The European Parliament,

–  having regard to Articles 13, 38 and 39 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), establishing the common agricultural policy (CAP) and its objectives,

–  having regard to Articles 40 and 42 TFEU, establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets (CMO) and the extent to which rules on competition apply to the production of and trade in agricultural products,

–  having regard to Article 349 TFEU, defining the statute of, and laying down the conditions of application of the Treaties to, the outermost regions,

–  having regard to the Commission communication of 19 February 2025 entitled ‘A Vision for Agriculture and Food – Shaping together an attractive farming and agri-food sector for future generations’ (COM(2025)0075),

–  having regard to the 2024 Eurobarometer entitled ‘Europeans, Agriculture and the CAP’(1),

–  having regard to Council Directive 98/58/EC of 20 July 1998 concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes(2),

–  having regard to the Commission communication of 29 January 2025 entitled ‘A Competitiveness Compass for the EU’ (COM(2025)0030),

–  having regard to its resolution of 15 December 2022 on upscaling the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework: a resilient EU budget fit for new challenges(3),

–  having regard to the report by Mario Draghi of 9 September 2024 entitled ‘The future of European competitiveness’,

–  having regard to the report by Sauli Niinistö of 30 October 2024 entitled ‘Safer Together – Strengthening Europe’s Civilian and Military Preparedness and Readiness’,

–  having regard to the report by Enrico Letta of April 2024 entitled ‘Much more than a market – Speed, Security, Solidarity’,

–  having regard to the Commission communication of 27 March 2024 entitled ‘Building the future with nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU’ (COM(2024)0137),

–  having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/1468 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 amending Regulations (EU) 2021/2115 and (EU) 2021/2116 as regards good agricultural and environmental condition standards, schemes for climate, environment and animal welfare, amendment of the CAP Strategic Plans, review of the CAP Strategic Plans and exemptions from controls and penalties(4),

–  having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 establishing rules on support for strategic plans to be drawn up by Member States under the common agricultural policy (CAP Strategic Plans) and financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013(5),

–  having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/2117 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products, (EU) No 1151/2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs, (EU) No 251/2014 on the definition, description, presentation, labelling and the protection of geographical indications of aromatised wine products and (EU) No 228/2013 laying down specific measures for agriculture in the outermost regions of the Union(6),

–  having regard to Regulation (EU) No 228/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 March 2013 laying down specific measures for agriculture in the outermost regions of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 247/2006(7),

–  having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013(8),

–  having regard to Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, as well as traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms for agricultural products, amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) 2019/787 and (EU) 2019/1753 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012(9),

–  having regard to the European Citizens’ Initiative ‘End The Cage Age’ and its resolution of 10 June 2021 thereon(10),

–  having regard to its resolution of 9 May 2023 on the implementation of the school scheme for fruit, vegetables, milk and dairy products under the Common Market Organisation Regulation(11),

–  having regard to the joint communication from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 26 March 2025 entitled ‘The European Preparedness Union Strategy’ (JOIN(2025)0130),

–  having regard to the Commission communication of 12 November 2021 entitled ‘Contingency plan for ensuring food supply and food security in times of crisis’ (COM(2021)0689),

–  having regard to the Commission decision of 12 November 2021 setting up the group of experts on the European Food Security Crisis Preparedness and Response Mechanism(12),

–  having regard to the Commission communication of 23 March 2022 entitled ‘Safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems’ (COM(2022)0133),

–  having regard to the Commission communication of 9 November 2022 entitled ‘Ensuring availability and affordability of fertilisers’ (COM(2022)0590),

–  having regard to the Food and Agriculture Organization report of 2024 entitled ‘The State of Food and Agriculture 2024’(13),

–  having regard to its resolution of 19 October 2023 on generational renewal in the EU farms of the future(14),

–  having regard to its resolution of 13 December 2022 on a long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas – Towards stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040(15),

–  having regard to the Commission communication of 3 May 2022 entitled ‘Putting people first, securing sustainable and inclusive growth, unlocking the potential of the EU’s outermost regions’ (COM(2022)0198),

–  having regard to the opinion of the European Committee of the Regions of 19 February 2025 entitled ‘How post-27 LEADER and CLLD programming could contribute to better implementation of the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas’(16),

–  having regard to its resolution of 16 February 2023 on the Commission communication on ensuring availability and affordability of fertilisers(17),

–  having regard to its resolution of 13 June 2023 on the assessment of the new Commission communication on outermost regions(18),

–  having regard to its resolution of 14 June 2023 on ensuring food security and long-term resilience of the EU agriculture(19),

–  having regard to its resolution of 15 February 2017 on low-risk pesticides of biological origin(20),

–  having regard to the report of 4 September 2024 of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture entitled ‘A shared prospect for farming and food in Europe’,

–  having regard to the opinion of the European Committee of the Regions of 19 June 2024 entitled ‘The Future of the Common Agricultural Policy’(21),

–  having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee of 17 January 2024 entitled ‘Promoting autonomous and sustainable food production: strategies for the Common Agricultural Policy post-2027’(22),

–  having regard to the findings of the Commission’s 2024 evaluation support study of EU support schemes for agriculture in the outermost regions (POSEI), which confirm the effectiveness and relevance of this programme for food security, territorial, social and economic cohesion, and maintaining agricultural activity in particularly vulnerable insular and outermost regions(23),

–  having regard to the report of the European Committee of the Regions of 7 October 2024 entitled ‘The State of Regions and Cities in the European Union’,

–  having regard to the Declaration of the Rural Pact Coordination Group of 18 December 2024 on the future of rural areas and rural development policy in the European Union,

–  having regard to the European Central Bank’s June 2025 analysis on the increase in production costs, the loss of real value and the European Central Bank’s macroeconomic projections regarding the inflation rates recorded in the euro area(24),

–  having regard to the opinion of the Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety,

–  having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

–  having regard to the report of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (A10-0143/2025),

A.  whereas the common agricultural policy (CAP) is a foundational and well-established EU policy that plays a strategically important role in the current uncertain geopolitical context and that forms a key part of the EU’s food security, defence and strategic autonomy;

B.  whereas the CAP’s objectives must continue to be based on ensuring increased agricultural production and productivity, contributing to a fair standard of living for the agricultural community by increasing incomes, supporting the stability, sustainability and competitiveness of the EU agricultural and forestry sectors, and contributing to rural development; whereas the special characteristics of agriculture must be taken into account, especially in the context of climate-related challenges, crises and conflict scenarios; whereas the CAP contributes to, and strengthens the resilience of, food production in terms of quantity, quality and affordability for consumers, as well as the production of raw materials for various applications related to the bioeconomy;

C.  whereas, in line with the European Preparedness Union Strategy, there is a need to place agriculture at the forefront of the economic and political agenda and to recognise its role as a critical component of the EU’s security and defence policies; whereas productive agricultural land is therefore of strategic importance and, together with soil, water, air and biodiversity quality, is a key factor in agricultural production that must be protected;

D.  whereas on 14 January 2025, more than 150 Nobel and World Food Prize laureates issued an open letter calling on world leaders to urgently prioritise agricultural research in order to meet the food needs of a projected 9,7 billion people by 2050(25);

E.  whereas the European Union is expected to reduce agricultural output if the current policy framework remains unchanged(26), thereby increasing the risks of food insecurity and food poverty within the EU and contributing to global food shortages, while willingly neglecting its agronomic potential;

F.  whereas the forestry sector falls within the competence of the Member States, not the European Union;

G.  whereas the CAP must be strengthened, further simplified, made more flexible and modernised, while maintaining its coherent structure and ensuring the sustainability of EU agricultural production across its environmental, social and economic dimensions; whereas it is essential to enable the EU’s agricultural sector to better respond to both active farmers’ needs and the expectations of European society regarding food security, safety and quality, climate change mitigation and adaptation, water resilience, mental health, generational renewal and gender equality; whereas it is crucial to reduce bureaucratic burdens and to provide adequate funding to farmers, farm workers and their communities so they can have a fair standard of living and adapt more easily to new challenges;

H.  whereas there is a need to clearly maintain the two-pillar structure of the CAP; whereas this structure should ensure a balance between the income support under Pillar I helping farmers to remain, or become, viable and produce for the market, with 100 % EU-financed direct payments, and the agri-environmental actions and investment support as part of the well-funded rural development policy under Pillar II, supported by co-financed measures to better address specific situations;

I.  whereas the convergence of direct payments, both within and between Member States, is essential to guarantee fair support conditions for farmers and to ensure fair competition on the single market; stresses that direct payments represent a stable and predictable share of annual farm income, and that their fair distribution across the Union is indispensable to prevent land abandonment, provide specific support to new and young farmers, and safeguard the economic viability of agriculture and regional cohesion;

J.  whereas, in the light of the ongoing discussion on the future of the multiannual financial framework (MFF), it is essential to keep the CAP funds separate from others and not merge them into a single national fund in order to preserve the community character of the CAP and to ensure equal conditions for farmers across Member States;

K.  whereas the CAP reflects the diversity of EU regions, traditions and agricultural systems, including a wide range of farm structures, types of farming and products;

L.  whereas any changes to the current CAP or new legislation should be introduced in a way that ensures stability in the sector and more legal certainty for farmers and forest owners, who demand a simpler CAP, providing income-support, delivering sustainability and taking into account seasonal constraints and the long-term planning needs of agricultural production; whereas such measures should be developed in consultation with stakeholders, avoid unnecessary administrative burdens, allow for reasonable transitional periods, and be supported by adequate adaptation budgets;

M.  whereas the CAP, as a cornerstone of the European consensus on development, is more relevant than ever in the light of current challenges; whereas the CAP supports approximately 9,1 million farms across Europe, representing a 37 % decrease in the number of farms compared to the 14,4 million recorded in 2005, and whereas this decline has been accompanied by a decline in farmers’ income of 12 % per hectare; whereas 77 % of EU citizens agree that the EU, through the CAP, is fulfilling its role in ensuring a stable supply of safe, healthy, sustainable and high-quality food at affordable prices for 450 million consumers; whereas rural areas cover 83 % of the EU’s territory and are home to 30 % of the EU population; whereas agricultural land accounts for 40 % of EU territory and the agri-food sector contributes approximately 7 % of the EU’s GDP, employing around 17 million people;

