Brussels, 19 February 2025
EU Commission presents its roadmap for a thriving EU farming and agri-food sector
Today, the EU Commission is presenting its Vision for Agriculture and Food, an ambitious roadmap on the future of farming and food in Europe. This roadmap sets the stage for an attractive, competitive, resilient, future-oriented and fair agri-food system for current and future generations of farmers and agri-food operators.
Simplifying further EU policies and increasing the uptake of innovation and digitalisation are pre-requisites to all actions outlined in the Vision. Later in 2025, the Commission will propose a comprehensive simplification package for the current agricultural legislative framework, along with an EU digital strategy for agriculture to support the transition to digital-ready farming.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said: “Our farmers take centre stage in the EU’s food production system. It is thanks to their daily, hard work that all of us have safe and high-quality food. Yet, our farmers face the growing challenges of global competition and climate change. That is why today, we are offering a comprehensive strategy that makes farming more attractive, more resilient and more sustainable.”
The Vision outlines four priority areas
An attractive sector: Farming must have the necessary stability to encourage young people to enter the profession, including through fair incomes and better-targeted public support. They also need to be actively supported to reap the benefits of innovation and new business models, including from carbon and nature credits, as complementary sources of income. The Commission is committed to ensuring that farmers are not forced to systematically sell their products below production costs, and will take concrete action to that end, including through the review of the Unfair Trading Practices Directive. The Commission will also present a Generational Renewal Strategy in 2025, with recommendations on measures needed both at the EU and national/regional level to address the barriers to young and new people entering the profession.
A competitive and resilient sector: The EU will continue to prioritise food security and sovereignty in various ways. Trade negotiations and agreements will be used to their full extent, while protecting the interests of European farmers. The Vision also responds to the requests of farmers, citizens and society at large for a stronger alignment of production standards for imported products to guarantee that the EU’s ambitious standards do not lead to competitive disadvantage, while in line with international rules. For this reason, the Commission will start taking steps in 2025 to assess the impact of greater coherences in standards when it comes to the hazardous pesticides banned in the EU and on animal welfare. Additionally, the rigorous enforcement and controls of food safety standards remains a non-negotiable priority. The Commission will reinforce its focus on livestock to foster the long-term future of the sector.
A future-proof sector: Europe’s agricultural sector plays an important role in the transition to a low-carbon economy. The vision recognises the need to reconcile climate action with food security and the specific challenges faced by the sector. Farmers should be rewarded for adopting nature-friendly practices. In this context, the Commission will carefully consider any further ban on the use of pesticides if alternatives are not available in a reasonable time and will streamline access to biopesticides in the EU market. The Commission will also develop a voluntary benchmarking system, the ‘on-farm sustainability compass’, to help farmers measure and improve their farm-level performance. A Water Resilience Strategy will also be prepared to address the pressing need for more efficient water uses.
Fair living and working conditions in rural areas: The Commission will come forward with an updated Rural Action Plan to ensure that rural areas remain vibrant, functional, and deeply linked to the EU’s cultural and natural heritage. An annual Food Dialogue will also be launched with a broad range of actors, including consumers, farmers, industry and public authorities to find solutions for issues such as food affordability and innovation. Reducing food waste and addressing societal concerns for animal welfare will also be closely looked at by the Commission going forward.
Looking ahead, the future common agricultural policy (CAP), as part of the upcoming MFF proposal, will be simpler and more targeted, with support more directed towards farmers who actively engage in food production, with a particular focus on young farmers and those farming in areas of natural constraints. Incentives, rather than conditions, will be favoured.
Background
The Vision for Agriculture and Food was proposed as a priority initiative for the first 100 days of this Commission’s mandate, led by Executive Vice-President Fitto and Commissioner Hansen, under the guidance of President von der Leyen. Building on the report of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, and in consultation with the European Board for Agriculture and Food, the Vision aims to secure the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of the EU’s farming and food sector. Based on the latest Eurobarometer results, EU citizens overwhelmingly agree that securing a stable food supply in the EU at all times is essential.
