EU agricultural lobbies: Eating less meat is necessary

Europe's food and agricultural lobbies have recognised the need to eat less meat, after working out a shared vision for the future of agriculture with green groups and other stakeholders.

The wide-ranging report calls for “urgent, ambitious and feasible” change in agricultural and food systems, and acknowledges that Europeans eat more animal protein than scientists recommend. It notes that Europeans consume more animal proteins than recommended by scientists. Shifting diets towards plant-based proteins will require measures such as better education, stricter marketing rules and voluntary buyouts of farms in regions with intensive livestock farming.

Stakeholders also agreed that subsidies need to be fundamentally rethought, calling for a “just transition fund” to help farmers adopt sustainable practices, as well as targeted financial support for those who need it most urgently.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who had commissioned the report in order to quell the furious farmer protests earlier in the year, said the findings would feed into a planned vision for agriculture that she intends to present within the first 100 days of her new term in office.

“We share the same goal,” said von der Leyen. “Only if farmers can make a living from their land will they invest in more sustainable practices. And only if we achieve our climate and environmental goals together can farmers continue to earn their livelihoods.”

Animal husbandry is one of the greatest drivers of climate change and the destruction of natural habitats, yet European heads of state and government have made little effort to shift meat- and dairy-heavy diets toward whole grain products and plant-based protein sources. The report contains no targets for meat production, such as the culling of herds, but calls for support in changing dietary habits, such as free school meals, more detailed labelling, and tax reductions for healthy and sustainable foods.

Agustín Reyna, Director General of the consumer organisation BEUC, said he wished the report's recommendations on livestock farming and animal welfare had been bolder, but praised the overall vision as well-developed and balanced. “Consumers are ready to do their part in the transition, but they need help,” he said.

Copa and Cogeca, the largest agricultural lobby in Brussels, appeared to question the report's findings on meat following its publication. They called for “rapid and coherent measures” but asked for “vigilance” regarding the role of livestock farming.

The European Council of Young Farmers stated that the report did not always align with its own position, but praised the outcome of the dialogue as a welcome contrast to the atmosphere during the previous mandate and as a solid foundation for future work. “We are moving away from a method where farmers define the highest possible targets to orient themselves by, toward actual collective and strategic steps into the transition,” said the association's president, Peter Meedendorf.

The final report of the strategic dialogue on the future of EU agriculture, drawn up after seven months of negotiations, was finalised last week following 16 hours of deliberations in Brussels, as two dozen stakeholders went through the text line by line to draft a shared vision. The mandate was to create conditions under which agriculture and nature conservation can go hand in hand.

Peter Strohschneider, who led the report and oversaw a similar process in Germany in 2021, said: “In plain terms: things have developed in such a way that agricultural production and its natural foundations are all too often caught in a lose-lose situation.”

The recommendations include a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies, which account for one third of the entire EU budget and distribute money to farmers based on the size of their operation rather than their need for support.

You can help all animals and our planet with compassion. Choose compassion on your plate and in your glass. Go vegan.