N.  whereas according to Eurostat(27), 93 % of farms in the EU are family-run; whereas this unique European model needs to be preserved as it plays a crucial role in the vitality and economic viability of rural areas;

O.  whereas farming is not just a job, but a way of life rooted in nature, historical, cultural and traditional heritage and the rural community that has a positive impact on society and deserves better recognition; whereas the multifunctionality of agriculture in the EU offers a wide range of opportunities for employment and business diversification in rural areas, for example through agri-tourism services, the agri-food and bioeconomy industries, renewable energy production, sustainable tourism, school visits and direct sales; whereas this multifunctionality contributes to inclusive growth, community welfare and the provision of social, educational and health-related services in rural areas;

P.  whereas food inflation in the EU reached almost 25 % in 2022 and 2023, soaring to 50 % in some countries, which had major economic and social repercussions and highlighted the fundamental need to stabilise agricultural prices to ensure macroeconomic stability and economic security;

Q.  whereas direct area payments are essential for the economic sustainability of European agriculture, playing a crucial role in maintaining sustainable production and ensuring that farmers receive a fair and adequate income, thereby enhancing profitability, providing stability and guaranteeing a minimum level of security; whereas increased support should be ensured for women, new, young and family farmers, small and medium-sized enterprises – particularly those operating in disadvantaged areas – as well as for sectors supported on socio-economic or environmental grounds;

R.  whereas it is important to ensure that CAP Pillar I aid payments are directed towards all active, professional farmers who derive their income either partially or entirely from agricultural production, whether on a full or part-time basis;

S.  whereas these direct payments should contribute to enhancing competitiveness and improving the sustainability and resilience of the EU agricultural sector, while reflecting specific needs and regional diversity; whereas the core driver of farmers’ profitability must continue to be the production of healthy food, with the possibility of complementing income through activities such as energy generation, carbon capture, or sustainable tourism;

T.  whereas under the 2021-2027 MFF, allocations to the CAP were reduced in both nominal and real terms compared to the previous MFF; whereas overall EU expenditure on the CAP has declined considerably in recent years despite a significant increase in the CAP’s environmental ambition; whereas this reduction has had a significant impact on farmers’ income;

U.  whereas farmers are facing rising price volatility due to fluctuations in global markets and in European production, owing to the globalised nature of the food supply chain, as evidenced by the recent influx of grain from non-EU countries and the increase in fertiliser prices; whereas they also encounter macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, health crises, animal disease outbreaks, market concentration trends, surpluses in certain European sectors and the unpredictability of yields as a result of more frequent climate-related extreme weather events and natural disasters;

V.  whereas European agriculture must address new and increasing challenges and deliver on EU priorities such as food security and climate resilience; whereas this necessitates an increased budget for the CAP in the next MFF in constant prices, as one of the EU’s policy priorities in order to prevent a loss in the real-term value of payments and meet both current and future challenges in the EU;

W.  whereas failure to adjust the MFF for inflation could result in a loss of up to 54 % of the CAP – equivalent to EUR 250 billion by 2034 – severely undermining the EU’s capacity to maintain food self-sufficiency and respond effectively to internal and global demands;

X.  whereas agricultural income remains below the average for the rest of the economy in almost all Member States, standing at 47 % of average gross wages and salaries in the EU economy and whereas people living in urban areas generally have a higher level of income than those living in rural areas, which leads to inequalities and exclusion; whereas farmers aged 40 and under have the lowest incomes on average within the EU; whereas the future CAP must ensure a fair remuneration and protection for farmers and farm workers, enabling them to sustain production activities throughout the Union, including in areas facing natural constraints, and meeting quality standards and food safety requirements for the benefit of citizens;

Y.  whereas farmers are facing high levels of work-related stress caused by long working hours, social isolation, financial uncertainty, administrative and regulatory demands, climate-related weather events or emerging plant and animal diseases; whereas access to mental health services for farmers remains limited;

Z.  whereas it is essential to strengthen the position of farmers in the agri-food supply chain, duly recognising their role, and to ensure conditions of fair competition, productivity, resilience and efficiency in the single market; whereas it is important to guarantee full compliance with the legislation on unfair trading practices(28), ensuring fair payment for agricultural products, together with greater transparency in price formation and promoting better tools for managing the impacts of risks and crises; whereas external shocks and factors outside farmers’ control, such as market crises or natural disasters, affecting the competitiveness and sustainability of farmers along the value chain, must also be properly considered and monitored;

AA.  whereas agricultural cooperatives, created and managed by the farmers themselves, as well as producer organisations (POs), associations of producer organisations (APOs), and local action groups strengthen the position of primary producers in the production chain by combining efforts, coordinating investments and mitigating the fragmentation of the sector; whereas the Vision for Agriculture and Food recognises that stronger collective bargaining in agriculture is crucial in making the sector more attractive;

AB.  whereas the EU is still facing a generational decline in the farming sector; whereas in 2020, the majority (57,6 %) of farmers in the EU, regardless of gender, were over 55 years of age, while those under 35 represented approximately 6 % – of whom only 1,7 % were women – and in many Member States, a very high proportion of farmers are aged 65 and over;

AC.  whereas generational renewal is essential for the future of European agriculture, food security, the prosperity of rural areas and the preservation of the rural way of life; whereas the price and limited availability of land, the generally low profitability of agricultural activity, the structural challenges facing rural areas in relation to the investments and risks involved, the administrative requirements and the sector’s perceived image are among the main barriers to becoming a farmer; whereas attention should also be drawn to other factors, such as the lack of own capital, difficult access to credit, especially for women and young farmers, the need for technical and accompanying services and support measures, the effects of climate change, high input and other production costs, and the multiplication of vector-borne diseases, all of which can constitute important barriers to the involvement of young people, women and new farmers in the agricultural sector;

AD.  whereas young people, women and new farmers have the potential to introduce new business ideas, adopt new technologies and implement sustainable farming methods; whereas schemes that combine sustainability, technological uptake and intergenerational partnerships should be promoted to facilitate farm succession; whereas stronger synergies between youth employment initiatives, the CAP and rural development policies are essential to support generational renewal and ensure young people remain in rural areas;

AE.  whereas women continue to face greater challenges in entering the farming sector and whereas female employment rates in rural areas are consistently lower than those of men; whereas the number of farms managed by women varies significantly across Member States; whereas gender equality is a fundamental principle of the EU and curbing rural depopulation largely depends on ensuring equal opportunities for women and young people; whereas, in order to address the specific challenges faced by women in agriculture, the Commission and the Member States should ensure that their particular needs are reflected within the CAP national strategic plans through targeted interventions;

AF.  whereas new rural value chains in the bioeconomy offer new business opportunities to diversify income sources for the agricultural sector, fostering job creation and rural entrepreneurship, while promoting better use of agricultural by-products; whereas examples of the latter include energy production through on-farm biogas production or the production and processing of wool and other natural fibres; whereas, in this context, it is also important to highlight the additional income opportunities available to farmers through renewable energy production from sources compliant with the Renewable Energy Directive(29) (RED), such as biofuels, which also contribute to strengthening the EU’s energy self-sufficiency; whereas carbon farming has the potential to support the EU’s climate objectives by promoting carbon sequestration in soils and biomass; whereas food and feed should, however, be prioritised over the other uses of agricultural products and land;

AG.  whereas short production chains – with production, processing and packaging being carried out in the same region – help retain added value locally and thus secure more jobs in the area; whereas such place-based, territorially embedded, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems reduce reliance on external inputs, reinforce EU food security and contribute to the revitalisation of rural areas;

AH.  whereas it is essential to avoid negative impacts on EU agricultural production by promoting flexible and effective tools to support the most vulnerable and strategic sectors when faced with challenges arising from structural changes, natural and meteorological disasters, especially in the context of climate change, market imbalances, the adoption of trade agreements, as well as the potential consequences for the EU agricultural sector associated with the implementation of new EU policies;

AI.  whereas these challenges may have direct consequences for food security and rural economies and communities, and therefore it is vital to improve risk prevention, management and adaptation, including through enhanced and adapted mechanisms and infrastructure supported by financial resources outside the CAP;

AJ.  whereas the CAP should recognise the significant environmental benefits provided by sustainable agriculture and livestock farming, to which practices and crops such as forestry, agroforestry, beekeeping, protein and woody crops, organic farming, textile fibres and emerging sectors such as the bioeconomy also contribute; whereas sectoral strategies for fruit and vegetables, wine, olive oil, table olives, potatoes, sugar beet and beekeeping should be maintained and protected;

AK.  whereas according to the European Environment Agency, droughts have caused annual economic losses of up to EUR 9 billion in the EU and this figure might reach up to EUR 28,6 billion by 2100, on top of losses caused by other effects of climate change; whereas farmers across the EU experience climate change first-hand, witnessing increasing desertification and a loss in agricultural productivity, with particular challenges for the Mediterranean regions; whereas extreme weather events, such as increasingly severe floods and droughts, put EU food security at risk;

AL.  whereas agriculture, water and soil are intrinsically linked; whereas the availability and sustainable management of these natural resources is vital to ensure sufficient and good-quality food production;

AM.  whereas efficient nutrient use is essential in reducing the EU’s dependency on chemical fertilisers, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and improving soil health; whereas the Nitrates Directive(30), in its current form, restricts the use of processed animal manure, including RENURE products, despite scientific evidence supporting their safe application; whereas the Joint Research Centre has concluded that replacing synthetic mineral fertilisers with RENURE does not lead to increased nitrate losses to water; whereas this creates unnecessary regulatory barriers for farmers aiming to close nutrient cycles and reduce environmental impacts;

AN.  whereas the growing instability in world trade makes it necessary to adapt the EU’s trade policy and international trade rules, in particular under the World Trade Organization framework, to safeguard the Union’s agri-food systems by ensuring fair and sustainable conditions of competition, based on reciprocity and effective trade defence;

AO.  whereas the importing into the EU of agricultural products that are produced to lower standards and with lower production costs than those produced in the EU – characterised by the highest of standards – is an obstacle to our producers’ ability to obtain fair prices and profitability on the market; whereas this poses potential risks to public, plant and animal health, including from the spread of pests and diseases; whereas there is a need to ensure reciprocity in international trade agreements;

