Vision for agriculture and food
On 19 February, the European Commission published its ‘Vision for Agriculture and Food: Shaping together an attractive farming and agri-food sector for future generations’. Setting out the Commission’s long-term ambitions for the sector, the Communication builds on the report of the 2024 Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture. A summary is below:
- The Communication represents a pragmatic reset compared to the previous von der Leyen Commission which saw the EU Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy.
- The Vision contains no legislative proposals. Instead, it charts a plan and a move towards working collaboratively with less regulation.
- The Commission will seek stronger alignment of production standards applied to imported products, notably on pesticides and animal welfare.
- Ensuring a fairer and more equitable supply chain is a priority. The UTP Directive will likely be revised to ensure that farmers do not have to sell below the cost of production.
- The CAP will remain as a key tool for supporting farmers’ incomes, with payments expected to be maintained. However, payments are expected to shift towards ‘those who need it most’ including those in disadvantaged areas, young and new entrants. However, it does not address the future CAP budget.
- A Generational Renewal Strategy will be introduced by 2025.
The Communication has generally been received positively by the farming industry. However, key questions remain including on the CAP budget and the resources needed to finance the measures. Read more here.
Farm income report published
The Commission has published its update on EU farm incomes for 2022. Farm worker average income increased by 24% compared to 2021 to €35,800 with increases in all countries and sectors. The lowest increase was in Italy (+3%). The analysis confirms that larger farms are more profitable with higher costs per hectare compensated by higher production value. Smaller and grazing livestock farms are more reliant on direct support.
French Conseil d’état overturns ban on meat-related terms for plant-based products
On Wednesday 29 January, the Conseil d’état in France annulled two decrees banning the naming of products containing plant proteins with terms used for meat and fish products, such as “steak” or “sausage”. France therefore cannot prohibit the use of common names for foods of animal origin to market foods containing plant proteins.
The ban on the use of these terms was introduced in 2020 by the French Parliament, but following an application from companies and trade associations, the Conseil d’état referred the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). In October, the CJEU ruled that European legislation fully covered the issue at EU level, preventing member states from introducing national measures to regulate or prohibit the use of common or descriptive names – other than legal names – to describe, market, or promote food products containing plant proteins.
Avian flu vaccines offer longer term protection of layer hens in field study
Two experimental avian flu vaccinations have been found to offer long-term protection to layer hens in a Wageningen University study. However, they do not prevent mortality after infection completely. Commissioned by the Dutch ministry of Agriculture, Fishery, Food Security and Nature, the study saw 1,800-layers vaccinated across two farms. In all groups, no clinical signs were observed and there was a reduction in mortality compared to non-vaccinated groups.
Extreme weather relief approved
EU countries on Wednesday accepted the Commission’s proposal to disburse nearly €100 million from its agricultural reserve to support farmers affected by extreme weather last year. Spain will receive €68 million due to its historic floods, with the rest divided between Hungary (€16 million), Croatia (nearly €7 million), Latvia (over €4 million) and Cyprus (€3.5 million).
