls 37 .
Knowledge, Research & Innovation as catalysts of change
New knowledge and innovations must reach farmers and other food system actors more quickly and at wider scale, with concrete on-farm and on-site applicability of innovative solutions. And we are not starting from zero. The Horizon Europe Mission Soil supports farmers in their transition to sustainable soil practices through a combination of R&I and on-site testing and experimentation, which should be continued to achieve healthy soils in the EU by 2050.
The innovation is advancing and should be embraced. For example, testing regulatory initiatives, new technologies or business models in sandboxes (e.g. for digital tools in agriculture) before rolling them out, and innovation procurement will help to remove barriers for more innovation ready to be used by farmers.
To deliver results tailored to farmers’ needs, the co-creation of knowledge and innovation in local experimentation sites on-farm with farmers, scientists, innovators and business, e.g. in living laboratories, should be scaled up.
Developing a new EU strategic approach to R&I to improve the competitiveness of agriculture, forestry and rural areas will be paramount to target investments efficiently, align future priorities with scientific developments and grasp new opportunities.
In this endeavour, further strengthening existing public-public and public-private R&I partnerships and considering new ones will be key to pool resources, talents, and research infrastructures. In this respect, a strengthened cooperation with the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR) is key. On the global stage, reinforcing international partnerships and cooperation with international organisations like FAO, WOAH, CGIAR and OECD will help deliver on innovative solutions to the global challenges and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Plant breeding innovations, including the use of biotechnological tools such as new genomic techniques (NGTs), are key to accelerating the development of climate-change resilient, resource-saving, nutritious and high-yielding varieties, and thereby contribute to the EU’s food security and food sovereignty. NGTs can also yield microorganisms with positive impact on agricultural production, e.g. by reducing the need for synthetic fertilisers.
To reap the benefits of these innovations, an enabling regulatory framework in the EU is needed. This also ensures a level-playing field with an increasing number of third countries, which are in the process of adapting their legislation or have done so already. It is therefore particularly important to complete the legislative procedure for the Commission’s NGT proposal and to implement the legislation fast. The Commission is committed to working in close cooperation with the Council and the European Parliament to find a forward-looking compromise in the near future.
Strengthen knowledge and innovation systems in agriculture and support for advice
New knowledge and innovations stemming from the EU R&I programmes must be widely accessible and used in practice. The Member States need to put substantial efforts into strengthening Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) and match resources with the broader range of needs faced by the sector, in particular to better support farmers in their transition to sustainability. To this end, the CAP will continue to provide strong support to implement AKIS strategies with the AGRI European Innovation Partnership (EIP) as a cornerstone. It will also promote further actions to strengthen the role of independent and competent advisors and develop attractive training offers that respond to the need of farmers all along their professional life and are particularly suited to the evolving skills demand of the new generation of farmers and their career prospects.
Addressing skills shortages and mismatches in the farming sector through anticipation and dedicated investment in high-quality training and advice will be key to attract a new generation of talented farm entrepreneurs, and build a competitive, sustainable and resilient agriculture and food system. The forthcoming Union of Skills will provide a new momentum to drive a more strategic approach to inclusive lifelong learning and skills development in agriculture and make the most of the tools at disposal to reposition farming as an attractive and rewarding career choice.
5. CONCLUSION
This Communication presents the Commission’s reflection on the future of agriculture and food in Europe. The European agri-food sector has many strengths and is a leader when it comes to health, safety, quality, sustainability and innovation in food production. We must build on these strengths. But in the current geopolitical context, the Union must sharpen its response to the challenges farmers, fishers, other rural actors and the agri-food sector are facing and prepare for the future with a more assertive policy response in favour of our strategic autonomy and food sovereignty, while pursuing its objectives of nature protection and decarbonisation. This policy response is united around a common vision that will frame the work of the Commission for this entire mandate across all policy areas that have an impact on agriculture and food.
The delivery of this vision cannot rely on the EU level alone. It requires that new generations of farmers, agrifood operators, informed consumers and rural communities take up the mantle from the current generation as entrepreneurs, custodians of the countryside and agents of change. It requires a strengthened dialogue at all levels of governance, with EU institutions, national, regional and local authorities, and with our international partners.
That is why this Communication launches this dialogue to enrich the Commission’s reflections on the way forward around the four priority areas and their enablers. Many of the topics contained therein are sensitive and do not often find easily a consensus in society, in particular aspects related to food, livestock, and the future of the CAP. This is why further strands of work are launched to elaborate these key issues and find solutions in close engagement with relevant stakeholders and policy makers. Experience shows that one-size-fits-all solutions cannot be applied to such a diverse sector and the Strategic Dialogue has rather called for territorial and tailored response.
The Commission invites the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions, the social partners and all stakeholders to actively contribute to the development and delivery of the initiatives in this Communication.
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