The agriculture sector is an influential player across the European Union, generating an estimated €228.3 billion of the bloc’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024. Yet the industry faces pressing challenges.
Impending climate targets, albeit loosened, will require farmers to adopt cleaner methods of production, but the sector is unable to embrace new technologies that could bring about this positive change because rural areas remain hampered by poor connectivity and limited resources.
New trade deals are bringing greater competition from abroad as the EU seeks to branch out to new trading partners amid ongoing difficulties in the global trade landscape, particularly with the US and China. And, at the same time, pressures to fund other sectors, such as security and defence, are putting the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) – a lifeline for farmers – under strain, with cuts incoming.
These issues mean that the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development is set for another busy mandate. In a written interview with The Parliament, the committee’s chair, MEP Veronika Vrecionová (ECR, CZ) , discusses her priorities and expectations for the future of Europe’s agriculture sector and looks ahead to how the EU can best support this strategic sector as it undertakes a tricky transition.
This written interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Farmer protests have highlighted frustration with EU policy. Has Brussels listened enough to farmers’ concerns, and what must change to rebuild trust?
The CAP was established to guarantee enough food for Europeans and a stable income for farmers. Over time, especially in the last term with the Green Deal, very ambitious environmental and climate objectives were added, often without sufficient impact assessments.
We are faced with two equally important, though sometimes conflicting, challenges: feeding our population and protecting our planet. Neither can be abandoned, but we must find a balanced and realistic path to achieve both.
This article is part of The Parliament's latest policy report, "Feeding Europe: The future of agriculture"
Farmers already operate under a complex mix of EU and national rules. The Green Deal, however well-intentioned, introduced an additional layer of bureaucracy that at times added little value to the goals it was meant to achieve, leaving farmers spending more time in the office than in their fields.
I understand their frustration: there is too much paperwork, too many overlapping rules and too little recognition of the essential role they play. The protests we saw last spring were a cry for help.
It is encouraging that Brussels began to listen more carefully. Farming is recognised as a strategic sector, and farmers truly are because they put food on our tables. During the last mandate, they were among the hardest hit by new environmental measures. Without farmers, we may face food shortages. History teaches us a simple truth: hungry people can quickly become angry people. Supporting agriculture, therefore, is not only about the economy, but is also about social stability.
The protests have pushed the European Commission to propose changes, particularly the easing of rules in so-called good agricultural and environmental conditions. We are currently debating a simplification package aimed at further reducing administrative burdens, with another series of simplifications expected in the autumn. More needs to be done. Farmers need fewer inspections, better co-ordinated systems and rules that don’t force them to enter the same data again.
The Green Deal’s environmental targets are ambitious, but many farmers doubt they‘re achievable with current support. Should the EU adjust its approach?
While ambition is important, our approach must be realistic and workable on the ground. Policymaking is not a one-off game with a fixed outcome, but a continuous process of adjustment and improvement. That is why it is crucial to define clear goals, set result and impact-oriented indicators, and base our decisions on proper impact assessments.
In the past, some measures were introduced without sufficient evaluation of their consequences. We should avoid a situation where frustration builds up until farmers feel they have no choice but to protest.
So far, the approach has relied too heavily on bans and restrictions, rather than motivation and support. We should create incentives that reward farmers for measures with clear environmental benefits – such as planting flower strips for pollinators or rows of trees – even if these are not economically profitable.
If regulation restricts effective plant protection products, farmers must be offered workable alternatives. That is why the swift approval and implementation of new genomic techniques (NGTs) is so important, as they can provide practical solutions to challenges linked to climate change.
A balanced, evidence-based and supportive approach is the only way to make environmental goals achievable, while keeping farmers motivated and ensuring Europe’s food security.
The Commission’s budget plan merges the Common Agricultural Policy’s two-pillar system into a single policy framework with less funding. How might this affect the sector and what reforms are most urgent in the next CAP cycle?