For More Information
- Questions and answers on the Vision for Agriculture and Food
- Communication: Vision for Agriculture and Food
- Factsheet
- Web page on the Vision for Agriculture and Food
- AV portal
Questions and answers on the Vision for Agriculture and Food
19 February 2025
1. Why is the Commission proposing a Vision on Agriculture and Food now?
New unprecedented challenges, including growing geopolitical tensions and more frequent extreme weather events have created a new landscape for Europe’s agri-food sector. These challenges are intensifying existing structural trends such as overall lower income and profitability, further straining the resilience of the sector.
This means that, more than ever, there is a need for a forward-looking vision and policy response for the sector that addresses this changing situation in a coherent manner across different EU policies.
This mandate will be key to ensuring the long-term competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of our farming and food sector. As such, the Commission is presenting a Vision for Agriculture and Food that serves as a shared roadmap for the years to come. It outlines a vision for 2040 and guides future policy discussions in a broad set of strategic issues for agriculture and food. At the beginning of the new mandate, this Vision provides predictability for the agri-food sector and aims to make it attractive, competitive, and resilient as a key part of Europe’s economy.
2. What are the main initiatives announced by the Vision?
The Vision outlines several main initiatives for four priority areas. The Commission will closely engage with all stakeholders to deliver on:
- An attractive sector that ensures a fair standard of living and leverages new income opportunities (e.g. reviewing existing legislation on the food supply chain, presenting a Generational Renewal Strategy)
- A competitive and resilient sector in the face of global challenges (e.g. implementing a fairer level playing field for EU farmers in relation to the rest of the world, presenting a package of simplification measures, presenting a long-term vision for the livestock sector and a protein plan)
- Future-proofing the agri-food sector that works hand in hand with nature (e.g. streamlining and enforcing existing legislation, accelerating access to biopesticides, launching an on-farm sustainability compass to measure progress and simplify reporting)
- Valuing food and promoting fair living and working conditions in vibrant rural areas (e.g. updating Rural EU Action Plan, setting up an Annual Food Dialogue, reviewing the EU legislation on animal welfare, strengthening the role of public procurement).
Uptake of research, innovation and digitalisation, together with the required skillset, are key requirements to make the sector even more competitive. The Commission will launch an EU Digital Strategy on agriculture to enable the transition towards a modernised farming and food sector.
3. Does the Vision present what the CAP post-2027 will be?
The Vision is the Commission’s reflection on the future of EU agriculture and food. In this sense, it frames the Commission’s work for this entire mandate across all policy areas related to agriculture and food, including the direction of travel for the future CAP. The public support through the CAP remains essential to support farmers’ income.
The future CAP will define a clearer balance between regulatory and incentives-based policies affecting farmers. The Commission will orient the future CAP away from conditions to incentives.
In line with the overall approach to the future MFF proposals, there is a need to further streamline how the CAP policy is implemented. The future CAP will rely on basic policy objectives and targeted policy requirements, while giving Member States further responsibility and accountability on how they meet these objectives.
Further details on the future CAP post-2027 will be presented later this year once the impact assessment process is completed, as part of the proposals on the next multi-annual financial framework.
4. Will EU farmers continue to receive income support from the CAP?
In her political guidelines, President von der Leyen has made it clear that there must be an EU income policy for European farmers. There is also a need to work towards a fairer distribution of public support. Future CAP support will be more directed towards farmers that actively engage in food production, towards the economic vitality of farms and the preservation of our environment.
The Communication acknowledges the special situation of small farms that should benefit from streamlined support. Furthermore, the aim is to direct the support further towards those farmers who need it most, with a particular attention to farmers in areas with natural constraints, young and new farmers, and mixed farms. The approach should also consider prioritising production of agricultural products which are essential for the EU’s strategic autonomy and resilience. Enhanced use of measures such as degressivity (reduction of payments) and capping will be considered, taking into account different structural and sectorial realities of Member States.
At the same time, all farmers should also continue to benefit from instruments such as payments for ecosystem services that will be streamlined and simplified, as well as investment support, and crisis and risk management tools.
5. How does this Vision take into account the current discussions on the multiannual financial framework (MFF)?
The MFF Communication of 11 February 2025 recognizes the importance of food security and nature protection to sustain Europe’s quality of life but also specific sectorial difficulties.
