Press release: EU Agriculture Vision goes rogue

Today, EU Commissioner Christophe Hansen unveiled the EU’s long-term vision for agriculture, setting out plans for the agri-food system towards 2040 and beyond. The document, meant to guide EU policy over the next four years, was expected to reflect the conclusions of the ‘Strategic Dialogue’. It does not.

The vision was presented just five months after the conclusion of the so-called Strategic Dialogue, an initiative led by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The Dialogue brought together 29 key stakeholders from across the food chain, including environmental NGOs like BirdLife, farmers’ unions such as Copa-Cogeca and industry representatives like EuroCommerce. One key takeaway from these discussions was that business-as-usual is not an option and that there is an urgent need for a systemic transformation of the EU’s food and farming landscape, with a fair transition that benefits everyone, from farmers to consumers.

Yet, Hansen’s vision largely maintains the status quo. It fails to propose concrete policy actions to tackle the ongoing climate, biodiversity, and social crises, threats that endanger both the livelihoods of millions of farmers and the EU’s long-term food security.

Key gaps in Hansen’s vision?

1. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will continue with untargeted area-based payments, instead of supporting those in greatest need. The vision proposes to further simplify the CAP, relinquishing even more control over what happens to one-third of the EU’s budget. With fewer binding rules, EU countries will be less likely to promote sustainable farming, as was the case following the 2024 CAP simplification. [1]
2. Scientific evidence has time after time proven that reducing meat consumption can fight the climate crisis, reduce pollution, and improve health. But Hansen’s vision does not address the environmental and health impacts of the livestock sector. Instead, it is applauded, and no tangible plan for any dietary transition is offered.
3. While it is encouraging that the vision recognises procurement policies as essential for driving dietary shifts, it lacks a concrete roadmap for how EU policies should facilitate a broader dietary transition and misses the opportunity to align food policies with climate and health goals.

Ultimately, this vision fails both farmers and society at large.

Marilda Dhaskali, Senior EU Agriculture Policy Officer at BirdLife Europe:  
“Commissioner Hansen’s vision fails to address the pressing threats to our agri-food system. By neglecting to enforce vital environmental laws and continuing to funnel subsidies to the wealthiest landowners, this plan sidelines the very farmers who steward our landscapes. Without decisive action to restore nature and adapt to climate realities, Europe’s food security hangs by a thread. Our farmers deserve a visionary roadmap, not a rehash of failed policies.”

It is expected that both the European Council and Parliament will react to the vision in the coming weeks, meaning there is still time to address these crucial gaps.

ENDS.

For more information, contact:
Caroline Herman, Communications Officer
[email protected]
+32 222 589 70

Notes to editors:

[1] Our latest report ‘The untapped potential of eco-schemes’ demonstrates that adjustments to national CAP plans following the 2024 CAP simplification often led to a dilution of environmental ambitions, with several countries reducing the areas dedicated to nature or fulfilling the obligations only in a formal sense.

• The newly established European Board for Agriculture and Food (EBAF) consists of 30 members representing rural and farming communities, the agri-food industry, and civil society, including Birdlife Europe. The membership builds on that of the Strategic Dialogue, with the addition of health groups (EPHA), alpine farmers (Euromontana), pesticides lobbies (CropLife), and feed manufacturing lobbies (FEFAC). EBAF will work to foster collaboration and ensure policy coherence with private sector initiatives. The Board is set to meet between two and six times a year, with additional meetings convened by Commissioner Hansen when urgent advice is needed.

• The Strategic Dialogue was initiated by President von der Leyen in September 2023, in response to widespread farmer protests and growing concerns about the environmental impact of Europe’s agri-food system – the largest driver of biodiversity loss across the EU.
  
  

Cover picture by Rollin Verlinde