AP.  whereas it is necessary to modernise the physical and digital infrastructure underpinning the efficient export of EU agri-food products to strengthen the resilience of EU agriculture by creating diversified export markets;

AQ.  whereas the World Health Organization recommends including legumes, fruit and vegetables, as well as a moderate consumption of protein, including of animal origin, as part of a varied and balanced diet; whereas meat and other animal products are a valuable source of high biological value protein and essential micronutrients; whereas sustainable livestock farming makes important contributions to biodiversity protection, forest fire prevention, landscape maintenance, soil nutrient provision and food security, as well as to national cultures and heritage; whereas the Commission, in its communication on the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas, acknowledged the importance of developing a long-term strategy for the livestock sector and announced the launch of a dedicated workstream on this issue; whereas targeted investments in breeding techniques and other innovative solutions can reduce emissions from livestock while safeguarding productivity and animal welfare;

AR.  whereas approximately 70 % of the raw materials required for the manufacturing of the protein-rich feed needed in the EU has to be imported from non-EU countries because the EU has a significant deficit in plant protein production; whereas Parliament and the Member States have repeatedly called for a meaningful EU protein strategy to increase the production of protein crops in the EU in order to reduce this high degree of dependence;

AS.  whereas reinforced synergies are needed with other EU instruments, such as Horizon Europe and cohesion policy, to facilitate the integration of research outputs into practical, locally tailored agricultural solutions, to promote innovation and to foster economic development; whereas enhanced connectivity, improved digital skills and the deployment of autonomous technologies in rural areas are essential to enhance the sector’s competitiveness and climate resilience and to make rural areas more appealing to younger generations and qualified professionals;

AT.  whereas most biotechnology research is currently conducted outside the EU; whereas such research often focuses on agroeconomic issues that are only partially relevant to the EU context, resulting in potential losses in both investment and opportunities for EU farmers; whereas the EU should therefore invest in developing biotechnology adapted to its own agricultural needs; whereas the withdrawal of marketing authorisations for plant protection products, without effective alternatives available, exposes farmers to pests and diseases, reduces their profitability and competitiveness, increases food waste and poses a threat to food security;

AU.  whereas the EU has developed a series of space programmes (EGNOS and Galileo) and earth observation programmes (Copernicus), which have significant potential to support the monitoring of CAP implementation in order to empower farmers and foresters with accurate data on the land they manage and, where appropriate, to simplify and reduce administrative burdens;

AV.  whereas the EU’s rural areas cover 83 % of the EU’s territory and are home to 137 million people; whereas the future and prosperity of rural areas are of paramount importance for Europe’s food security, autonomy and resilience; whereas agri-food systems allowed continued access to safe and high-quality food during the recent crises, despite inflation putting pressure on food affordability; whereas policies need to support both agriculture as a core activity and economic diversification through the development of sustainable rural tourism, small businesses, crafts and local services, in order for rural regions to be viable and attractive; whereas energy production can create additional revenue streams for farmers but should have no impact on food production; whereas LEADER and community-led local development (CLLD) have proven valuable tools for sustainable development and are at the core of EU policies; whereas the CAP alone cannot provide solutions to all the needs and challenges faced by rural areas;

AW.  whereas the CAP should play a role in the harmonious development of the EU by bolstering economic, social and territorial cohesion, and must therefore continue to compensate areas with natural constraints, such as mountainous, arid, island, border, outermost and disadvantaged regions, for the extra costs associated with their geographical or demographic constraints, in order to avoid the abandonment of agricultural activity and consequent depopulation in such areas; whereas it is vital to acknowledge the important role that farmers play in these territories, ensuring environmental, economic and social services;

AX.  whereas outermost regions face specific challenges due to their geographical situation; whereas the POSEI programme applies CAP Pillar I interventions, adapted to the specificities of the outermost regions; whereas POSEI is of vital importance for maintaining agricultural activity and ensuring the supply of food and agricultural products in these regions; whereas POSEI’s implementation is important and has been a success, notably in terms of increasing production intended for local consumption, as demonstrated by the Commission’s implementation reports between 2006 and 2014 and between 2015 and 2019; whereas, however, POSEI budget allocations have not been revised since 2007, which has resulted in a cumulative depreciation of at least 36 % due to inflation; whereas this has significantly limited the level of EU support available to farmers in the outermost regions and whereas there is a clear need to recalibrate the POSEI financial allocations to compensate for this depreciation;

AY.  whereas competitive agriculture, food and forestry sectors can continue to play strong roles in achieving objectives for security of food supply, public health and environmental protection consistent with the policies of the Union, with farmers being incentivised and remunerated for their contribution and assisted by a reduction in unnecessary regulatory and administrative burdens in the measures they undertake;

AZ.  whereas, through the CAP, European farmers have made significant efforts to integrate environmental and climate objectives compatible with the requirements laid down in EU legislation to adapt the agricultural sector to the increasing challenges and crises caused by climate change; whereas farmers are already on the front line and are playing a key role in safeguarding the environment and soil in the face of climate change and, according to estimates, between 2005 and 2023, agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in the EU followed an overall downward trend of 7 %(31);

BA.  whereas it is essential to ensure that CAP conditionality requirements and environmental commitments take into account the diversity of agriculture in the EU and do not impose disproportionate administrative burdens on farmers, especially the most vulnerable ones; whereas a better balance needs to be struck between the obligatory nature of certain measures and an incentive-based system that enables farmers to voluntarily adopt more sustainable farming practices, without leading to a reduction in food production, thus ensuring their competitiveness and profitability and granting enough flexibility to allow for locally appropriate solutions;

BB.  whereas it is necessary to carry out a cumulative evaluation of Green Deal-related legislation to assess its overall impact on the agri-food sector, including regulatory coherence, administrative burden, competitiveness and the sector’s capacity to ensure food security and strategic resilience;

BC.  whereas the CAP must take into account regions where there is strong competition between urban development and agriculture when imposing additional restrictions on access to land, in order to maintain agriculture in these areas;

BD.  whereas the success of innovation in agriculture depends not only on technological advancements, but also on effective knowledge exchange and the active involvement of farmers in research and innovation processes; whereas tools such as the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS), Operational Groups under EIP-AGRI, and multi-actor projects supported by Horizon Europe have shown the value of co-creation, local adaptation and stronger links between farmers, researchers and advisors;

The path to competitive and sustainable agriculture

1.  Notes that on 16 July 2025, together with its proposal for a new multiannual financial framework for the period 2028-2034, the Commission presented legislative proposals to reform the CAP; insists, however, that Parliament’s position on the future of the CAP and EU farming remains as set out in this resolution;

2.  Takes note of the Commission report entitled ‘A Vision for Agriculture and Food’ as a promising roadmap for the post-2027 CAP, with important contributions based on generational renewal, competitiveness, sustainability, resilience, simplification and greater reciprocity of standards in trade, and with the emphasis on innovation to achieve economic, social and environmental sustainability, on prioritising incentives over restrictions and on a fairer targeting of CAP support; recognises, within this approach, a renewed emphasis on the CAP’s traditional core aims as enshrined in Article 39 TFEU; emphasises the importance of ensuring a stand-alone CAP budget in order to achieve these aims;

3.  Underlines that agriculture plays a fundamental role in ensuring food security for the EU and beyond, safeguarding human health, maintaining biodiversity and healthy soil and water, and social cohesion; underlines that the future CAP should simplify access to climate adaptation and mitigation measures and that farmers should be rewarded for their efforts in this respect; stresses that farmers play a critical role in ensuring the sustainability of European agricultural production across its environmental, social and economic dimensions, while also contributing to food security and strategic autonomy and should therefore be supported; calls for impact assessments that take into account farm-level implications to be carried out before any new regulations are proposed that entail new requirements and bureaucratic burdens on farmers, and calls for a review of all existing obligations; insists that agriculture remain an EU policy and not be included in a single fund, in order to ensure uniform conditions among Member States;

4.  Calls for an increased and dedicated budget for the CAP, which is indexed for inflation through annual re-evaluations, in the next MFF in order to ensure security of food supply regardless of the commercial instabilities arising from the volatility of the geopolitical environment; stresses that without adequate resources, the CAP will no longer be able to be a key driver for ensuring the sustainability of European agriculture economically, environmentally and socially, while guaranteeing a fair income and fair conditions for those involved in the farming sector and a fully functioning single market; calls for the financial resources allocated to the CAP to remain earmarked in the budget for that purpose, in particular direct payments; strongly opposes the idea that Member States should be allowed to use the CAP budget as part of a total envelope for purposes other than agriculture; stresses that an adequate budget will help ensure the continuation of a common policy;

5.  Calls on the Commission and the co-legislators to maintain fixed and ring-fenced income support as a core component of the post-2027 CAP, recognising its vital role in ensuring food production, with high quality and health standards for EU consumers, providing farmers with stability in the face of market volatility and extreme weather events, ensuring a fair standard of living for farmers, guaranteeing security of supply and building food and feed autonomy; considers that the current situation of the regions located at the EU’s external borders must also be taken into account;

6.  Expresses its concerns over potential budgetary overhauls in the post-2027 EU budget, including the possible centralisation of funding streams; warns that integrating the CAP with other funding areas such as cohesion, regional development and fisheries could undermine the distinct role of agricultural policy;

7.  Emphasises the need for the CAP to maintain its own legal and institutional standing in the post-2027 period; stresses the importance of maintaining the CAP budget as a stand-alone, distinct and dedicated budget, tailored to the specific needs of the European agricultural sector; calls on the Commission to reduce administrative burdens to ensure that farmers can directly access support without excessive reliance on external consultants;

8.  Reaffirms the importance of maintaining the CAP as a separate, distinct policy, serving as a partnership between agriculture and society, and between Europe and its farmers, providing reliable support to them with a view to enhancing food security; firmly rejects any proposal to include the CAP budget in a single fund with other policies or funds, as such an approach would reduce the effectiveness of interventions and compromise the Union’s strategic objectives in terms of food security and rural development;

