Question to the EC: Farm to Fork Strategy: exclusion of meat and dairy-related measures from the final roadmap

See the joint question by MEPs Francisco Guerreiro (Greens/EFA), Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA), Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA), Yannick Jadot (Greens/EFA), Caroline Roose (Greens/EFA), Anja Hazekamp (GUE/NGL), Michal Wiezik (PPE), Sylwia Spurek (S&D), Maria Noichl (S&D), Petra De Sutter (Greens/EFA), Michèle Rivasi (Greens/EFA), Thomas Waitz (Greens/EFA), Claude Gruffat (Greens/EFA), Pär Holmgren (Greens/EFA), Alice Kuhnke (Greens/EFA), Jakop G. Dalunde (Greens/EFA), David Cormand (Greens/EFA), Nikolaj Villumsen (GUE/NGL), Malin Björk (GUE/NGL), Sarah Wiener (Greens/EFA), Klaus Buchner (Greens/EFA) and Eleonora Evi (NI) to the European Commission and the written answer on the Farm to Fork Strategy and the exclusion of meat and dairy-related measures from the final roadmap.

Subject: Farm to Fork Strategy: exclusion of meat and dairy-related measures from the final roadmap

The Commission announced that the Farm to Fork Strategy would revolutionise the way we produce and consume food in the European Union. The strategy’s roadmap recognises 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 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 have not been included in the final version. Why did the Commission: 

1. Replace the statement 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’? 

2. 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’?

3. Exclude the extension of mandatory front-of-pack origin labelling to milk, as well as milk and meat used as ingredients?

Answer in writing

The Commission does not comment on presumed texts of documents ahead of their publication. 

1. The text of the strategy adopted by the College announces the intention of the Commission to review its promotion programmes for agricultural products in order to assess how promotion instruments could be best used in order to stimulate consumers to opt for more sustainably produced food. 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. 

2. The strategy follows nutritional guidelines, which do not exclude the consumption of meat but advise eating less red and processed meat, as part of a balanced diet and in line with dietary recommendations. 

3. The strategy announces that the Commission will consider the possibility to propose extending mandatory origin or provenance indication to certain products. The decision as to which products this possible extension would apply will be taken based on thorough assessment of impacts of different options, including impacts on the single market.

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