The Vision provides a long-term policy perspective on EU agriculture and food that is in line with ongoing reflections on the future MFF. To ensure the continuation of farming that attracts future generations of farmers across the EU, public support through the CAP remains essential to support farmers’ income.
6. How is the EU agri-food sector expected to combine the protection of natural resources with food production?
Farming is about working with nature. Food production is based on, and inextricably linked to, nature and ecosystems. 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.
The Commission remains convinced that agriculture and the protection of the natural world can go hand in hand, while providing promising opportunities for the farming sector, including voluntary instruments that could unlock additional sources of income for farmers, like carbon credits and nature credits.
In this context, we must support an agriculture that works for, and with, nature through well-tailored and targeted solutions, including both new technologies and nature-based approaches. Importantly, farmers need proper support to adopt and invest in more nature-friendly practices. This requires mechanisms that reward them for the ecosystem services that they deliver.
The Commission will help develop an on-farm sustainability compass, a voluntary benchmarking tool, to simply sustainability reporting requirements for farmers and enable them to showcase their progress.
Farmers and agri-food producers also need a more advanced toolbox with nature-friendly solutions. The Vision therefore proposes to accelerate the access to sustainable alternatives, such as biopesticides, to the market.
7. How does the Commission intend to improve fairness in the food supply chain?
Farmers must get a better revenue from the market, enabling them to make the necessary investments to future-proof and render their farms more resilient. A prerequisite for this is that current imbalances in the food chain are corrected.
First steps have already been taken to rebalance the positions and facilitate the proper enforcement of rules tackling unfair trading practices. The targeted amendments to the Common Market Organisation (CMO) Regulation and stronger rules on cross-border enforcement of the Unfair Trading Practices (UTP) Directive are expected to give greater transparency and facilitate cooperation among farmers, enhancing efficiency and fairness.
In the next step, the Vision announces that unfair trading practices will be further investigated, together with an analysis of national regulations regarding selling below costs of production, which will inform the Commission’s work on reviewing the unfair trading practices rules. Lastly, a key element to stimulate trust and fairness is transparency about how costs and margins are formed and shared in the food chain. The Commission will further enhance transparency along the food chain, including through the new Agrifood Chain Observatory (AFCO). This will draw up and publish indicators related to the formation of prices in the food chain to guide further action.
8. What steps will be taken to reduce red tape for farmers and food producers?
In the second quarter of 2025, the Commission will propose a comprehensive simplification package of the CAP. This package will contribute to reducing red tape. It will focus on on-farm simplification, streamlining requirements and support for smaller and medium-sized farms, and boosting competitiveness.
This year, the Commission will also deliver a cross-cutting legislative simplification package focused on simplification at farm level and for food and feed businesses from policy areas other than the CAP.
9. How does the Commission intend to implement a fairer level playing field for EU farmers towards the rest of the word?
The Union approach to a fairer global level playing field will consist of two-fold action that must go hand in hand: strengthening global and bilateral cooperation and designing a domestic framework that makes the EU agri-food sector more competitive.
As regards cooperation, the EU will continue working in the Team Europe approach with our partners and key International Organisations such as the FAO, WTO and Codex, for a stricter implementation of internationally agreed commitments and the raising of global standards. Likewise, the EU will reinforce existing bilateral agricultural policy dialogues and establish new Agrifood policy partnership dialogues with key partners.
Regarding competitiveness, the EU will be more assertive in promoting and defending strategically the exports of EU products. Likewise, it will pursue a stronger alignment of production standards applied to imported products, notably on pesticides and animal welfare. The Vision states that, as a principle, the most hazardous pesticides banned in the EU for health and environmental reasons should not be allowed back to the EU through imported products. This also responds to calls from citizens, civil society, farmers’ organisations and political institutions. The first step will be an impact assessment this year to determine the possible need for legal changes in the current regulatory framework, also taking into account the implications on competitiveness and at international level.
To address potential risks of unfair competition and unlawful unilateral action against the EU agri-food sector, the Commission will develop a Unity Safety Net to protect the sector from economic coercion.
