The EU Vision for Agriculture and Food Falls Short on Food System Transformation

The European Commission has unveiled its long-awaited Vision for Agriculture and Food, yet it fails to embrace a true food systems approach. Instead, it remains rooted in a harmful model that prioritizes increased production rather than ensuring fairness, environemental respect and long-term resilience of food systems.

Marta Messa, Slow Food Secretary General, comments: “While the Vision claims to focus on farmers, the firsts affected by biodiversity destruction and the climate crisis, it says little about how to initiate the transition toward sustainable farming for those who have yet to start and how to sustain those already moving toward it”.

Ensuring a stable food supply is important, but producing ever more food does not equate to food security (the EU already wastes over 59 million tons of food per year), especially when this comes at the cost of environmental degradation, and long-term soil and water depletion.

The continued reliance on subsidies tied to land size rather than environmental and social contributions leaves small-scale farmers at a disadvantage—despite the fact that they represent nearly 40% of EU farms and play a crucial role in biodiversity protection, rural development, and healthy food production. While acknowledging their importance, the Vision falls short of delivering concrete measures that would genuinely support them and consequently, fails to embrace the value of the EU’s diverse food production . In the past decade alone, one third of EU farms have disappeared, and small-scale farmers have been hit hardest by volatile markets and unfair competition from industrial agribusiness.

Beyond production, the Commission’s vision neglects a crucial part of the food system: consumption. This omission is significant, as food consumption is a major driver of environmental impact in the EU, contributing to 49% of the total environmental footprint. Sustainable diets, food education, and the role of citizens in shaping demand are all absent.

“The transition to sustainable food systems must happen with a shift in the way food is consumed, yet the Vision remains vague on how to encourage healthier, more environmentally responsible diets”, Messa adds.

While the Vision includes some positive steps—such as a strong focus on generational renewal, a protein plan and stricter import rules for pesticides and animal welfare—the core problems remain. Among other issues, DG AGRI diluted its commitment to ending the export of EU-banned pesticides, leaving critical gaps in the EU’s ability to lead by example on global environmental standards.

Similarly, while the commitment to ensuring equal welfare standards for imported products is a positive step, implementation mechanisms must be strengthened. The gradual phasing out of cages is welcome, but farmers transitioning to high-welfare systems need more targeted support to ensure that animal welfare improvements do not come at the expense of farm viability.

A Different Vision: Slow Food’s Call for an Agroecological Future

Slow Food believes that the future of food should be built on agroecology, local food systems, and fair conditions for farmers, not on industrial expansion and uncontrollable trade. A sustainable food system is one that prioritizes:

• Small-scale, diverse farming: Diversity in agriculture strengthens resilience, protects biodiversity, and ensures long-term food security. Small-scale farmers are the backbone of a sustainable food system, preserving traditional food cultures, maintaining soil health, and supporting rural economies. Policies should recognize their essential role and provide them with targeted support.
• A true transition to agroecology: Agroecology offers real solutions for climate resilience, biodiversity protection, and rural revitalization. Yet, it is absent from the EU’s Vision. Instead of pouring subsidies into industrial farming, the EU must invest in knowledge-sharing, training, and fair pricing mechanisms that allow farmers to shift to sustainable models.
• A fair food economy: The CAP and financial incentives alone cannot replace a just and sustainable market. Farmers should be able to earn a fair income through shorter, fairer supply chains, rather than relying on subsidies that primarily benefit large-scale agribusinesses.
• Sustainable animal farming: Instead of promoting further intensification, the EU must support extensive, high-welfare animal farming that respects natural cycles, reduces dependency on imported animal feed, and minimizes environmental harm.
• Pesticide reduction and soil health: The EU must commit to significantly reducing pesticide use and restoring soil fertility. While the Vision mentions export bans on dangerous chemicals, it remains silent on reducing pesticide use within the EU itself—an omission that contradicts any genuine sustainability claim.
• A holistic food systems approach: The EU needs to connect agricultural production with consumption patterns. This means encouraging more local and seasonal diets, promoting plant-based protein sources, and ensuring food policies support public health, not just economic output.

A thriving agri-food system must empower farmers, protect biodiversity, and foster healthy, sustainable diets for all. Slow Food urges the Commission to align its policies with these principles and engage in an inclusive dialogue that prioritizes the transition to agroecology, ensuring a fair and resilient food future for Europe and beyond.

Slow Food Press Office
Alice Poiron – [email protected] (+32) 4 73 77 07 39
Alessia Pautasso – [email protected] (+39) 342 8641029
Paola Nano – [email protected] (+39) 329 8321285