The final session began with a video from Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen. He explained that the Vision for Agriculture and Food the Commission unveiled on 19 February sets a course to tackle the challenges farmers face of low income, bureaucracy, extreme climate events and geopolitical uncertainties. “We must go back to the roots and reconnect food with territory, seasonality and traditions,” he said. The path ahead will not be easy. Farmers, the food supply chain, civil society, member states, the European Parliament and consumers will all need to be involved. “Together, we can shape an attractive farming and food sector for generations to come.”

Bogusław Wijatyk, Director General of Poland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, gave an overview by video of his government’s key priorities during its current rotating EU presidency. Warsaw fully supports the vision’s aims, particularly “the emphasis on making the agri-food sector more competitive, resilient and attractive to future generations of farmers”. He identified the inputs required: an ambitious, ring-fenced CAP budget, simplification of rules to free farmers to concentrate on production, application of science, innovation and good practice, and active farmer involvement. In a changing world and geopolitical conditions, “dialogue is key to the success of any vision”.

In response to the video interventions, Petra Laux, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head Sustainability and Corporate Affairs, Syngenta, highlighted that: “this time the farmer is really at the center of the vision for the future of agriculture.” She stressed that we’ve reached a pivotal moment for European farming, and she explained that we need to chart a path forward that balances sustainability with competitiveness. What is lacking is a “toolbox for farmers” to help them meet the three objectives. The Commission now needs to present concrete proposals. She highlighted three critical areas to empower farmers in this transformation: biocontrols, seed technology and digital agriculture.

Alberto Arroyo Schnell, Head of Programme and Policy, European Regional Office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), began by thanking farmers for the healthy food they provide and his environmental colleagues “for keeping the environmental bar high”. He stressed: “There is no such thing as sustainable farming, if we don’t have an environment that supports that farm.” While there is much in the vision to commend it to environmentalists – circularity, soil and water resilience – he highlighted the importance of nature-based solutions. This has enormous potential for the future. He highlighted how nature conservation and agriculture have the same goal, the preservation of our ecosystems’ services and natural assets for food production.

Noor Yafai, Europe Director, Global Policy and Institutional Partnerships, The Nature Conservancy, emphasised the need to find common ground to implement the vision. Her organisation, the ForumforAg and others jointly contributed to its contents. One of the strong messages from the different stakeholders was the “the need to link food and water security to biodiversity and climate security”.
The Vision contains a set of signals and signposts. It now requires a detailed roadmap to meet the goals. This should contain, for the first time, a policy “for regenerative forms of agriculture and food production” to support Europe’s strategic autonomy and climate resilience. Nature credits require an EU-wide framework based on credible common science and governance allowing for national flexibility. Speed is of the essence. “The vision is great, but every day that goes by, the costs of inaction will rise.”

Bart Vandewaetere, Vice-President ESG Engagement, Nestlé Europe, responded to the vision’s contents with three questions. Where is the money? How can his company work with farmers on regenerative agriculture? Where is the consumer and food? “Food is missing a bit in this vision and in implementation we need to bring it back.” Translating the vision into practice should draw on the existing expertise food companies and farmers have gained in the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative. “We know exactly how to do it, how to measure progress and how to measure outcomes.” While outcomes should be rewarded, so too should onboarding. “If we don’t bring them on board, how will we ever think that there will be outcomes?” The transition should be seen as a landscape which everyone helps to shape.