The proposed changes raise serious concerns. Such a change risks destabilising the system, creating uneven conditions among member states and increasing administrative burden when we should be simplifying rules. It could also undermine the competitiveness of European agriculture when global competition is already intensifying.
Looking ahead to the next CAP cycle, reform must be guided by pragmatism and fairness. Reducing bureaucracy should be a top priority, so farmers can focus on farming rather than paperwork. Equally urgent is the need to support generational renewal, encouraging young people to enter farming and ensuring that family farms remain viable.
Finally, capping direct payments is essential to guarantee that resources are used efficiently and fairly, strengthening the position of small and medium-sized farms that are the backbone of European agriculture.
Critics say CAP payments favour larger landowners over family-run farms. Should the balance of support shift and if so, how?
The balance of support needs to shift. CAP payments should ensure that smaller, family-run and young farms have the means to thrive. That is why I support the principle of capping direct payments above a certain threshold.
The priority should be to support small and young farmers, who are key to renewal and the vitality of rural areas. Larger farms also contribute to food production, but support must be fair and not disproportionately concentrated. A balanced approach will keep European agriculture competitive and sustainable.
We are only at the beginning of this debate, and the outcome will depend on negotiations. The guiding principle should be fairness and efficiency: directing support where it brings the greatest benefit to farmers, consumers and society.
Trade agreements, such as Mercosur, worry farmers who fear being undercut by imports that don’t meet EU standards. How should the EU balance market access with protecting its own producers?
Concerns about trade agreements are often voiced by farmers, and it is important that we listen to them carefully. We should also explain the advantages and safeguards these agreements bring. Trade deals can open new opportunities for producers by granting preferential advantages to foreign markets.
The Mercosur agreement contains clear limits that allow tariffs to be reintroduced if the EU market is seriously threatened. All imports must respect strict EU sanitary and phytosanitary standards, animal welfare rules and other regulations, with checks carried out at our borders and in exporting countries. Our geographical indications will remain protected, ensuring that European products retain their value and reputation.
The real test will be the implementation. It must be managed in a way that safeguards the interests of European farmers. We should keep the discussion open, listen to farmers’ concerns and ensure timely responses, not wait until frustration builds into protests. Only through continuous dialogue and fair implementation can trade policy work for our farmers and our partners.
With generational renewal struggles raising concerns around future food security, how can the European Parliament make farming a viable, attractive path for young Europeans?
If we want young people to see farming as a real career path, we need to address the practical and the structural barriers they face.
It is essential to remove unnecessary regulatory barriers and show that agriculture can be modern and based on new technologies. Agriculture needs greater digitisation, especially due to labour shortages. Many tasks can now be solved using robotics.
We must not forget about the quality of rural life. Reliable internet, transport, schools and healthcare are essential if young families are to stay in the countryside. Farming may be demanding, but it also offers a quality of life that is attracting people back from urban areas to the countryside. That is an opportunity we should build on to strengthen rural vitality and ensure farming remains part of a modern, balanced way of life.
The European Parliament should be pushing for simpler rules, predictable policies and fairer distribution of support, but should also send a clear message: agriculture has a future for those ready to innovate and build it.
By the end of this parliamentary term, what three achievements would you like to see to strengthen the sustainability and security of Europe’s farming sector?
The three main achievements to be accomplished by the end of this electoral term include a balanced and workable form of CAP for the period after 2028, giving farmers predictability and ensuring that the policy is less bureaucratic and more results-oriented; approval of new active substances for plant protection, or at least a halt to prohibitions and timely extensions of those already in use, so that farmers have the tools they need to protect their yields; and the practical implementation of NGTs, enabling the modernisation and sustainable development of European agriculture.
I believe it is crucial to highlight continuous and open dialogue with farmers, where they feel genuinely listened to. This is not only about rebuilding trust in EU agricultural policy but also reinforcing confidence in the European project.
Finally, we must deliver visible progress on simplification and the reduction of unnecessary bureaucracy across the sector, so that farmers can spend more time in their fields and less time in offices. It’s the least we can do for the people who feed us.
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