9.  Points out that, in the current geopolitical context, secure and constant access to food has become a matter of strategic security, and that dependence on imports can be exploited as a means to exert pressure; underlines that, in this context, more emphasis should be placed on the CAP’s traditional core aims – supporting food security and resilience, ensuring a fair income for farmers, and improving market stability and competitiveness;

10.  Stresses that sustainable food and agricultural production plays a heightened strategic role, accentuated by the new geopolitical context, as an essential part of European security, stability and sovereignty as well as strategic autonomy, and that the CAP budget amount and framework must reflect that; maintains that EU farming should be recognised not only as an economic sector, but also as a geopolitical cornerstone, a tool for social and territorial stability, and a critical component of the EU’s security and defence policies; notes that, at global level, with the exception of the EU, countries playing a key role in the agricultural sector have stepped up their spending and protection measures for the sector since the 2007-2008 food price crisis; recalls that agricultural productivity and resilience are dependent on the sustainable management of natural resources to guarantee the long-term sustainability of our food systems; highlights the need for the post-2027 CAP to contribute to strengthening the Union’s overall preparedness and resilience; emphasises that the Commission and the Member States should include food in their security and competitiveness plans; calls on the Commission and the Member States to consider establishing strategic storage facilities at European and national level with a view to safeguarding food security;

11.  Points out that efficient agricultural production makes an important contribution to the sustainability of the sector, by optimising yields with the fewest possible inputs; emphasises that the CAP must include instruments and investments that enhance the capacity of farms and rural areas to be prepared for, absorb and recover from shocks; insists that the CAP’s primary objective should be to meet the European population’s food needs and that this means supporting farmers more effectively so as to boost EU food security and strategic autonomy;

12.  Stresses, in this regard, the strategic role of wholesale markets, accredited structures in the public interest, which can ensure compliance with the principles of sustainability, waste reduction and price transparency;

13.  Points out that cooperation, aggregation and dialogue, as well as better organisation of farmers through cooperatives, POs or APOs in the agri-food value chain, together with derogations from competition law and specific support, are key to improving the position of farmers, promoting a more equitable distribution of margins and increasing the efficiency of all actors; notes, in this respect, that the reform of the CMO and the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive(32) can serve as an opportunity to strengthen the position of farmers in national and transnational agri-food supply chains, ensuring that producers get a fair price for their products and for their work, by reinforcing crisis management mechanisms and improving cross-border enforcement against unfair commercial practices through harmonisation at EU level, without compromising or negatively impacting the best existing national strategies and practices; calls on the Commission to examine the possibility of establishing new instruments to avoid farmers receiving prices for their products that are below the costs of production;

14.  Underlines, in particular, the importance of strengthening cross-border cooperation between competent authorities in the Member States, ensuring effective, coordinated and consistent enforcement of rules across the internal market, in order to combat abusive behaviour, ensure fairness along the supply chain and prevent unfair competition; emphasises that food security and food sovereignty are vital components of strategic autonomy and that the next MFF must continue to effectively support the competitiveness and resilience of the Union’s farming sector;

15.  Stresses the importance of safeguarding and reinforcing direct income support to meet the needs of all active, professional farmers under the CAP, both full and part-time, regardless of their size and type of production; underlines the importance of including pluriactive farmers, since all farmers contribute significantly to the socio-economic fabric of rural areas;

16.  Points out that direct payments in their current form generate clear EU added value and recalls the importance of an area-based model, while increasing support for the most vulnerable farmers, including family-run farms, small and medium-sized farms, young and female farmers, farms in areas with natural constraints and those that adopt more sustainable practices; advocates a model that provides stability and contributes effectively to farmers’ income and maintains the economic viability, competitiveness and sustainability of food production in all regions and territories of the EU; believes that it is essential to ensure fairness in the distribution of direct payments both among and within Member States;

17.  Believes that in order to improve the targeting of CAP support towards those engaged in an agricultural activity, it is necessary to further refine the EU-level framework definition of a farmer and that, on the basis of this definition, the Member States should define which farmers are eligible for support; insists that this definition should not result in precluding support to pluriactive farmers, who are actively farming, but who are also engaged in non-agricultural activities outside their farm, as their multiple activities often strengthen the socio-economic fabric of rural areas;

18.  Emphasises the importance of transparency in the allocation of CAP funds and calls for the systematic identification of final beneficiaries and interconnected companies; urges the Commission and the Member States to introduce control mechanisms to prevent concentration of aid through complex ownership structures or an artificial fragmentation of farms;

19.  Considers that, as long as a level playing field in the internal market is respected, voluntary coupled support payments should be maintained or increased, with sufficient budgetary allocation and greater flexibility in their use, as a simple tool to maintain production in vulnerable sectors and to counteract specific difficulties, particularly those arising from the structural competitive disadvantage of less-favoured areas;

20.  Calls on the Commission and the Member States to maintain the voluntary nature of eco-schemes and to make them simpler and more flexible in the post-2027 CAP; calls on the Member States to provide their farmers with a clear and simple list of efficient and effective eco-scheme options to choose from, accompanied by appropriate and attractive remuneration to incentivise them, while neither undermining the funds allocated for direct payments and investments nor increasing red tape; calls on the Member States to invest in training to support farmers in making effective use of eco-schemes;

21.  Recognises the progress already achieved through social conditionality; calls for an evaluation of social conditionality in the CAP and proportionate, effective and clearly defined implementation to avoid duplication of regulations among Member States and disproportionate administrative burdens on farmers, and to protect workers’ rights;

22.  Calls for a comprehensive study to assess whether introducing mandatory mechanisms, such as a redistribution or limitation of direct payments under the CAP through capping and degressivity, would improve fairness; stresses that this should be analysed in advance of the presentation of proposals for a new CAP in order to develop appropriate instruments that can genuinely support the viability of farms across the EU, including young and female farmers and small and medium-sized farms; stresses that this study should also analyse the non-application of capping to specific payments, such as eco-schemes and agri-environment or climate-related payments;

23.  Calls for the pursuit of equitable distribution of the value produced in the agri-food sector, by means of framework laws and interventions aimed at increasing the returns from entrepreneurship and agricultural incomes, by rebalancing the relationships within the chain towards distributors and producers; calls, in particular, for incentives and investments for new agri-food business models that deliver long-term financial sustainability and for a rebalancing of the commercial relationship between farmers, distributors and producers beyond the current EU approach of prohibited practices, by designing reference framework legislation inspired by the French ‘EGAlim’ law;

24.  Calls for an independent and strong second pillar of the CAP – separate from, but closely coordinated with, cohesion policies – that promotes policy coherence to facilitate, inter alia, territorial integration, and ensure synergies and effective support for the agricultural sector within a coherent framework that guarantees the efficient use of EU funds and investments in projects; insists that these funds reach beneficiaries in a timely manner; believes that rural development funding should be allocated primarily to agricultural activities, while other actions supporting territories or infrastructure should be financed from the cohesion funds;

25.  Stresses the need for a well-funded rural development programme under the second pillar of the CAP to support rural areas, with a strong EU financial contribution, complemented by national co-financing to ensure the programme’s effectiveness and long-term sustainability; emphasises, in this sense, the crucial role of local governments and stakeholders, such as cooperatives and local action groups, in streamlining the efforts under CAP Pillar II; insists that regions must be able to design, implement and manage rural development measures autonomously, while respecting the constitutional specificities of each Member State;

26.  Calls for an increase in the budget allocated to the LEADER programme, which contributes to addressing social challenges and promoting local action groups by strengthening CLLD approaches, which are key in building stronger rural-urban links; stresses that LEADER has a central role to play in promoting attractive, prosperous, resilient and interconnected rural areas by supporting initiatives that generate local added value, stimulate entrepreneurship, foster innovation and strengthen the economic and social fabric of territories, all of which are essential for retaining and attracting human capital, especially young people and women, and contributing to demographic and territorial balance, and generational renewal;

27.  Recognises that voluntary agri-environmental and climate measures, and animal welfare and animal and plant health measures under Pillar II, using simplified and both incentive- and compliance-based approaches, are key instruments for safeguarding the environment and the promotion of sustainable practices, while contributing to decent incomes for the farmers who implement them; considers these Pillar II schemes to be more effective than eco-schemes, which, in many Member States, have not achieved the desired results due to their high level of complexity for farmers, and thus believes these Pillar II schemes should receive an increased share of funding in the future CAP; underlines the importance of ensuring that agri-environmental and climate measures contribute to maintaining and enhancing food production;

28.  Calls for the CAP financial support to be made simpler and more accessible for small projects, which are more often than not the drivers of the most innovative initiatives; calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote and extend the use of simplified cost options;

29.  Calls on the Commission to adopt concrete measures to guarantee that imports of agri-food products from non-EU countries are held to the same food safety, environmental, social and animal welfare standards as those required of EU producers, in order to ensure a level playing field and a high level of food safety, traceability and sustainable production in the EU; insists that this is essential to avoid compromising the competitiveness of EU agri-food production with respect to imported products; insists that, in order to avoid unfair competition for EU farmers, the Commission must be ready to activate safeguard clauses in its agreements with non-EU countries, where necessary, to ensure the stability of the internal market;

30.  Calls on the Commission, in its efforts to open new markets and consolidate existing ones, to carry out a systematic impact assessment of the provisions relating to the agricultural sector in each of its trade agreements, which should take into account all interested parties in order to determine their cumulative impact, and to provide specific strategies to ensure a level playing field and reciprocity at all levels, particularly with regard to production, quality and social standards;

31.  Stresses that it is necessary to maintain consistency between the Union’s trade and sustainability policies and to strengthen controls both at the source and at borders by the Commission and the Member States and through an EU control agency, as this would offer greater guarantees in terms of fair competition for European producers; calls for a review of EU trade policy to ensure that it effectively supports the competitiveness and sustainability of European agriculture; stresses that the sustainability and competitiveness of the EU’s agricultural sector should not be undermined when securing future trade agreements;

32.  Calls on the Commission to improve synergies, complementarities and coordination among EU funding instruments, such as the Cohesion Fund, the NextGenerationEU recovery instrument and the Just Transition Fund, and with national instruments, as well as to open direct lines of cooperation with local authorities in managing and implementing the funds; calls, furthermore, for enhanced integration with other relevant programmes, in order to maximise the impact of innovation, digitalisation, sustainability and resilience objectives in agriculture and rural areas; calls on the Commission to put in place an internal procedure, at the beginning of each financial programming period, to ensure complementarity and consistency at EU level between the different support instruments planned in rural areas;

