Food and farming systems have a critical role to play in addressing the key environmental challenges of our time. European food systems are currently unsustainable and transforming them will be key to limiting climate change, reversing biodiversity loss, limiting water and air pollution and preserving resources such as water and soil. Addressing these challenges will in turn support resilience of EU food production and hence contribute to long term food availability. Both production and consumption need to be addressed in a complementary way if this transition is to take place without simply transferring the EU’s environmental “foodprint” overseas.

IEEP has been closely involved in seeking to improve the environmental focus of EU agriculture policy, including the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) since the 1980s. We provide informed analysis and innovative thinking to stimulate debates, building on our in-depth understanding of this policy area.