From farm to fork strategy: for Renew Europe, competitiveness and sustainable agriculture can go hand in hand

Renew Europe welcomes the adoption today of the farm-to-fork strategy by the European Parliament, meeting in plenary session in Strasbourg, which aims to better align agriculture and food policies with the objectives of the European Green Deal. Renew Europe supports this strategy which will synergise competitive production of healthy and sustainable foods with protecting climate and biodiversity, while ensuring the income of farmers. To make the Farm-to-Fork Strategy a success, sustainable management practices must become a viable business model for all farmers. The Farm to Fork Strategy could contribute positively to the circular economy, increase agricultural competitiveness and fight pollution and food waste. Renew Europe insists on sound reduction targets, in particular, for pesticides, fertilisers and antibiotics that will not compromise the competitiveness of EU farmers. To this end, Parliament urged the European Commission to precede its forthcoming legislative proposals with a comprehensive in-depth and objective impact assessment.

Ulrike MÜLLER (Freie Wähler, Germany), Renew Europe shadow rapporteur for farm-to-table strategy in the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture (AGRI), said: “To achieve the targets of the Farm-to-Fork Strategy, more sustainable practices must become a business opportunity for all farmers. Farmers want to play their part in making the European food system more sustainable. But we must ensure that they can do that and still earn a fair income. To this end, we must create a coherent and empowering framework. The Farm-to-Fork Strategy is a good starting point, but there still is much work to be done to develop credible solutions.”

Asger CHRISTENSEN (Venstre, Denmark), Renew Europe shadow rapporteur for the farm-to-table strategy in the Parliamentary Environment Committee (ENVI), added : “The Farm to Fork Strategy is a long-term roadmap that will contribute to achieving our common climate goals. It lays out tracks for future agricultural policy, which lead us towards more sustainable and competitive food production. Renew Europe has worked hard to highlight farmers’ important role in the green transition.”