10. What does the Vision envisage to promote nutritious food?
Consumers have an important role to play in the transition towards more sustainable and resilient food systems. Experience confirms that local authorities are often well placed to lead engagement on how to shape favourable food environments through local initiatives. In this context, every year the Commission will hold a Food Dialogue with the food system’s actors, including consumers, primary producers, industry, retailers, public authorities and civil society. This will help discuss and find solutions for critical issues such as investments, food affordability, diet and innovation in an inclusive manner.
This dialogue will be the forum to exchange good practices implemented across Member States to promote community-led initiatives, as well as EU and national instruments available for the most vulnerable households and addressing pressing issues such as food reformulation and food affordability, just to name a few. At the same time, the Commission will come forward with a legal proposal to strengthen the role of public procurement, together with a targeted review of the EU school scheme to strengthen its education dimension.
The Commission will also launch a study on the impact of the consumption of so-called “ultra-processed foods”.
For more information
Press release – EU Commission presents its roadmap for a thriving EU farming and agri-food sector
Speech by EU Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto at the College Read-out “Vision for Agriculture and food”
Good morning, everyone.
This morning, the College adopted the Vision on Agriculture and Food: Shaping Together an Attractive Farming and Agri-Food Sector for Future Generations.
We will present it briefly together with Commissioner Hansen.
The past years have been extremely challenging for everyone. However, the agricultural sector has suffered even more due to its intrinsic characteristics that make it particularly vulnerable to events and market fluctuations.
This sentiment was strongly expressed through demonstrations across Europe in the past year, including in Brussels, calling on the European Commission for dialogue and action.
The Vision we have adopted today, encompassing strategic actions for the agriculture and food sectors, is the first clear response to that call for help. It highlights the Commission’s strong commitment to the agri-food sector.
In shaping the agriculture of the future, the Commission started from a few simple, yet crucial principles:
- Farming and food are strategic sectors for the Union. European food security and sovereignty are non-negotiable.
- Food is a key part of our economic competitiveness. The EU is the world’s largest agri-food exporter.
- Farming works with nature. Farmers are part of the solution, not a problem. They play a vital role in protecting and enhancing our natural resources, including soil, water, biodiversity, and climate resilience.
With this in mind, the Commission’s purpose is to collaborate with the agri-food sector to ensure it remains competitive, resilient, attractive for future generations, and profitable.
Commissioner Hansen, who I thank for his excellent work, will outline the roadmap to achieve these goals.
Before that, I would like to highlight some key cross-cutting strategic elements included in the Vision, which define and reflect the political will of the Commission.
These elements will continue to guide the Commission and the agricultural sector working hand in hand in developing the future policies.
- Our new approach: The Vision commits to a new way of working – building trust and fostering dialogue across the entire value chain. Our Strategic Dialogue is fully operational, and we will enhance it further. Dialogue must extend deeper at the local level, engaging more effectively with farmers, food chain operators, and civil society across Europe. We will listen to their concerns and ideas.
- Tailored Solutions: We will propose simple, innovative, and customized solutions. Policies must be adapted to global, regional, and national needs, assuming a territorial approach. Protecting diversity means avoiding a one-size-fits-all strategy, instead opting for targeted solutions that enhance both competitiveness and sustainability.
- Local Dimension: Re-establishing the link between food, territory, seasonality, and local traditions is crucial. Local authorities are often best placed to lead initiatives shaping favorable food environments. The success of the valorization of the local dimension is shown by the Geographical Indications (GIs). The Commission will continue promoting Geographical Indications as a powerful tool for European producers to enhance the value of their food and beverage products, preserve culinary heritage across Member States, and stimulate growth and employment in rural areas.
- Consistency and Coordination: The Commission is committed to working in a coherent and coordinated manner. No action alone can be a miracle solution, and no sector can thrive in isolation. Supporting the agri-food sector means fostering rural development.
For this reason, our objective is to ensure complementarity between the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and other EU and national funds to maximize impact.
Alongside the CAP, several other policies, including Cohesion Policy, significantly impact rural areas and contribute to social, economic, and territorial cohesion in Europe. Closer coordination will drive rural development through integrated planning and implementation efforts.
To have a vision for agriculture means ensuring generational renewal, allowing young people to continue family businesses or start new ventures in a profitable sector. It means developing rural areas with investments in digitalization, infrastructure, and essential services, creating places where people can live, work, and build their futures.
