MEPs voted yesterday to adopt an own-initiative report on the EU’s Farm 2 Fork Strategy, making significant changes to how we approach the sustainability of our food systems.

The Strategy lays out the importance of producing sustainable and healthy food to achieve the goals of the European Green Deal, including on climate, biodiversity, zero pollution and public health.

It supports the binding character of the reduction targets for chemical pesticide use, nutrient surpluses and antibiotics use. Crucially for the water sector, it calls for the effective protection of drinking water resources.

EurEau had urged MEPs to protect our drinking water resources and to keep water services affordable for all by accepting the AGRI/ENVI report without amendments reducing its ambitions.

EurEau Secretary General Oliver Loebel said “We are very pleased with the vote in the Parliament. It shows that the vast majority of MEPs supports ambitious measures to ensure the sustainability of our food systems combined with extensive support to help farmers shoulder the transition. Keeping pesticides and nitrate away from our drinking water resources will prevent significant cost increases for water works to the benefit of all water consumers.

Commission’s Farm to Fork Strategy

More details are here.

Read our comments on the Farm-2-Fork strategy here.