Farm to Fork and Biodiversity

While COVID-19 consumed much of late March and April proceedings, the EC returned to Green Deal proceedings in early May with the Farm to Fork Strategy, a key aspect in reaching the 2030 target. Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, described the Farm to Fork Strategy as integral “to protect our people’s health and well-being, and at the same time to increase the EU’s competitiveness and resilience.” It will eliminate more than 1 in 5 EU deaths and drastically reduce food waste. This is relevant to the coronavirus crisis, which has shown the vulnerability of Europe and “how important it is to restore the balance between human activity and nature,” said Timmermans. Under the Farm to Fork Strategy and Horizon Europe, more than €10 billion will be invested in research and innovation related to agricultural sustainability. One of the most important aspects of the Farm to Fork Strategy is how it will benefit farmers by increasing returns, lowering costs, strengthening the connections with consumers, and creating new export opportunities.

Paired with the Farm to Fork Strategy is the EU Biodiversity Strategy. This plan aims to protect biodiversity by protecting 30 percent of all land and sea in Europe. This plan includes promoting organic farming and the use of landscape features that promote biodiversity on agricultural land. The EU intends to halt and reverse pollinator decline by reducing the use of pesticides by 50 percent. Other tactics include restoring 25,000 km of rivers to a free-flowing state and planting three billion trees. The Biodiversity Strategy will be funded through an annual allocation of €20 billion.