Authors: Serafin Pazos-Vidal and Carla Lostrangio (AEIDL)
The Conference on the Vision for Agriculture and Food took place on 8 May 2025 at The Square in Brussels. It was centred around the theme of “Shaping the future of farming and the agri-food sector“. The event brought together key stakeholders – including representatives from the European agri-food sector, civil society, rural communities, consumers, think-tanks, academia, Member States, and Members of the European Parliament – to contribute to the debate on shaping an attractive farming and agri-food sector for future generations.
The conference aimed to continue building consensus around the Vision and its roadmap, discuss and gather feedback on the way forward, focusing on key initiatives outlined in the Vision, and engage with stakeholders on the future direction of the CAP post-2027.
This was the first major event following the closure of the public consultation on the future of the EU Budget post-2027, including the CAP, which closed earlier in the week, and whose results will be tabled in July. It is also one of the key agricultural events of the year, following the presentation of the Vision for Agriculture and Food as a priority initiative for the first 100 days of this Commission’s mandate, and the launch of the European Board for Agriculture and Food, which aims to secure the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of the EU’s farming and food sector. The goal of this conference was to foster a collaborative dialogue to ensure a sustainable and competitive future for the agri-food sector.
Conference Highlights
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, delivered a video speech emphasizing the importance of a sustainable and competitive agri-food sector. She called for a simpler CAP with more exemptions for small farms, increased payments, and better access to capital. She also highlighted the importance of supporting small farms and the new generation of farmers.
Christophe Hansen, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, highlighted the strategic initiatives needed to achieve these goals. Mr Hansen discussed the renewal of fair trading directives and the ongoing efforts to simplify the CAP. He stressed the importance of generational renewal, noting that only 9 million farms remain in the EU, down from 12 million. He announced that land acquisition and land leasing will be facilitated and confirmed that the EU Land Observatory will be launched before the summer.
He also emphasized that the bioeconomy is a key priority, with 400,000 skilled jobs expected to be created by 2035. However, environmental resilience remains a concern, with specific measures to be included in the upcoming EU Water Resilience Strategy, set to launch in June. Outlining his plans for a Livestock Sector Vision, he noted that livestock numbers have declined by 7.8% over the past decade. He underlined that the competitiveness, resilience, and sustainability of the livestock sector is crucial for the viability of areas with natural constraints, such as mountainous regions.
While attention is turning to the post-2027 CAP, expected to be unveiled later this year, Mr Hansen emphasized the importance of ensuring that the current CAP delivers. Simplifying the CAP is a top priority of his mandate. A first simplification package will be presented in May, followed by a second package on policies beyond CAP by the end of 2025. He called for better recognition of organic farming, simplified payments, digitalisation, and improved access to capital for small farmers. At the same time, he stressed that Member States and regions must reduce the gold-plating of EU rules.
From Vision to Action
This session focused on fostering an attractive, competitive, resilient, and fair EU agri-food sector.
The panel discussion included figures such as Czesław Siekierski, Polish Minister of Agriculture under the present EU Presidency. He called for evolutionary changes to the CAP, including a separate CAP budget and stronger dialogue with farmers.
Eric Sargiacomo, MEP and Vice-Chair of COMAGRI, emphasized the need to evolve direct payments to better align with environmental goals and strategic value chains.
Peter Schmidt, President of the NAT Section of the European Economic and Social Committee, advocated for a food systems approach in the next CAP, more funding for small farms, and alignment with the Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) principle.
Piotr Całbecki, President of the NAT Commission of the Committee of the Regions, noted that the Vision reflects his previous CoR Opinion and stressed the importance of integrating the territorial dimension and applying the Partnership Principle to develop National Single Plans.
Massimiliano Giansanti, President of COPA, called for fairness across the value chain, better salaries for farmers, increased digitalisation, and maintaining the current two-pillar CAP structure (farm support and rural development).
Building an Attractive Farming Sector for the Future
This session emphasized the importance of fostering investment and entrepreneurship to support generational renewal in agriculture. The panel included Anne van Leeuwen, a young Dutch farmer, and Peter Meedendorp, President of CEJA. Gelsomina Vigliotti, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), delivered the keynote speech. Since 2024, the EIB Strategic Roadmap has identified agriculture and the bioeconomy as key strategic priorities.
A central issue discussed was climate resilience and the need to collaborate with the insurance sector to cover extreme weather events, as well as to develop more financing mechanisms for de-risking agriculture, including public guarantees and EU-backed loans. The EIB also took the opportunity to highlight its current services for the farming sector, such as Fi-Compass, aimed at addressing the €62 billion finance gap faced by farmers—mainly for land acquisition—and the €3 billion EU-wide funding available for young farmers, sustainable farming practices, land purchases, and gender equality initiatives.
Interactive Breakout Sessions
Participants engaged in three interactive breakout sessions:
1. Enhancing Resilience to Risks and Crises: Led by Luis Planas, Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, this session focused on strategies to strengthen resilience in the agri-food sector. He addressed topics such as generational renewal, women’s participation, innovation, and the need to avoid conflict between agricultural and environmental priorities. He also advocated for a fast-track procedure for the authorisation of pest management products. Like many other speakers, he emphasized the importance of avoiding a conflict between defence and food security in the next EU budget and called for an increased EU budget for the financing of public goods.
2. Developing Excellence in Livestock Production Chains: Chaired by Pierre-Marie Aubert, Director of the Agriculture and Food Policies Programme at IDDRI, this session explored strategies to improve the efficiency, sustainability, and competitiveness of livestock production chains.
3. Leveraging Opportunities from Bioeconomy, Nature, and Climate Protection: Led by Sari Essayah, Finnish Minister for Agriculture and Forestry, this session focused on how farmers can benefit from bioeconomy initiatives and climate and nature protection policies, highlighting opportunities for sustainable growth and resilience.
Conclusion and Future Directions
The conference concluded with a wrap-up session, where representatives from academia presented the outcomes of the breakout sessions. Pierre Bascou, Deputy Director-General of the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, delivered the closing speech, emphasizing the importance of continued collaboration and innovation in the agri-food sector.
Undoubtedly, all eyes are now on the future CAP proposal, which is expected to be published after the EU budget is tabled in July. As President von der Leyen has proposed, National Single Plans will combine all sources of EU funding and be implemented by national and regional authorities. This is expected to bring significant changes in how the CAP is delivered post-2027.