EU vision for sustainable agriculture ‘lacks vision’, NGOs say

The EU’s recently published Agriculture Vision has disappointed environmental groups, who say their recommendations were largely ignored.

The European Commission released its Vision for Agriculture and Food on February 19 after nearly a year of strategic dialogue with stakeholders including companies, civil society, rural communities and academia.

Its purpose is to “create a fair and competitive food system that provides affordable and sustainable food for everyone”. Among other measures, it includes a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to benefit farmers who actively contribute to environmental preservation.

To support the EU’s climate and biodiversity goals, the vision also suggests offering voluntary benchmarking for on-farm sustainability, creating a water resilience strategy, accelerating access to bio-pesticides and rewarding sustainable farming practices by developing the market for soil-based carbon removals and carbon farming.

Critical issues remain unaddressed

But according to NGOs including WWF, BirdLife and the European Environmental Bureau, the vision doesn’t go far enough – and ignores the recommendations approved during the strategic dialogue.

For example, WWF warned that the Vision is too vague on the agriculture sector’s role in climate mitigation, and fails to provide the necessary safeguards for the development of carbon removals. The NGO also deplored that the Nature Restoration Law – though approved by the EU Parliament last year and deeply connected to farming practices – is not mentioned once in the document.

Giulia Riedo, Sustainable Food Policy Officer at WWF, said: “The Vision is taking very timid steps towards creating fairer and more sustainable EU food supply chains. It includes a few positive elements, such as a commitment to a stronger enforcement of green legislation and financial incentives for farmers who go beyond existing environmental requirements. Yet, in trying to please everyone, the European Commission has failed to address critical issues, such as the necessary increase in environmental payments, as agreed in the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture.”

Not strong enough on dietary shifts

While welcoming the EU’s plan to address its dependence on foreign fertilisers and grain to feed farm animals, as well as a commitment to improve animal welfare rules and phase-out cages in farming, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) expressed concern over the lack of environmental targets and increased budget for environmental payments to farms.

The vision is also light on policy measures to promote more plant-based diets, beyond some isolated public procurement initiatives. EEB believes it is particularly regrettable that the vision does not include the conclusions of months of stakeholder engagement.

The nonprofit’s Policy Manager for Agriculture and Food Systems, Célia Nyssens-James, said: “Having successfully steered all parts of the agri-food system to a historic and meaningful consensus on the future of farming in Europe, officials took only baby steps in the right direction today. Their vision lacks vision. The plans announced fall well short of the bold measures agreed unanimously and needed to support the kind of long-term, sustainable and climate-resilient farming Europe badly needs.”

Because of these gaps, BirdLife believes that the vision “fails both farmers and society at large”.