Future of agriculture and food in EC plans

The European Commission in February 2025 presented an action plan affecting the future of agriculture and food. It is a priority initiative for the first 100 days of the EC’s current term under the presidency of Ursula von der Leyen, and builds on the report of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, which we wrote about in a previous article: EC concludes dialogue on climate resilience.

What will be the future of agriculture and food?

The adopted EC Action Plan for the Future of Agriculture and Food is the EC’s response to the agri-food sector’s call to action – shaping a future that is competitive, resilient, fair and attractive to future generations. According to the announcements, the body will work closely with the sector to realize these goals, strengthen the local dimension and restore the vital link between food, territory, seasonality, cultures and traditions.

The roadmap on the table lays out a path to address the many pressures facing EU farmers, and aims to make the entire sector more sustainable and help agriculture remain viable and attractive to young people. In this way, agriculture will continue to be able to fully participate in the EU’s efforts to combat the effects of climate change.

EC roadmap for the future of agriculture and food – priority areas

1. Attractive sector: agriculture must have stability to encourage young people to enter the profession, including through decent incomes and targeted public support. The EC is committed to nullifying the need to systematically sell products below the cost of production and will take concrete steps to do so, including a review of the Unfair Trade Practices Directive. In 2025. The EC will also present a strategy for generational exchange, with recommendations for measures needed at both the EU and national/regional levels to eliminate barriers to young and newcomers entering the profession.
2. A competitive and resilient sector: the EU will continue to prioritize food security and sovereignty. Trade negotiations and agreements will be used to their full potential, while protecting the interests of European farmers. The vision also responds to calls for closer alignment of production standards for imported products, to ensure that the EU’s ambitious standards do not lead to competitive disadvantages while complying with international regulations. For this reason, in 2025. The EC will launch an exercise to assess the impact of greater consistency in standards for dangerous pesticides banned in the EU and on animal welfare. In addition, rigorous enforcement and control of food safety standards remains a non-negotiable priority. The EC will focus more on livestock farming to support the long-term future of the sector.
3. A sector not going out of date: Europe’s agricultural sector plays an important role in the transition to a low-carbon economy. The vision recognizes the need to reconcile climate action with food security and the specific challenges it faces. Farmers should be rewarded for using nature-friendly practices. In this context, the EC will carefully consider any further bans on pesticide use (if alternatives are not available within a reasonable time) and improve access to biopesticides on the EU market. A water resilience strategy will also be prepared to address the urgent need for more efficient water use.
4. Fair living and working conditions in rural areas: The EC will present an updated Rural Action Plan to ensure that rural areas function dynamically, efficiently and are deeply connected to the EU’s cultural and natural heritage. It will also launch an annual food dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders, including consumers, farmers, industry and public authorities, to find solutions to issues such as food affordability and innovation. In the future, the EC will also try to reduce food waste and address social issues related to animal welfare.

The future of agriculture and food and conservation of natural resources

The EC believes that agriculture and environmental protection can go hand in hand, while creating promising opportunities for the agricultural sector, including instruments that could provide farmers with additional sources of income, such as carbon and environmental credits.

In this context, it is necessary to support agriculture that works for and with nature through well-tailored and targeted solutions, uses both new technologies and nature-based approaches. In line with the vision, farmers need adequate support to adopt and invest in more nature-friendly practices. This requires mechanisms that reward them for the ecosystem services they provide.

The EC will help develop an on-farm sustainability compass, a voluntary benchmarking tool designed to simplify sustainability reporting requirements for farmers and enable them to showcase their progress.

The future of agriculture and food – the way forward

According to announcements, the EC will propose a comprehensive simplification package for the current agricultural regulatory framework in 2025, as well as an EU digital strategy to support the transition to agriculture adapted to new technologies.

In the future, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), as part of the MFF proposal, will be simpler and support will be more targeted to farmers who are actively engaged in food production, with a particular focus on the young and those operating in areas with natural constraints.