EU Agriculture Ministers back European Commission’s vision on agrifood
25 March 2025
This week, European ministers of agriculture discussed the European Commission’s Vision for the Future of Agriculture and Food for the first time since Commissioner Hansen presented it on 19 February.
The proposed plans were overwhelmingly welcomed by ministers seeking continued support for farmers and to grant food security. Most Member States underlined the importance of continuing direct payments and tackling sales below production costs, to secure the income of farmers. The proposed system of incentives linked to sustainability criteria was also welcomed, provided that it brings additionalsources of income and does not replace direct payments. This system should be accessible to all farmers and should not add to bureaucracy, according to ministers. Environmental objectives should not compete with food production, some of them warned.
The amounts of financing for the Common Agricultural Policy in the years after 2027 still have to be defined in the next Multiannual Financial Framework, currently under negotiation.
SAFE supports both direct payments and incentives for sustainable farming and smaller farms. These should reward the investments they have already undertaken to protect consumers’ health and the environment.
SAFE also stands by the Commission’s stated objective to ensure that EU standards on pesticides and animal welfare also apply to imports. In that regard, SAFE calls for more intensive cooperation between DG AGRI and DG SANTE of the European Commission. Similarly, we support the involvement of DG AGRI in the Water Resilience Strategy, as requested by Spain and Portugal.
