New EU Farm to Fork Strategy

The European Commission has published the much-awaited Farm to Fork Strategy that will guide the EU’s action in food policy in the coming years.

Posted on Jun 03 ,08:59

The strategy aims at reducing the environmental and climate footprint of the EU food system and strengthen its resilience, ensure food security in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss and lead a global transition towards competitive sustainability. It also sets specific targets, such as a reduction of the use of fertilisers by at least 20% by 2030, a 50% reduction of the sales of antimicrobials for farmed animals and it aims to reach 25% of agricultural land under organic farming by 2030. A great emphasis is put on the development of sustainable livestock production in the EU

The Farm to Fork Strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal aiming to make food systems fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly.
Food systems cannot be resilient to crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic if they are not sustainable. We need to redesign our food systems which today account for nearly one-third of global GHG emissions, consume large amounts of natural resources, result in biodiversity loss and negative health impacts (due to both under- and over-nutrition) and do not allow fair economic returns and livelihoods for all actors, in particular for primary producers.
Putting our food systems on a sustainable path also brings new opportunities for operators in the food value chain. New technologies and scientific discoveries, combined with increasing public awareness and demand for sustainable food, will benefit all stakeholders.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) linked to the excessive and inappropriate use of antimicrobials in animal and human healthcare leads to an estimated 33,000 human deaths in the EU/EEA every year21, and considerable healthcare costs. The Commission will therefore take action to reduce overall EU sales of antimicrobials for farmed animals and in aquaculture by 50% by 2030. The new Regulations on veterinary medicinal products and medicated feed provide for a
wide range of measures to help achieve this objective and promote one health.
Better animal welfare improves animal health and food quality, reduces the need for medication and can help preserve biodiversity. It is also clear that citizens want this. The Commission will revise the animal welfare legislation, including on animal transport and the slaughter of animals, to align it with the latest scientific evidence, broaden its scope, make it easier to enforce and ultimately ensure a higher level of animal welfare. The Strategic Plans and the new EU Strategic Guidelines on Aquaculture will support this process. The Commission will also consider options for animal welfare labelling to better transmit value through the food chain.

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