Farm to Fork Strategy: MEP questions exemption of restrictive measures for meat and dairy

Lisbon, 23 June 2020 - MEP Francisco Guerreiro (Greens/EFA) questioned the European Commission about the omission of several measures foreseen in earlier versions of the Farm to Fork Strategy, which were mainly aimed at mitigating meat production and consumption in the European Union (EU), but which were not included in the published version.

The Farm to Fork Strategy, which promises to make food consumption and production in the EU sustainable, was released by the Commission on 20 May, but some draft versions circulated internally before this date. These drafts contained several statements and measures concerning areas of the food sector that were more progressive than those present in the final version, namely in the meat and dairy sector. 

Although the Commission recognizes in the document that 70% of greenhouse gases in the agricultural sector, which is responsible for 10.3% of total emissions, come from animal production, the institution has chosen to make several controversial substitutions in the mitigation measures of environmental footprint of the sector. For example, it replaced “will propose to stop stimulating production or consumption of meat” with “In relation to meat, that review should focus on how the EU can use its promotion programme to support the most sustainable, carbon-efficient methods of livestock production”. 

It also replaced “less meat” with “less red and processed meat” in the sentence: “A dietary change towards a more plant-based diet and less meat will not only reduce risk of life-threatening diseases such as cancer but also reduce the environmental impact”. 

With regard to the new product labeling system that the Commission intends to implement to guide consumers in making better choices in terms of health and the environment, the Commission also excluded from the final version of the strategy milk and meat used as ingredients in the list of food products whose label must include the origin.

“There was obvious interference and industry pressure to shape the final version of the Farm to Fork strategy. In earlier versions that circulated, we had bold statements and actions, worthy of a European Commission that says it is ready to face climate change and environmental degradation. For example, the end of subsidies on meat production and consumption, which are one of the biggest errors in the Common Agricultural Policy, was initially foreseen, but was eventually removed. Regarding the other measure removed from the final version on the obligation to label foods with their origin: why were milk and meat, as well as milk used as an ingredient, exempt from this rule? My question to the Commission demands explanations for the dilution of several measures that had great potential to complement a European Agricultural Policy that should follow what was established in the European Green Deal”, said Francisco Guerreiro. 

Such exclusions from the final document point to an inconsistency that Francisco Guerreiro sees as “unacceptable and that deserve to be denounced and explained”. 

Twenty-one other deputies from various political families also wanted to sign Francisco Guerreiro’s question. The group of MEPs is also writing a letter to the Executive Vice President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, asking for explanations for such exclusions and for the fact that the strategy does not present measures that aim to effectively mitigate the problem associated with livestock production.

See the full question to the EC below: 

Title: Farm to Fork Strategy: exclusion of meat and dairy related measures from final roadmap 

The Commission announced that the Farm to Fork Strategy would revolutionize the way we produce and consume food in the European Union. The strategy’s roadmap recognizes that “agriculture is responsible for 10.3% of the EU’s GHG emissions and nearly 70% of those come from the animal sector”. In an earlier version of the strategy, leaked ahead of the publication, the Commission proposed very progressive measures to change production and consumption patterns in order to curb the environmental impacts of livestock production. Nevertheless, most of these measures are not in the final version. Why did the Commission: 

a. Replace that it “will propose to stop stimulating production or consumption of meat” with “In relation to meat, that review should focus on how the EU can use its promotion programme to support the most sustainable, carbon-efficient methods of livestock production”?         (more info on this here: politico) 

b. Replace “less meat” with “less red and processed meat” in the sentence: “A dietary change towards a more plant-based diet and less meat will not only reduce risk of life-threatening diseases such as cancer but also reduce the environmental impact”? 

c. Exclude the extension of mandatory front-of-pack origin labelling to milk, as well as milk and meat used as ingredient?      (more info on this labelling exclusion here: politico)

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