Will the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy Save the Planet- or will it starve Europe?

By Margaux Baudry. Read: 2 min 30 s

The EU’s efforts to find ways to tackle environmental and climate change issues have been recognized and are highly necessary.

The European Commission launched the Farm-to-Fork Strategy as part of the Green Deal in 2019. It aims at healthy, eco-friendly and fair food systems; and faces challenges such as reducing the food industry’s environmental impact, adapting to climate change and promoting organic food production.

In our time of need for solutions, we may question: are these ambitious regulations achievable? Will they save the planet, or starve Europe?

The strategy seems to tick all the boxes but digging in, some measures might not be as efficient, feasible or even logical.

First, it is important to mention that the Commission fights the “right battles”. Indeed, the agricultural sector accounts for 1/5th of global emissions. Plus, agriculture is very susceptible to climate change. What’s more, according to the Commission, in 2017, over 950,000 deaths were caused by unhealthy diets.

One of the main focuses of the Farm-to-Fork Strategy is reducing by 50% the use of pesticides, by 20% percent that of chemical fertilizers, and by 50% that of antibiotics in livestock. The pesticide regulations will improve the soil. Indeed, chemicals impoverish the soil and reducing them will benefit farmers in the long run.

However, pesticide regulations raise serious food security concerns. They would result in smaller crops and therefore higher prices. In a world where feeding the ever-growing population is already a challenge, scarcity is not an option… According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the Commission targets would put 22 million people in a position of food insecurity.

Another noticeable issue in the Farm-to-Fork Strategy is that the production and over-consumption of meat and dairy are barely addressed. Indeed, 80% of the agricultural sector's emissions come from livestock. According to Commission data, up to 90% of the cattle farmer’s income comes from subsidies. It is thanks to taxpayers’ money that these neither competitive nor economically viable farming practices are sustained. Whereas vegetable and fruit producers compete and earn a living on the market with little to no support from the EU. So, is the EU supporting the right industries? Do the efforts align with the objectives set out?

Some have also raised concerns about the affordability of food prices. Indeed, small farms worry about the feasibility of implementing organic practices without significant financial burden, not covered by subsidies, that would increase the price of products. According to the Commission, farmers are to be assisted during their transition, through the CAP’s Farm Advisory Systems and the Farm Sustainability Data Network. Moreover, the Commission has assured that 10 billion € were to be invested in Research and Innovation related to food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and environment- under the Horizon Europe Program.

Overall, the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy hits a lot of the marks and could serve as a global model. Even if imperfect, the cost of inaction will always be greater than the cost of trying. And it cannot be denied that agroecological farms are the future.