An informal meeting of EU Farm Ministers met in Amsterdam on 30-31 May. The main topic of debate was the future of the Common Agricultural Policy. The last CAP reform was agreed in 2013 for the period 2014 to 2020. At the meeting, the Dutch Presidency presented a discussion paper entitled “the future of food”. The paper outlines the range of challenges facing EU agriculture arising from the globalised nature of food production, climate change and a growing worldwide population.

According to the discussion paper, the position and bargaining power of the primary producer within the food chain will remain an important topic in the future CAP. In addition, the market orientation of the CAP is likely to continue with market measures only used as a tool of last resort. The paper mentions the need to develop improved risk management systems to help farmers. The paper also notes that consumers and society are increasingly demanding higher standards of the production environment, the quality and the type of products. As such, the paper suggests that the next CAP may transform into a broader public policy, covering both agriculture and food.

The discussion paper “the future of food” can be found at the following link

By Eamonn Farrell

Agri-Food Policy Executive