33.  Stresses that access to finance for farmers and other actors in the agri-food sector is essential for implementing investments, facilitating access to land and ensuring the continuity of agricultural activity on farms; stresses, furthermore, that innovation and technology in the agri-food sector should continue to benefit from targeted investment support as a priority, so as to enable the EU to become a global digital hub, boosting start-ups and attracting and retaining talented young people;

34.  Notes that Member States face increasing and diverse risks; stresses, in this regard, that an appropriate increase in and a reform of the common agricultural crisis reserve combined with the creation of new and specific financial instruments, with resources outside of the CAP, are both essential to support farmers, amid unpredictable market and climate change distortions such as drought and floods, storms, plant and animal diseases, as well as changes in consumer behaviour and geopolitical tensions; calls on the Commission to establish its ex ante crisis management strategy on a product-by-product basis, with a view to using the agricultural crisis reserve in a way that maximises efficiency and community added value; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure rapid, effective and proportionate responses to the needs of farmers in crisis situations, allowing them to swiftly obtain the capital they need to restore their agricultural activities;

35.  Emphasises the important role played by CAP public intervention mechanisms in stabilising agricultural markets and protecting farmers from price fluctuations; recalls that the reference thresholds have not been reassessed for several years and should be reviewed as soon as possible to take account of price changes;

36.  Calls for better coordination and simplification between all available instruments, including the Solidarity Fund, to enable farmers, as well as rural communities and local authorities, affected by natural and climate-related disasters to access faster and more targeted aid; calls, in view of the increasing damages caused by natural disasters, for the creation of an automatic trigger mechanism to speed up the arrival of specific tools for risk mitigation and management based on active and passive measures that are affordable for farmers;

37.  Calls on the Member States to ensure the timely and correct implementation of their national strategic plans, across both pillars, thereby avoiding the return of funds;

38.  Stresses that, while agriculture contributes through the CAP to other policies and strategies, such as the environment, energy, trade, climate, biodiversity, animal health and welfare, public health and regional development, it is relevant and welcome that other policies continue to contribute to the sustainability of agriculture and to rural development and the provision of services beyond the production of food and biogenic resources; stresses, in particular, the importance of bioenergy and bioeconomy development to support the resilience of the agricultural sector;

39.  Calls on the Commission to implement an EU-wide rural-proofing mechanism across all policy areas and to include the Rural Pact Community, as well as the Committee of the Regions, in all activities related to the rural development framework; regrets the fact that although the Commission included the rural-proofing mechanism in its vision for rural areas towards 2040, in practice it appears to have been implemented only to a limited extent;

40.  Reaffirms that the EU has the highest standards in the world for food safety, animal welfare and environmental and social protection, which are cornerstones of the competitiveness of high-quality EU agricultural products, and which must be respected and protected; demands, therefore, that any proposed legislation in these areas be science-based and preceded by a rigorous and comprehensive impact assessment, and be designed to strengthen competitiveness and the sustainability of EU farms; believes that incentivisation and compensation for farmers for any additional costs they incur is essential to meet this aim;

41.  Emphasises that improving animal welfare is not only an ethical imperative, but also a pathway to more resilient and profitable livestock systems; underlines that healthier animals with lower stress levels generally require less veterinary intervention, have higher fertility rates and perform better, leading to greater economic efficiency; calls for CAP measures to continue supporting investments and training in higher animal welfare standards, aligned with market expectations and scientific recommendations;

42.  Calls on the Commission to present in its legislative proposals for the next CAP an ambitious and comprehensive protein strategy, which should include appropriate measures and instruments to promote high-quality protein-crop production, including leguminous crops such as, but not limited to, certain oilseeds, pulses and green forage, and non-leguminous crops such as sunflower and rape seed for food and feed purposes, with the aim of significantly reducing the EU’s protein deficit and ensuring strategic autonomy;

43.  Emphasises the strategic importance of sustainable livestock farming for rural development, biodiversity conservation, landscape management and environmental sustainability, particularly in less-favoured areas and high nature value landscapes, and stresses the need to provide the sector with adequate financial support to ensure its sustainability; underlines that animal products are not only of nutritional value, but that their production plays a crucial role in preserving traditional cultural landscapes, soil fertility and carbon storage; calls on the Commission to create a high-level group on livestock farming involving all relevant stakeholders to develop new approaches to safeguard the future of the sector and address the progressive loss of livestock in the EU, boosting generational renewal, promoting animal welfare and the circular economy – including the use of digestate as a valuable biofertiliser contributing to nutrient recycling and soil health – and maximising the positive contribution of sustainable livestock farming on nature conservation and restoration, biodiversity and soil health and fertility, and to promote investments to foster the competitiveness of the sector; considers that the introduction of a new agricultural emissions trading system (ETS) would create excessive complexity without any guarantee of effectiveness;

44.  Highlights the recent outbreaks of animal diseases in several Member States; calls on the Commission and the Member States to bolster prevention and eradication measures and increase CAP funding allocations dedicated to risk management and improved on-farm biosecurity investments; calls on the Commission to strengthen animal health measures in the EU agricultural sector by coordinating the research, purchase and supply of veterinary vaccines at EU level through a preparedness and early detection mechanism, and by fostering the development of these vaccines in the EU; calls for adequate funding for this mechanism outside of the CAP; urges the Member States to support and work with the regions in developing and implementing prevention, vaccination and mitigation plans for these diseases;

45.  Regrets that the funding of measures to prevent, control and eradicate certain animal diseases through the Single Market Programme is insufficient to support farmers and Member States in relation to diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease; stresses that, in the EU, any failure to prevent or control animal diseases in one Member State can have immediate repercussions for the others and requires a coordinated response; calls for the introduction of strict EU-level animal health standards to safeguard livestock farming, including provisions for the management of wild animal populations posing infection risks and for the targeted vaccination of animals when necessary;

46.  Stresses that antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to human health and reducing the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry must be a priority; notes the funding available for reducing the susceptibility and transmission of animal diseases already available in the CAP;

47.  Reaffirms the need to develop an overarching food strategy for the EU based on scientific experiment, which incorporates arable and livestock farming while simultaneously guaranteeing equitable treatment for all agricultural sectors; supports science-based environmental assessments that take account of the entire life cycle of food products; supports nutrition based on scientific evaluations that confirm the importance of foods of animal origin for human health, in particular for vulnerable populations such as children, elderly people and women;

48.  Calls on the Member States to promote and improve working and social conditions and wages for farmers or any agricultural employees and to ensure proper worker coverage and replacement in the event of illness or accidents causing a temporary absence; calls also for the provision of training and for annual leave and family leave to take care of family members, in order to ensure quality jobs and a better work-life balance for farmers and farm workers; underlines the role of agriculture as a key contributor to social responsibility and decent working conditions in rural areas;

49.  Calls on the Commission to update the financial allocations for POSEI to reflect, as a minimum, cumulative inflation in the next MFF, with annually adjusted envelopes, and regrets that the 2 % deflator applied to direct payments has not also been considered for POSEI in the current MFF; believes, however, that the Commission must go further and propose a significant increase in the POSEI budget in the next MFF to provide complementary support for agricultural production, thus ensuring food self-sufficiency in the outermost regions; considers this to be essential for the continuity of agricultural activity in the outermost regions, for supporting investments and for ensuring the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the EU, in full compliance with Article 349 TFEU, which recognises the specific nature of these regions and the need to adopt differentiated measures to respond to their permanent constraints; argues that increased POSEI funding should take into account the real and specific agricultural needs of these regions, including changes in production costs, exposure to increasing extreme weather events and climate change, territorial fragmentation, market volatility and the need to ensure the economic viability of farms and fair incomes for farmers; stresses, in this context, the importance of creating a specific mechanism, namely a POSEI transport programme, which will help mitigate the additional transport costs for products within and transported from the outermost regions to the single market and factors of production in the outermost regions;

50.  Points out that Pillar II financing for beekeeping should be better targeted and made more effective and that the new legislative framework should provide for the modernisation and simplification of the Pillar I support scheme for beekeepers that takes into account the specific features and vulnerabilities of the sector;

51.  Highlights the importance of access to physical and digital infrastructure with reliable high-speed broadband service and the use of satellite technology for farmers’ work and quality of life in rural areas and in overcoming social isolation; insists, therefore, on the importance of achieving a gradual digitalisation of agriculture, which involves constant access to the internet, digital knowledge, innovation, farmer data access and ownership, education and training opportunities so as to attract and retain people in these areas, especially young people, affording them the possibility of remaining in these areas should they wish to do so; calls on the Commission and the Member States to make training available for farmers and forest managers to acquire digital skills that can help them to make the best use of the advantages of digitalisation and precision farming and work in a more efficient and sustainable way, while mindful of the fact that personal and verbal communication remain essential for many farmers at present; recognises the crucial role of farmers’ organisations in driving the digital transformation of agriculture;

52.  Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure full alignment between the Digital Europe Programme, broadband deployment policies and the post-2027 CAP; affirms the necessity of both equipping rural areas with digital infrastructure services and of boosting the skills necessary for remote work, precision farming and digital entrepreneurship; underlines that digital infrastructure services must be affordable for rural citizens; highlights that such investment is key to reducing rural depopulation and enhancing the attractiveness of agriculture and rural living for younger generations;

53.  Calls for greater awareness of the importance of the mental health of farmers and agricultural workers given the high rate of suicide in this sector; emphasises that this is an alarming phenomenon caused, inter alia, by high levels of stress, uncertainty, onerous administrative burdens, as well as vulnerability, social isolation, lack of holiday, debt and economic hardship faced by farmers; highlights, furthermore, that stressful farm inspection procedures place additional pressure on farmers in managing their holdings and calls on the Member States to develop mechanisms to address this; urges the Commission and the Member States to foster collaboration to develop a comprehensive mental health strategy for farmers and ensure that appropriate support measures are included in the next CAP; emphasises the value of approaches tailor made to local circumstances, using various types of support services, including current farm advisory networks and other rural community support groups; considers that it is necessary to develop psychological support programmes, as well as measures promoting administrative simplification and work-life balance, all of which will improve the quality of life of EU farmers and workers; reiterates the need for farmers to receive fair prices for their market and non-market products;

