This roadmap sets the stage for an attractive, competitive, resilient, future-oriented and fair agri-food system for current and future generations. The Vision emphasises close engagement with relevant institutions, farmers, food chain operators and civil society at local and regional levels, addressing their concerns and ideas.
The Vision will set the path for the next 15 years and will especially guide the work that the Commission will carry out during its current mandate in all public policy areas that impact Agriculture and Food, including the new CAP proposal expected in July. The Vision outlines four priority areas:
1) An attractive sector Agriculture must have the necessary stability to encourage young people to enter the profession, particularly through fair incomes and better-targeted public support. It is also necessary to actively support them to benefit from innovation and new business models, including carbon and nature credits, as complementary sources of income. Areas of action
- Review the unfair trading practices rules and common market organisation (CMO) Regulation
- Propose a fairer, simpler and targeted CAP (see below for more details)
- Enhance the EU Agri-food Chain Observatory
- Present a bioeconomy Strategy
- Build an ambitious investment agenda
- Deliver a Generational Renewal Strategy
- Launch an EU Observatory on Farmland
2) A competitive and resilient sector The EU will continue to prioritise food security and sovereignty in various ways. Negotiations and trade agreements will be utilised to their fullest extent, while simultaneously protecting the interests of European farmers. Areas of action
- Establish new agri-food policy partnership dialogues
- Simplify the administrative burden on farmers and food businesses
- Develop a plan to address protein supply challenges
- Pursue a stronger alignment of production standards applied to imported products
- Review the animal welfare legislation
- Develop an ambitious Unity Safety Net for the EU agri-food sector
- Call for a European risk and crisis management approach
- Adopt a climate adaptation plan
- Launch a long-term strategy on livestock
3) A sector prepared for the future: the European agricultural sector plays an important role in the transition towards 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 must be rewarded for adopting nature-friendly practices. Areas of action
- A voluntary benchmarking system: ‘On-farm sustainability compass’
- Propose a Water Resilience Strategy
- Accelerate access to biopesticides
- Reward through the Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming
- Launch an EU digital strategy on agriculture
4) Fair living and working condition in rural areas The Vision for agriculture and food aims to reconnect people with the food they eat, and the territories and support rural areas by maintaining EU cultural heritage. Areas of action
- Update the EU Rural Action Plan and strengthen the Rural Pact
- Establish a Women in Farming Platform
- Hold an annual Food Dialogue with food system's actors
- Strength the role of public procurement
- Develop short supply chains
- Review the EU school scheme
- Enhance consumer awareness by the promotion policy
- Promote further the uptake of geographical indications
The future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), as part of the MFF proposals, will include:
- more targeted support for farmers actively involved in food production, with a particular focus on farmers in areas with natural constraints, young and new farmers, and mixed farms and those farming in areas with natural constraints. Priority will also be given to prioritising the production of agricultural products that are essential for the EU's strategic autonomy and resilience.
- Greater use of measures such as degressivity and capping will be considered, taking into account the different structural and sectoral realities in the MS. However, all farmers should also continue to benefit from instruments such as payments for ecosystem services, as well as from investment support and crisis and risk management instruments.
- The future CAP will define a clearer balance between regulatory and incentive-based policies. The Commission will orient the future CAP towards incentives instead of conditions.
- The CAP will be based on core policy objectives and specific policy requirements, while giving Member States greater responsibility and accountability for how they meet the objectives.