European decision-makers are entering the final sprint of reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. Their choices will make or break the European Green Deal, writes Célia Nyssens.

Our food system—how we produce, process, transport, trade, consume and waste food—is the source of around 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the single largest driver of the biodiversity crisis and the cause of unsustainable soil erosion, over-extraction of water resources and health-threatening air and water pollution. It is a system of plenty, as we have never produced as much food as we do today, but it is also linked to widespread misery—from farmers unable to make a decent living from their work, to low-income populations with little access to healthy food, who suffer disproportionately from diet-related health conditions.

In response to these challenges, the European Commission published its Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system, a ‘cornerstone’ of its flagship European Green Deal. Farm to Fork (F2F) lays out how the commission intends to promote a transition towards sustainable food systems, as part of the shift towards a more equitable, circular and climate-neutral economy.

When it comes to implementing this new vision for agriculture, however, the primary instrument put forward by the Commission is the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP); And here’s the catch: for over two years, scientists, the European Court of Auditors, think tanks and civil society have been warning that the proposed new CAP is not fit for purpose.

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