54.  Stresses that over 70 % of consumers in the EU base their purchasing decisions on the information on packaging and draws attention to the real risk of consumers being misled; calls, therefore, for the consolidation of harmonised EU labelling to ensure a fair and equitable system, providing transparency about the country of origin, quality assurances and production standards, including animal welfare and organic standards, of EU agri-food products; considers that it is necessary to guarantee traceability and competitiveness in the single market and globally through clear rules to avoid distortions and misleading practices in order to protect the integrity of EU food systems, enhance their promotion and reinforce consumer information and awareness;

55.  Advocates enhanced protection measures for regional products, including strengthening the regimes of protected designations of origin, protected geographical indications and traditional specialities guaranteed through streamlined procedures that safeguard against misuse and counterfeiting;

56.  Calls, furthermore, on the Commission to end simplistic front-of-pack labelling systems such as Nutri-Score because of the lack of broad scientific consensus and the risk of the food industry changing the parameters to serve its interests;

57.  Calls for the promotion of nutrition education in schools and school canteens, with the aim of helping children understand the importance of a complete and balanced diet from an early age, with a view to helping children understand the origin of food; encourages the development of healthy eating habits and school menus that include a variety of vitamins, fibre and nutrient-rich foods to contribute to strengthening the physical and mental well-being of students; stresses, furthermore, the need to respect and promote national, local and seasonal gastronomy as valuable cultural heritage, well represented in the Mediterranean Diet model; urges the Commission to ensure that additional resources go to local and regional authorities for schemes aimed at these activities and stresses the need for public procurement to be guided by quality, not price, and to promote, where possible, the consumption of organic, local and seasonal products with geographical indications;

58.  Underlines the importance of the EU scheme for the distribution of milk, fruit and vegetables to children through school programmes as a key tool to promote healthy eating, especially for children from vulnerable backgrounds for whom school meals can be one of the few sources of balanced nutrition; regrets that some Member States are not using the funds allocated to this programme, which is leading to the available budget being underused; draws attention to the importance of involving farmers and actors across the agri-food value chain in delivering food education, and promoting direct links between producers and schools;

59.  Emphasises the importance of maintaining appropriate funding for olive oil and table olive production due to their significant health and nutritional benefits for all Europeans;

60.  Is deeply concerned by the rise in projects to produce ‘lab-grown meat’; highlights the need to review the EU’s legislative framework for the authorisation of these products so that it takes fuller account of the economic, social and environmental implications of this type of innovation, as well as the related ethical considerations;

61.  Encourages politicians, schools, media, farmers and local associations to work together in promoting a positive image of farming, increasing its attractiveness to young people, and to communicate better on the farmer’s role in sustainable food production and environmental services; calls for widespread recognition of the essential work carried out by farmers and farm workers in respect of food safety and of their commitment to sustainable practices through campaigns aimed at raising consumer awareness of the choices they make when buying and at strengthening the relationship between consumers and EU farmers, promoting a better understanding of how they produce the agri-food products that consumers purchase; highlights the need to counteract misinformation and misleading, erroneous and unjustified messages in order to improve the negative image that part of society has of farmers; urges the Member States to include this recognition in their educational plans to make agriculture an attractive economic activity; strongly regrets the fact that farmers and rural residents have suffered many years of de-prioritisation and underinvestment;

Simplification of the post-2027 CAP: Strategies for more efficient management

62.  Supports, with a view to the future, the Commission’s objective for the 2024-2029 period of reducing administrative burdens for farmers and simplifying legislation as a cross-cutting strategic priority, in order to facilitate access to CAP support and make implementation on the ground more effective; insists that this must be one of the guiding principles underpinning all actions aimed at achieving the social, environmental and economic sustainability of EU agriculture, without undermining the five main objectives of the CAP as set out in Article 39 TFEU; stresses that CAP simplification should not compromise a strong regulatory framework at EU level, as this is vital for preserving the commonality of the CAP and ensuring public support for the necessary financial resources;

63.  Stresses the need for more flexibility and a simpler funding structure for the new CAP that benefits the active farmer; points out that volatile conditions, increasing regulations and rising societal expectations cause frustration among farmers and affect the attractiveness of the profession, especially among young farmers and the most vulnerable;

64.  Calls on the Commission, when designing the future architecture of the CAP, to focus on delivering clearer criteria, digitalised procedures, standardised guidelines, the timely communication of changes and accessible technical support; highlights that gold-plating adds complexity for farmers and beneficiaries, reducing the effectiveness and uptake of important measures;

65.  Demands better coordination between the Commission and national and regional authorities regarding a reduction in documentation and reporting obligations; emphasises the need for proactive engagement between the Commission, Member State authorities, farmers and farm organisations before CAP national strategic plans are drawn up; underlines the need for greater flexibility for Member States within CAP strategic plans, allowing them to adapt specific elements without requiring prior approval from the Commission, when necessary; calls for the establishment of a centralised, electronic reporting system, a ‘CAP one-stop shop’, where farmers can submit applications, reports and all the required documentation in one place, avoiding unnecessary and duplicated administration;

66.  Calls for a realistic, incentive-based system for farmers, which reflects the time commitment demonstrated by the beneficiary, rather than a system based purely on obligations to achieve ambitious environmental and social objectives, taking due account of the specificities of geographical areas; believes that incentive-based approaches yield the best results in terms of enhancing the sustainability of agriculture in the EU; stresses that it is vital, when calculating the remuneration due for services provided, that the methodology goes beyond the narrow lens of ‘costs incurred and income forgone’ by the farmer, as the socio-economic losses to the wider community can be much greater with the loss of both upstream and downstream economic activity in the local area; believes that funding for these payments should come from the CAP or from national funds so that public funding can truly incentivise green innovation and the green transition; invites the Commission to explore additional funding sources beyond the CAP to support farmers in developing locally adapted, sustainable business models;

67.  Emphasises that the implementation of requirements for good agricultural and environmental conditions must take into account current land use and farming practices; stresses that active farmers must retain the right to continue their current agricultural activities, including necessary maintenance operations, without facing additional administrative or operational restrictions;

68.  Stresses the need to continue to assess the conditionality requirements of the CAP in order to ease administrative burdens, obstacles or economic barriers, reduce costs and avoid excessive implementation requirements for farmers; insists on farmers’ need for flexibility and simplicity, while continuing to promote responsible farming practices, through incentives, maintaining a level playing field and public support for the policy, in an approach that generates greater added value and more investment in innovation;

69.  Urges the Commission to encourage farmers to take responsibility by allowing a degree of tolerance and by ensuring that sanctions are fair and proportionate, especially with regard to conditionality requirements, as well as voluntary eco-schemes and agri-environmental and climate measures; stresses the need for all new legislative requirements under the post-2027 CAP to be accompanied by sufficient transition periods and administrative simplifications to ensure legal and planning certainty for farmers;

70.  Stresses that the CMO Regulation(33) must be simplified, thereby accelerating procedures to grant exceptional aid to farmers; underlines the importance of promoting and enhancing the crucial role played by cooperatives, POs, APOs, fruit and vegetable producer organisations, inter-branch organisations and other entities contributing to the agri-food value chain, including the organic sector, and to making the agri-food value chain more balanced, thereby ensuring better remuneration for farmers; urges the Commission to examine how their cooperation can be further encouraged and supported through the CMO Regulation;

71.  Calls on the Commission to carry out a comprehensive review of the tools, including market observatories, aimed at improving resilience against market volatility and collapses in market prices; insists that it is necessary to update and strengthen current risk management instruments and to enhance cooperation among cooperatives, POs and APOs with a view to strengthening their role in the management of economic and risk management tools; insists on the need to further facilitate the application of the exemptions from competition rules for farmers to address and overcome market crises;

72.  Encourages the Commission to provide efficient safety nets in the CMO Regulation, including a review of the current public intervention prices and reference thresholds to accurately reflect the current economic conditions and realities;

73.  Welcomes the Commission’s new package for the wine sector and calls on the Commission to further allocate financial resources for the implementation of the proposed measures and for a long-term sustainable revival of the wine sector;

74.  Recalls, furthermore, that the CMO Regulation should address the demand of producers and consumers regarding the sales names of certain agricultural products, such as those related to meat, which must be protected from the risk of misleading use;

75.  Calls for a guarantee that any legislative proposal affecting agriculture will be preceded, except in exceptional circumstances, by a detailed, comprehensive and evidence-based cumulative impact assessment, with particular emphasis on economic, environmental and social aspects, aiming to provide legal certainty for farmers; advocates the assessment of the economic impacts of proposed policy measures at farm level and the financial means required for their implementation, as well as continuous monitoring of the measures; stresses that the continuous increase in regulatory burdens placed on the sector has caused frustration among farmers and resulted in significant extra costs at farm level, and is one of the factors affecting the attractiveness of the profession for new entrants;

76.  Stresses the importance of recognising the diversity of European agriculture, including greenhouse horticulture and permanent crops, in the designation of support measures, regulatory requirements and innovation strategies; calls for the introduction and adaptation of EU regulations specifically developed to address the challenges and opportunities of greenhouse, urban and vertical farming;

77.  Stresses the need for a transition to integrated and interoperable digital systems to monitor the CAP; underlines, in this context, the importance of promoting the collection of data and information under a single legislative framework that relies, in particular, on satellite imagery to develop integrated management and control systems; highlights that such systems should aim to reduce face-to-face or physical on-the-spot inspections, where feasible, and minimise farmers’ administrative burdens and costs; insists that the protection and ownership of farmers’ data must be fully guaranteed; recalls, however, that, in view of the current limitations in the use of satellite technology, particularly concerning small, narrow parcels, it remains necessary to maintain other systems in the meantime;

78.  Calls for the Member States to implement the single audit approach to minimise the time lost by farmers to accompanying controls; encourages the Commission to modernise the integrated management and control system for satellite imagery, such as Copernicus and Galileo, in order to integrate existing and new technologies to provide greater accuracy, reliability and simplification;