It means having a vision for farmers, food producers, consumers, rural communities, future generations, and Europe as a whole.
Statement by the Chair of the EP Agriculture and Rural Development Committee
19 February 2025
The European Commission presented today its communication for attractive farming and agri-food sector for future generations.
Reacting to the Commission’s roadmap on the future of EU farming and food, Chair of the Agriculture and Rural Development CommitteeVeronika Vrecionová (ECR, CZ)said:
“I am pleased that the Commission is talking about agriculture as a strategic sector. That is something that has not been made so explicit until now and is crucial in these turbulent times. Even given Europe’s dependence on imports of certain important products such as fertiliser or animal feed, we need to diversify our supply chains, reduce our dependence and strengthen our own production.”
“I consider it significant that the Vision for Agriculture and Food focuses its attention on the competitiveness of our farmers and that they must be part of the discussion. That is why I consider it extremely important that the Commission is coming up with proposals to simplify the Common Agricultural Policy, which burdens our farmers with considerable bureaucracy. I also appreciate the fact that the Commission is proposing that, in future, financial support of farmers should be directed more directly towards those who look after the land and produce food.”
“The vision rightly links rural support to the economic sustainability of European agriculture and emphasises the maintenance of services, education and jobs in rural areas. I very much appreciate the Commission coming up with a digital EU strategy for agriculture. We need to make farming attractive to young people and promote the countryside. By encouraging the introduction of new technologies, we can achieve this, while improving the efficiency and sustainability of farming practices.”
Further information
Source – EU Parliament
Fidanza on Commission vision for agriculture: “A breath of fresh air for farmers”
Brussels, 19 February 2025
With its new vision for agriculture, the European Commission is proposing to recognise agriculture as a strategic sector. Financial support for farmers should be directed more towards those who care for the land and produce food. The ECR Group welcomes this shift in perspective, which finally acknowledges the central role of farmers in protecting nature and ensuring food security. ECR Coordinator in the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture, Carlo Fidanza MEP, said: “The vision for agriculture and food presented today by Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto and Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen is a breath of fresh air for a sector that has been battered in recent years by excessive bureaucracy and ideological green dogmatism. Under this new approach, the European farmer is no longer treated as an enemy, as was the case under Frans Timmermans, but is rightly recognised as the first guardian of nature, whose role must be central to every decision.”
Fidanza continued:
“European farmers must be guaranteed a fair income, supported by a modern and effective Common Agricultural Policy that prioritises those who produce. They must have the right to operate in a market where value is fairly distributed along the supply chain, and where imported products meet the same standards required of European ones. They must also be able to increase their productivity using new genomic techniques and contribute to sustainability through the responsible use of biopesticides and digestate.”
“Food security and sovereignty, reciprocity, fair remuneration, and the promotion of our geographical indications in global markets must guide agricultural policy in the years ahead. The ECR Group welcomes this important shift in direction and is committed to working on concrete proposals to further strengthen this important document and the measures that will follow.”
Source – ECR Group (by email)
Statement des EU-Abgeordneten Lins (CDU) zur “Vision für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung” der EU-Kommission
Zur heute von der EU-Kommission präsentierten “Vision für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung” erklärt Norbert Lins (CDU), Stellvertretender Vorsitzender des Agrar-Ausschusses im Europäischen Parlament:
“Die Vision sendet ein wichtiges Signal an die Landwirtschaft und die ländlichen Räume in Europa. Sie bekennt sich klar zur Lebensmittelproduktion und insbesondere auch zur Tierhaltung in Europa. Sie beschreibt einen Weg hin zu mehr Anreizen für die Landwirtschaft und weg von der Konditionalität. Die Anpassung an den Klimawandel hat einen hohen Stellenwert. Zukunftsthemen wie Bioökonomie und gut vernetzte ländliche Räume werden hervorgehoben. Zu begrüßen ist auch ein weiteres GAP-Vereinfachungspaket. Mehr Tempo hingegen braucht es bei sektorübergreifenden Rechtsvorschriften wie der Vereinfachung der Düngevorschriften und beim Pflanzenschutz. Je schneller, desto besser.”
