„The Commission is working on a proposal to amend EU Regulation 1144/2014 with a view to presenting it in the coming months.” – Janusz Wojciechowski, EU Agriculture Commissioner in response to Green REV Institute, May 25, 2023.

The summer of 2021 was the time of the #StopEUMeatAds campaign, organized by leading European NGOs, in Poland the Green REV Institute. The reason? The European Commission’s Common Agricultural Policy allocates more than €60 million a year to support campaigns promoting meat and dairy. Greenpeace EU has prepared a report showing that EU public funds support exactly what the EU should ban for the climate, the planet, and human health. The scientific community, supported by scientists from Poland, sent an open letter to the European Commission, more than 50 NGOs protested EU support for campaigns such as „Let’s talk about EU pork” and „Poultry with a European passport.”

In March 2023, we sent another question to Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski on the revision of the promotion policy.

Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski’s response confirms that the European Commission realizes that it is high time to act for the Farm to Fork and plant based transition strategies, but at the same time wants to continue supporting the animal agriculture sector.

„The mandate to revise the promotion policy envisaged in the Farm to Fork strategy is to increase the policy’s contribution to sustainable production and consumption in line with changing diets, while continuing to support the competitiveness of EU farmers and food producers.” Reversing the rise in overweight and obesity rates across the EU by 2030 is crucial. Shifting to a more plant-based diet with less red and processed meat and more fruits and vegetables will reduce not only the risk of life-threatening diseases, but also the environmental impact of the food system.

The new promotion policy can play an important role in increasing demand for plant-based food in the EU (…) However, a promotion policy that would exclude all livestock producers in the EU could not provide incentives for farmers to switch to higher animal welfare standards or more sustainable production methods.” reads Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski’s response.
Credit: European Parliament