79.  Advocates for allowing Member States greater flexibility to support investment in key innovations and technologies, such as the use of satellites, the internet of things and similar technologies to capture operational data; believes that this will ensure transparency and compliance without imposing additional costs on farmers, facilitating the transition towards a trust-based system where reliable farmers can self-certify their compliance, complemented by targeted, risk-based audits rather than broad, routine inspections;

80.  Underlines the need to design innovation strategies and digital transitions in a way that is participatory and accessible to all farms, ensuring that technological progress contributes to rural cohesion, democratic participation and sustainable development;

81.  Considers it essential to grant Member States that recognise regions as having a statutory role in CAP management the opportunity to restore management instruments at regional level in the context of rural development measures;

Water and the circular economy as a foundation for the post-2027 CAP

82.  Urges the Commission to integrate a strategic and holistic approach to water resources into the post-2027 CAP and to increase its synergies with other EU funds, such as the European Regional Development Fund, to strengthen the water-food nexus as a key element in strengthening food security and in the development of rural areas; calls, furthermore, for increased investment in improving water resilience through the modernisation and development of water retention, distribution, storage and sustainable regulating infrastructure, as well as nature-based solutions, which is key to achieving a more efficient and competitive agricultural sector;

83.  Calls on the Commission to guarantee access to water for sustainable irrigation; stresses the need to promote investment in waste-water purification and treatment, as well as the use of non-conventional water sources, such as reclaimed and desalinated water for the agricultural sector, regardless of farm size, at competitive prices, with water transport interconnections being equally important to transport this water; calls on the Commission to take into account both the significant differences and challenges in the Member States and also the good practices implemented by each Member State to safeguard agricultural production; calls on the Commission to invest in training programmes for farmers on water-use efficiency;

84.  Calls on the Commission to prioritise the promotion of innovative technologies and smart irrigation and the digitalisation of infrastructure to optimise water use and reduce the water footprint, especially in regions affected by drought and desertification, while ensuring stable production;

85.  Draws attention to the fact that many irrigation systems are obsolete and inefficient, causing significant water losses and therefore requiring replacement or modernisation; calls, therefore, on the Commission to include financial incentives for this modernisation among its priorities and supports their inclusion as eligible investments within the CAP strategic plans and relevant EU cohesion instruments;

86.  Highlights the complexity of using CAP funds, particularly those from Pillar II, to finance irrigation infrastructure, and therefore calls for a review of the design and financing mechanisms for such infrastructure to improve the availability and use of water resources by farmers, reflecting the real costs and added value of the environmental and landscape services they provide;

87.  Calls for targeted and effective support for EU farmers and foresters to boost the circular economy and integrate into the emerging bioeconomy, through incentives for the recovery of biomass, agricultural waste and co-products, which would also support the energy autonomy of farms and reduce their dependence on external inputs; points out the need to optimise the use of raw materials and secondary products that generate by-products such as digestate and new energy sources, including sustainable biogas and sustainable biofuels, while being mindful of the need to prioritise food production; underlines that these measures, which must not lead to increased administrative burdens at farm level, will contribute to strengthening the EU’s energy autonomy, boost additional sources of income for farmers and create new employment opportunities; encourages the Commission, in this context, to recognise the importance of these aspects in the forthcoming Bioeconomy Strategy for 2025;

88.  Stresses the need for a holistic approach to decarbonising agriculture and calls for appropriate encouragement and incentives, including for the recovery of biomass and rewarding carbon sequestration in soils, as well as sufficient funding for farmers to adopt solutions and practices that reduce the carbon footprint of crops while maintaining their competitiveness, so that the burden of such decarbonisation and workload does not fall exclusively on them;

89.  Urges the Commission and the Member States to encourage and enhance the integration of agriculture and renewable energy, recognising the potential of this synergy to promote sustainable farming practices, strengthen local resilience to climate change and enhance the circular economy; highlights the potential for agriculture to play a key role in the Clean Industrial Deal and the energy transition through the production of renewable energy in the sector; calls on the Commission to clarify the provisions of the CAP to better align and increase the compatibility of renewable and sustainable energy sources, such as agrisolar and biogas, with agricultural activities;

90.  Advocates for a review of the Nitrates Directive to align it with the latest scientific evidence and best agricultural practices, while continuing to protect water quality; calls, in this regard, on the Commission to work with the Member States to swiftly adopt a science-based proposal allowing the use of RENURE fertilisers under clearly defined conditions so that farmers can reduce their reliance on synthetic fertilisers and accelerate the transition towards more circular and sustainable nutrient management systems;

91.  Calls for the facilitation of structured knowledge exchange and cooperation between comparable production systems across the Member States, in order to support mutual learning, address region-specific challenges – such as those faced by intensive production areas – and accelerate sustainable transitions that are tailored to the specific realities of each sector;

92.  Calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen risk management instruments in the post-2027 CAP by increasing financial support for agricultural insurance, mutual funds and the income stabilisation tool; insists on the need to make insurance more accessible and financially viable for farmers; points to the need to introduce a mechanism at EU level to reinforce national agricultural insurance schemes to be activated automatically to cope with extreme and unforeseeable weather and sanitary and market crises; stresses that these measures should be additional to current market management tools and should not undermine current national schemes;

93.  Calls on the Commission to reinforce risk management measures, including insurance, reinsurance schemes and other complementary funds to be drawn on in the event of higher damage thresholds, both for preventive measures and compensation for farmers in relation to natural disasters, epizootic outbreaks and plant diseases; considers it necessary, in this context, to include investment in prevention, early warning systems and the development of new resilience infrastructure enabling the sector to anticipate and recover from increasing climate-related risks; underlines the need for Member States to make greater use of currently underutilised risk management tools;

94.  Stresses the need to reform and increase the financial capacity of the agricultural reserve in order to address unforeseen market disturbances and climate-related events such as droughts and floods; underlines, however, that the agricultural reserve cannot be the sole instrument, and reiterates the importance of developing a broader range of risk management and rapid response tools, including more effective agricultural insurance schemes, mutual funds, climate emergency funds and extraordinary liquidity support for the EU farming sector;

95.  Draws attention to the lack of consistent and easy-to-use methodologies for calculating the emissions of individual agricultural sectors; strongly opposes, therefore, any attempts to include agriculture in the ETS or any green taxation schemes;

96.  Stresses that all EU regions are impacted by the consequences of climate change; points out, however, that the southern regions are more vulnerable, suffering from desertification, drought, aquifer salinisation, forest fires, as well as persistent rainfall and flooding, causing new pests and diseases, all of which threaten the agricultural sector; underlines, therefore, that farmers across the EU need specific support measures and instruments to redouble their efforts to adapt their activities to climate change and to prevent and mitigate its negative effects; draws attention to the importance of providing comprehensive support to rural communities and local authorities in achieving these goals;

97.  Calls for continuous support to innovative farming techniques, including those used in organic farming and other agroecological practices, both in organic and increasingly in conventional systems, to significantly reduce the use of inputs and external dependencies in agriculture and strengthen autonomy and food security;

98.  Insists that the future development of the EU organic sector must be market-oriented and calls for the new CAP to continue to provide incentives for farmers and new entrants to engage in organic farming; invites the Commission to examine new ways of dealing with crises in the organic market; recalls the need to promote organic consumption also through public procurement;

99.  Encourages the minimising of food waste and loss along the entire agri-food chain, including primary producers, to ensure the efficient, innovative and sustainable use of all resources; calls on the Commission to take measures at all levels to prevent losses and to promote the conversion of surpluses into value-added products; insists on the need to give greater value to the food produced by farmers and the major effort that goes into obtaining it; encourages the Commission, in this regard, to promote solutions, such as a review of best before dates and the use of natural bio-based preservatives, to extend the shelf life of food products;

100.  Calls on the Commission to develop a comprehensive nutrient recovery strategy along the agri-food chain, with targeted support for innovation in the separation, treatment and reuse of nutrients from waste streams from food processing, retail and consumption;

An attractive sector for new generations

101.  Emphasises that ensuring generational renewal and female entrepreneurship are both essential to preserving the future of EU agriculture and the socio-economic structure of rural areas; recognises the efforts through CAP measures to foster generational renewal, particularly in more peripheral rural areas, and stresses the need to reinforce them; points out, however, that the CAP cannot be the only tool to bring young people and women into farming, but must be backed up by national strategies, involving private sources of financing, including banks, collaborative farming arrangements and partnerships, and financial instruments with reduced or no co-financing requirements; insists that the vitally important objective of ensuring generational renewal in EU agriculture has to be accompanied by structural measures, particularly with regard to innovation, digitalisation, digital connectivity and access to land; looks forward, in this regard, to the publication of the Commission’s strategy on generational renewal;

102.  Calls on the Member States to develop coherent, sustainable and predictable strategies to increase the attractiveness of working in agriculture, ensuring compatibility with EU and regional policies, including their national strategic plans; insists on the need to increase and mobilise CAP financial resources in favour of generational renewal, which currently include the additional Pillar I payment and the support for investment and installation aid available under Pillar II, as well as the creation of new financial instruments outside the CAP; emphasises that these instruments should include increased tax exemptions and incentives, low-interest loans, agricultural credit guarantee schemes, subsidies for precision farming tools and training services, including on sustainable business models, aimed at improving profitability;

103.  Stresses the importance of providing diversified, tailored and independent advisory services to support young farmers and new entrants, both prior to their establishment and in the following years, particularly in soft skills, digital and direct marketing skills, accounting, legal aspects, business diversification, sustainable farming and communication; advocates the widespread use of agricultural business incubators that enable prospective farmers to benefit from the knowledge of farmers with a few years of experience in a structured environment before taking over an independent farm; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that provision is made for the establishment of national centres for training young farmers;

104.  Asks the Commission to assess whether extending the eligibility for support for young farmers to the age of 45 would encourage more people to become established in agriculture, including through reskilling; calls on the Commission also to reassess other elements of the eligibility criteria which may be too restrictive;

105.  Welcomes the cooperation agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group as a promising model that can foster the creation of financial instruments for many aspects of the CAP, including support for young and female farmers, as well as water, market and climate resilience policies in all Member States; believes that the role of the EIB should primarily focus on providing low cost financing for match funding for capital items and infrastructure projects that farmers may engage in as part of a modernisation programme;