Quelle – CDU/CSU-Gruppe im EU-Parlament
EU-Visionspapier für die Landwirtschaft: Markus Ferber blickt optimistisch auf die Zukunft der europäischen Agrarpolitik
„Nach den positiven Ankündigungen der Kommission zu dringendem Bürokratieabbau im Kompass für Wettbewerbsfähigkeit ist ein ebenso ambitioniertes Programm auch für die Landwirtschaft nötig“, so kommentiert der Europaabgeordnete und wirtschaftspolitische Sprecher der EVP-Fraktion im Europäischen Parlament das Zukunftspapier für den Agrar- und Lebensmittelsektor, welches der EU-Agrarkommissar Christophe Hansen heute in Brüssel präsentiert hat. Hansen legt mit dem Papier eine Roadmap für die kommenden Jahre vor und liefert Antworten auf wichtige Zukunftsfragen des Agrarbereichs. Der CSU-Europaabgeordnete Ferber begrüßt die veränderte Haltung der Kommission hin zu mehr Dialog und Vertrauen in die Landwirtschaft:
„Landwirtschaft muss auch für Jungbauern attraktiv sein. Ohne Zukunftsperspektive für unsere heimische Landwirtschaft werden wir zukünftig von Lebensmittelimporten aus Drittländern abhängig. Dazu darf es nicht kommen.“
Bürokratieerleichterungen in der Landwirtschaft dringend erforderlich
Markus Ferber lobt insbesondere den starken Fokus auf Bürokratieerleichterungen für Landwirte. So soll noch im zweiten Quartal dieses Jahres ein legislativer Vorschlag der Kommission mit konkreten Vereinfachungen folgen:
„Niemand entscheidet sich für eine Tätigkeit in der Landwirtschaft, um anschließend Formulare für die EU auszufüllen. Die überbordenden Bürokratielasten gefährden nicht nur die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit, sondern auch den Fortbestand und die Zukunftsperspektiven heimischer Betriebe. Wir müssen daher zu einer massiven Reduktion der bürokratischen Anforderungen kommen, um die Attraktivität der landwirtschaftlichen Tätigkeit wieder in den Vordergrund zu stellen und junge Leute für die Generationenübernahme von Betrieben zu gewinnen“, so Ferber.
Gleiche Standards für Import von Agrarprodukten
Das Papier der Kommission fordert außerdem das Prinzip der Gegenseitigkeit bei Agrarimporten weiter auszubauen. Damit werden an importierte Agrarprodukte die gleichen strengen Standards angelegt, wie sie für heimische Produzenten gelten. Ferber sieht dies angesichts der weltweit führenden Regelungen in Europa positiv:
„Wir haben in Europa aus vielen Gründen strenge Regelungen für die Agrarproduktion, sei es in Bezug auf Tierschutz oder Pestizideinsatz. An das strenge Regelwerk müssen sich unsere heimischen Betriebe akribisch halten. Daraus darf ihnen kein Wettbewerbsnachteil entstehen. Ich bin froh, dass die Kommission sich für eine Erweiterung der Reziprozität einsetzt, um unsere strengen Standards nicht durch Importe vom Weltmarkt zu verwässern.“
Vorschlag für Waldüberwachung überdenken
Für Ferber steht fest, dass die Kommission nicht nur legislative Erleichterungen anpacken sollte, sondern insbesondere bei neuen Vorschlägen den Bürokratieaufwuchs im Blick halten muss:
„Wenn die Kommission es beim Thema Bürokratieabbau für die Landwirtschaft und den ländlichen Raum ernst meint, wäre ein erster Schritt der Erleichterung, den überflüssigen Vorschlag für eine Verordnung zur Waldüberwachung (Forest Monitoring Law) zu überdenken. Dieser stammt noch aus der Feder des ehemaligen grünen Umweltkommissars Sinkevičius und ist heute eindeutig aus der Zeit gefallen. Ich appelliere an die Kommission, hier alte Zöpfe abzuschneiden und den Vorschlag zurückzuziehen.“
Quelle – Markus Ferner (per E-Mail)
Europa-SPD: Ohne Strategie und Mut – EU Kommission präsentiert Zukunftsvorschläge für die Landwirtschaft
Von Maria Noichl und Delara Burkhardt
Die EU-Kommission hat am heutigen Mittwoch, den 19. Februar 2025, ihre Vision für Landwirtschaft und Lebensmittel vorgestellt. Diese basiert auf den Ergebnissen des Strategischen Dialogs zur Zukunft der Landwirtschaft.
