On this page, you can find information on:
- the 'farm to fork' strategy
- Council's activity on the strategy
What is the 'farm to fork' strategy?
The Commission presented the 'farm to fork' strategy in May 2020, as one of the key actions under the European Green Deal. Contributing to achieving climate neutrality by 2050, the strategy intends to shift the current EU food system towards a sustainable model.
While recalling food security and safety as priorities, the strategy's main goals are to:
- ensure sufficient, affordable and nutritious food within planetary limits
- halve the use of pesticides and fertilisers and sales of antimicrobials
- increase the amount of land devoted to organic farming
- promote more sustainable food consumption and healthy diets
- reduce food loss and waste
- combat food fraud in the supply chain
- improve animal welfare
50%
cut in pesticide use by 2030
The strategy foresees a number of initiatives and legislative proposals, among others, on:
- organic farming
- front-of-pack nutrition labelling and sustainable food labelling
- food waste reduction
The transition to a more environmentally-friendly food system will generate new business opportunities which have a positive impact on the revenues of agri-food operators.
A more sustainable food system will also help protect Europe's nature and biodiversity. The 'farm to fork' strategy is aligned with the 2030 EU biodiversity strategy — the two proposals being presented as complementary.
Modernising agriculture by developing more sustainable farming practices, while protecting nature and fighting climate change, is among the key objectives of the common agricultural policy (CAP) reform. The CAP policy is therefore strongly intertwined in its goals with the 'farm to fork' strategy.
The Council's role
The 'farm to fork' strategy envisages a number of legislative and non-legislative actions to be proposed by the Commission.
The Council, mostly in its agriculture and fisheries configuration, will analyse and form its position on the upcoming legislative proposals with a view to adopting EU legislation, following the ordinary legislative procedure.
Conclusions on the 'farm to fork' strategy
In October 2020, the Council adopted a set of conclusions on the strategy, endorsing the goal of developing a European sustainable food system, from production to consumption. The conclusions entail a three-fold political message from the member states who agreed to ensure:
- sufficient and affordable food while contributing to EU climate neutrality by 2050
- a fair income and strong support for primary producers
- competitiveness of the EU agriculture at global level
Organic action plan
The action plan on organic farming, presented by the Commission in March 2021 as part of the 'farm to fork' strategy, outlines a set of actions to increase organic farming in the EU.
Its main goal is to boost organic production to reach 25% of the EU's agricultural land use by 2030. EU member states are encouraged to develop national organic farming plans.
25%
organic farming by 2030
In July 2021, the Council adopted conclusions on the action plan proposed by the Commission. The main points agreed by EU ministers were:
- organic farming is important for the sustainability of European agriculture
- developing organic production helps secure incomes and create jobs
- balanced demand and supply of organic products ensure profitability for the sector
- specificities and different situations in member states need be considered when defining targets and interventions
- involving public and private stakeholders is crucial to reaching the strategy’s goals
Food security plan
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the vulnerability of Europe’s food chain to severe supply challenges. In November 2021, the Commission published a communication outlining a contingency plan to ensure food security in Europe during crises.
During the December Agriculture and Fisheries Council, EU ministers approved conclusions on the plan recognising the need to future-proof Europe’s food system against potential risks and crises. Ministers agreed that the lessons learned from COVID-19 should inform the EU’s approach to future disasters going forward.
The proposed measures aim to help the EU face up to challenges including extreme weather events, plant and animal health issues, and shortages of key inputs such as fertilisers, energy and labour. They include:
- the creation of a European food security crisis preparedness and response mechanism (EFSCM)
- the establishment of an expert group to help ensure the EU is fully prepared for potential food supply challenges
Global standards on food safety
In February 2022, the Council approved conclusions on food safety standards in international trade, calling for greater integration of sustainability concerns in the work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Set up in 1963 by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, the global body provides a forum for negotiations on international food standards, guidelines and codes of practice. The EU and its member states are members of this body.
Carbon farming
Farming and forestry can play a key role in the fight against climate change by absorbing carbon from the atmosphere. In April 2022, the Council adopted conclusions on carbon farming, based on the Commission’s sustainable carbon cycles communication which was presented in December 2021, and aiming to encourage agricultural practices that help to capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it in soil or biomass in a sustainable way.
Climate-friendly practices may include:
- planting hedges or trees
- growing legumes
- using catch crops and cover crops
- practising conservation agriculture and maintaining peatlands
- afforestation and reforestation
In the conclusions, ministers recognised the importance of providing financial support that offers sufficient incentive to farmers and foresters to encourage them to adopt these climate-friendly practices.
Sustainable aquaculture
Today, the EU is highly dependent on imports of fishery and aquaculture products. Yet there is potential for this sector to grow in the EU.
In July 2022, EU ministers approved Council conclusions calling for a sustainable, resilient and competitive marine and freshwater aquaculture sector in the EU.
Feeding Europe: 60 years of common agricultural policy
Sixty years since its birth, the EU's common agricultural policy today supports an open single market for EU agricultural food products, ensuring affordable prices, maintaining some of the world’s highest safety and environmental standards, and keeping rural communities vibrant. To celebrate this anniversary, we have collected testimonies from Europe’ farmers and beneficiaries.