106.  Encourages the Member States to design mechanisms that facilitate the transition to a dignified and planned retirement; calls, in particular, for early retirement schemes for farmers, financed by separate funds; requests an expansion in services that connect retiring farmers with aspiring young or new farmers, accompanied by, inter alia, logistical support and legal advice to enable the mutually beneficial transfer of farms and ensure the continuity of knowledge and agricultural activity;

107.  Calls on the Commission and the Member States to address, in their generational renewal strategies, the specific barriers faced by women, in particular young women, wishing to enter the agricultural sector, including issues not directly related to agriculture, such as adequate healthcare and social services; recognises the efforts through CAP measures to support women in agriculture, but stresses that stronger and more tailored support is needed, especially in peripheral rural areas, including access to loans, training or financial assistance to ensure real engagement and equal opportunities; urges the Member States to establish appropriate conditions for the active participation of women in representative agri-food organisations and in the management bodies of agricultural enterprises and rural women’s associations; welcomes, in this regard, the forthcoming creation of the women farmers’ platform as a space for dialogue and exchange of good practice to strengthen participation and equal opportunities in the agri-food sector;

108.  Calls on the Commission and the Member States to urgently address the problem of agricultural land loss and concentration, including the lack of transparency in this market; stresses that land leasing under conditions of legal certainty is a viable short-term alternative for facilitating access to land, as it requires fewer resources to set up and encourages generational renewal; highlights the importance of publicly supported land-matching services and structured succession planning, in particular for the transmission of land that allows for early retirement and the continuity of farm management; advocates Member States adopting policies to promote long-term stable land leasing, thereby providing security of tenure and time to invest, especially for young, female and new farmers, which could also improve soil health, environmental performance and climate resilience;

109.  Welcomes the Commission’s intention to launch an EU observatory on farmland, which would have to improve transparency in the agricultural land market in the EU and facilitate the harmonisation of farmland data and access to land, enable cooperation and exchange of best practice between Member States, as well as provide recommendations for more informed EU policymaking;

110.  Highlights the fact that the preservation of the EU’s diverse cultural landscapes is not only of ecological and touristic importance, but also a cornerstone of regional identity and long-term rural resilience; calls, therefore, for their explicit recognition and the integration of their preservation as a strategic objective within the post-2027 CAP;

111.  Encourages approaches to nature restoration that work in partnership with farmers and landowners, ensuring full respect for property rights;

112.  Encourages the Commission to explore how the CAP could support new business models for farmers towards even more sustainable, competitive agriculture in Europe;

113.  Calls on the Commission to promote partnerships for exchanging best practice and innovative ideas between Member States in collaboration with local authorities, universities, research centres and farms; emphasises that such cooperation should focus on simplification, accessibility, increasing sustainability and addressing challenges specific to each region and sector and should be supported by appropriate training, thereby avoiding distortions and diverging approaches that could disadvantage farmers;

114.  Encourages the promotion of support and visibility programmes that reflect the enriching and fulfilling lifestyle that the agricultural sector can offer, highlighting the value and commitment of farmers to nature, food security and the specific qualities and values inherent in the work of farm professionals; draws attention to the value of policy consistency over time as essential to enabling clear long-term objectives for the farming sector;

115.  Stresses the importance of a strong and well-funded EU promotion policy, including increased CAP budget allocations, to raise awareness of the qualities of EU agricultural and food products both within the EU and globally, and emphasises that this assumes even greater significance during periods of economic uncertainty;

Innovation to continue moving agriculture forward

116.  Calls for an ambitious investment package for innovation, technology and applied research adapted to farmers’ needs, financed through the CAP, Horizon Europe, the Digital Europe Programme and other support mechanisms, which will play a key role in fostering a more sustainable and adapted agricultural sector; stresses that the Horizon Europe programme should include a specific pillar dedicated to agriculture, geared towards promoting research, innovation and knowledge transfer in the agri-food sector;

117.  Emphasises the need to ensure that innovative and digital solutions can be used with equitable access across all types of farms and territories in the EU and that these solutions support sustainable agriculture, aid in managing the diversity and complexity of agroecosystems, contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, improve farmers’ incomes, reduce the administrative workload for both farmers and administrations, anticipate future production conditions and are in line with the expectations of consumers and society; underlines that the use of new technologies should be supported by an appropriate legal framework in order to unleash their full potential and be subject to robust risk assessments;

118.  Calls for increased funding for applied research into sustainable and effective alternatives to conventional plant protection products and calls for a revision of the current approval procedures; highlights the need to avoid any further withdrawal from the market of plant protection products that respect established legal safety limits if alternatives are not yet available, in order to ensure that agricultural production can be maintained in a safe, sustainable manner; points to the potential of biostimulants in improving plant productivity;

119.  Stresses the importance of recognising and strengthening the role of the AKIS model as a strategic and cross-cutting tool in the post-2027 CAP, capable of ensuring the effective dissemination of knowledge and innovation to farmers; believes that an efficient and coordinated AKIS is central to achieving key CAP objectives in terms of competitiveness, sustainable food production, climate resilience and digital transition and must be fully integrated with national strategic plans;

120.  Recognises the importance of EIP-AGRI, which has contributed to the advancement of innovation in the agri-food and forestry sector through the creation of operational groups and the implementation of innovative projects aimed at developing cutting-edge solutions, demonstrating best practice, which improve the sustainability, resilience and competitiveness of the agri-food sector; calls on the Commission to strengthen support for this initiative in the framework of the post-2027 CAP;

121.  Points to the need to design a specific measure within the rural development framework based on the principles of integrated sustainable agriculture, to make greater use of integrated pest management, including biocontrol, drones and endotherapy, to optimise the application of plant protection products, while always respecting the established legal and safety limits and providing compensation to farmers for any financial losses suffered; stresses the importance of establishing integrated farming as a commonly recognised system in the EU and of making further progress in establishing and supporting sustainable and organic farming practices;

122.  Highlights the importance of leveraging private funding within the CAP to increase investment in agriculture and rural development by mobilising more long-term resources for farmer organisations, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as family businesses;

123.  Notes that, according to a European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) study from 2025(34), a small number of large slaughterhouses are concentrated in certain regions; highlights, therefore, the need to support, through CAP funds, the establishment and development of slaughterhouses to stimulate the local economy, create jobs and strengthen short supply chains;

124.  Calls for the rapid approval and implementation of new breeding techniques, such as CRISPR-Cas, across both small and large companies, to foster the development of crops that are more resilient, resource-efficient and environmentally sustainable;

125.  Calls for measures that ensure that farmers retain full ownership and control over their data, thereby safeguarding their rights and promoting transparency in the utilisation and sharing of agricultural data in the context of evolving digital and AI-driven innovations;

126.  Recognises the potential benefits of the voluntary EU-wide framework for the certification of carbon removal and urges the Commission to enhance access to these opportunities for the farming sector; stresses that carbon and nature credits could provide a positive incentive and additional remuneration for farmers, particularly young farmers, by fairly rewarding practices such as agroforestry and regenerative soil management, which contribute to carbon capture and emission reductions on farms; underlines that such a certification framework has to be open and available to all farmers willing to maintain or increase the carbon storage capacity of their soils and encourages the Commission to create conditions to ensure market demand for such certificates through appropriate incentives and long-term market predictability for private sector investors; emphasises that carbon farming should complement, not replace, active and sustainable agricultural production;

127.  Calls on the Commission to promote solar energy production on farms in a way that ensures that ownership of the installations and the benefits accrued remain with the landowner and the local community and that is compatible with agricultural activity, with a view to improving farmers’ ability to adapt to climate change and contribute to the stability and diversification of farmers’ income;

128.  Urges the Commission to follow the recommendations of the Niinistö report and to consider the importance of having strategic food stocks; calls for the widespread establishment of strategic food stocks, based on the solid experience gained in Finland and Germany and for the concept of ‘dual use by design’ to be incorporated into policies for the development of biofuel production; considers that there can be no food sovereignty without strategic food stocks;

129.  Stresses the importance of explicitly confirming the legality of cultivating, harvesting, processing and commercialising the entire hemp plant for authorised industrial purposes across the EU in order to provide legal certainty for farmers, processors, regulators and consumers; notes that hemp cultivation requires relatively few inputs, especially fertilisers, plant protection products and water; emphasises that it also contributes to soil health and biodiversity, offering new economic opportunities, additional income and innovation to rural areas through the provision of raw materials for industrial applications such as textile fibre, and other uses such as for health, food and feed; calls on the Commission to establish a common EU-wide threshold of 0,5 % tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for the legal classification of industrial hemp, ensuring harmonisation of national legislation in line with Court of Justice of the European Union rulings and international law;

o
o   o

130.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

(1) The European Parliament’s Spring 2024 Eurobarometer was carried out between 7 February and 3 March 2024 in the 27 EU Member States. (2) OJ L 221, 8.8.1998, p. 23, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/1998/58/oj. (3) OJ C 177, 17.5.2023, p. 115. (4) OJ L, 2024/1468, 24.5.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1468/oj. (5) OJ L 435, 6.12.2021, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/2115/oj. Corrigendum to the final act (32021R2115R(03)), OJ L 227, 1.9.2022, p. 136. Corrigendum to the final act (32021R2115R(02)), OJ L 181, 7.7.2022, p. 35. (6) OJ L 435, 6.12.2021, p. 262, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/2117/oj. Corrigendum to the final act (32021R2117R(04)), OJ L 192, 31.7.2023, p. 34. (7) OJ L 78, 20.3.2013, p. 23, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/228/oj. (8) OJ L 435, 6.12.2021, p. 187, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/2116/oj. (9) OJ L, 2024/1143, 23.4.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1143/oj. (10) OJ C 67, 8.2.2022, p. 131. 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(26) European Commission: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, ‘EU agricultural outlook 2024-2035’, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2024, doi:10.2762/2329210. (27) Eurostat, ‘Agriculture statistics - family farming in the EU’, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Agriculture_statistics_-_family_farming_in_the_EU. (28) Directive (EU) 2019/633 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on unfair trading practices in business-to-business relationships in the agricultural and food supply chain, (OJ L 111, 25.4.2019, p. 59, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/633/oj). 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