The Our Daily Bread network has published a Position paper entitled ‘A Christian vision for the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)’, outlining key priorities for the ongoing negotiations on the EU’s agricultural policy for 2028–2034. Download the document
Click to download the Position paper.
Drawing on the principles of Catholic social teaching and Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’, the position paper calls for an agricultural policy that supports farmers’ livelihoods, protects the environment and serves the common good.
The document identifies three main priorities for the future Common Agricultural Policy:
- Justice for farmers: Ensuring a fairer distribution of agricultural support, strengthening farmers’ economic position and promoting generational renewal, particularly by facilitating access to farming for young and new entrants.
- Justice for the living world: Strengthening environmental and animal welfare standards and providing adequate financial support for the transition towards sustainable and resilient agricultural practices.
- Justice for the people of Europe: Ensuring that EU agricultural expenditure serves the common good, supports access to healthy and affordable food, and contributes to more sustainable European food systems.
Considering that the average EU farmer is 57 years old and only 12% of farmers are under 40, the Our Daily Bread network denounces the significant demographic challenges facing the future of farming in the European Union and calls on the EU to develop a new strategy to support young and new farmers.
The document also emphasises food security as a fundamental dimension of Europe’s long-term resilience. In the face of climate change, increasingly frequent extreme weather events and vulnerabilities in global supply chains, ensuring stable food production requires healthy ecosystems, resilient agricultural practices and reduced dependence on external inputs such as fertilisers and fuel.
According to the Our Daily Bread network, supporting farmers in this transition is therefore essential not only for environmental sustainability but also for safeguarding Europe’s future food supply.
The position paper further calls for stronger accountability in the use of EU agricultural funds, ensuring that greater flexibility for Member States does not weaken common environmental and social objectives.
The document seeks to contribute to the ongoing debate on the future of the EU’s agricultural policy for 2028–2034 by placing the well-being of farmers, the protection of creation and responsibility towards future generations at the heart of the Common Agricultural Policy.
The Our Daily Bread network brings together Christian organisations working towards fairer and more sustainable food systems in the European Union. The Secretariat of COMECE is an observer member of this network and contributed to the elaboration of the document.
Further information on the Our Daily Bread network
Download the Position Paper [EN]