Maria Noichl, agrarpolitische Sprecherin der SPD-Europaabgeordneten:
„Die Vision des neuen Agrarkommissars und ehemaligen Umweltpolitikers Christophe Hansen scheitert wohl an seiner eigenen Parteienfamilie. Seine Bemühungen, einen strategischen Fahrplan für eine zukunftsfähige und gerechtere Landwirtschaft zu erarbeiten, bleiben nahezu fruchtlos. Anstatt dem Sektor langfristig Planungssicherheit zu geben und den Entwurf einer gerechteren Landwirtschaft mutig zu skizzieren, verkommt die ‘Vision’ zu einer Programmvorschau in Sachen Wettbewerbsfähigkeit und Vereinfachung. Es gibt den Anschein, als sei das Papier von der EVP-Agrar-Lobby geschrieben worden. Für eine Vereinfachung gäbe es zwei Wege: Den Weg der demokratischen und pro-europäischen Mitte zur Entbürokratisierung – oder den Weg der Deregulierung, den die Konservativen und Rechtsextremen seit der Abstimmung über das Naturwiederherstellungsgesetz eingeschlagen sind.
In Sachen Pestizidreduktion und ökologische Landwirtschaft bleibt Hansen vage. Hier fordern wir strategische Ziele ein. Die einheitliche Definition von Standards im Pestizidhandel mit Drittstaaten – denn daduch würden unsere Landwirt:innen besser vor ungerechtem Wettbewerb geschützt – und das Ende der Ausfuhr von in Europa verbotenen Pestiziden, begrüßen wir.
Eine Antwort auf die drängendste Frage, nämlich wie das unfaire Subventionsmodell hin zu mehr Schutz für die Umwelt und einem besseren Lohn für Landwirt:innen reformiert werden kann, bleibt der Kommissar uns in großen Teilen schuldig. Dabei unterstreichen Expert:innen, dass es umfassendere Schutz- und Wiederherstellungsmaßnahmen für Ökosystemen bräuchte. Offen bleibt auch, wie der Sektor die zentrale Frage der großen Steuergeldsummen in Zeiten knapper Kassen künftig legitimieren kann. Existierende Vorschläge für Einkommenserhöhungen bei mehr Umweltschutz werden von Hansen völlig ausgelassen.
Wir als Teil der S&D-Fraktion machen uns stark für eine Landwirtschaft, die Landwirtinnen und Landwirte stärkt und gerecht entlohnt. Der Kommissar hat uns an seiner Seite, wenn es darum geht, den Verkauf von landwirtschaftlichen Erzeugnissen unter Produktionskosten zu bekämpfen. Entsprechende Vorschläge von uns Sozialdemokrat:innen sind jedoch im Agrarausschuss zuletzt an den Stimmen der konservativen Fraktion gescheitert.”
Delara Burkhardt, umweltpolitische Sprecherin der SPD-Europaabgeordneten und stellvertretendes Mitglied im Ausschuss für Verbraucherschutz:
„Während der Verbraucherschutz in der ersten Von-der-Leyen-Kommission noch eine zentrale Säule der Strategie ‚Vom Hof auf den Tisch‘ war, fallen die Verbraucherinteressen in ihrer zweiten Amtszeit dem Rechtsruck zum Opfer. Mir fehlt ein Bekenntnis, dass wir als EU gegen Mogelpackungen in Form von ‘Shrinkflation’ vorgehen müssen, und Verbraucher:innen transparenten Information über die gesundheitlichen Auswirkungen von Lebensmitteln verdienen. Ebenfalls problematisch ist der fehlende Schutz von Kindern vor übermäßigem Konsum von Zucker, Fett und Salz. Statt einer Politik, die den Menschen dient, wird der Lebensmittel- und Agrarlobby der rote Teppich ausgerollt.“
Quelle – Europa-SPD