The agri-food sector is a single value chain.

Discussions at the EU Agri-Food Days once again underlined that 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞’𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦. Climate change, water scarcity, soil degradation and generational renewal are putting unprecedented pressure on primary production. Strengthening farmers’ resilience is therefore indispensable.

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But resilience 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞.

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From 𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬, the agri-food sector is a 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧. Agricultural production must be aligned with the realities of food markets, just as food processors depend on resilient farmers for stable, high-quality supply.

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Around 70% 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐔 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝. Without a competitive food manufacturing sector, farming loses outlets, value creation and investment capacity. Without resilient farmers, food production loses predictability and security.

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Climate change, water scarcity and sustainability targets are reshaping production, but resilience cannot be built if costs and risks are pushed upstream while market signals and policy frameworks downstream remain disconnected.

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𝐀 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜, 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞-𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥:

• Aligning agricultural and food policies,

• Ensuring workable, predictable, investment-friendly rules,

• Making sure markets reflect the real cost of sustainable food production.

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Food security, sustainability and competitiveness go hand in hand 𝐢𝐟 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭.IMACE is looking forward to continuing the discussions.