The Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture, announced by Von der Leyen in her 2023 State of the Union Address, came to a close after 7 months of intense discussions between stakeholders of the European food system.

Slow Food and Agroecology Europe point to the following key takeaways from the report of the Strategic Dialogue:

• Adopting a food systems approach, everyone has a role to play.
• Enhancing sustainable farming practices: The Strategic Dialogue proposes recommendations to promote agrobiodiversity, improve nutrient management, advance in the decarbonization of mineral fertilizers as well as develop and use biocontrol, while calling on the European Commission and Member States to continue to support organic production as well as agroecological practices.
• Creating pathways for sustainable animal farming in the EU: while developing a strategy on the role of animal farming based on robust scientific evidence and broad consultation, long-term solutions need to be locally developed and funded in areas of high concentration of livestock, and a revision of the animal welfare legislation is needed.
• Preparing a Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) fit for purpose: The CAP needs to be revised in favor of more targeted income support, targeting small and mixed farms, promoting environmental, social and animal welfare outcomes, aiming at the highest ambition in a system to be linked to quantifiable results using robust indicators
• Financing the transition: To ensure a sufficiently funded transition, both public and private capital needs to be mobilized. A Temporary Just Transition Fund should be established outside the CAP to complement support for the sector’s swift sustainability transition.
• Building an attractive and diverse sector: Generational renewal in the agri-food sectors needs to be boosted, while gender inequalities and lacking diversity in the sector need to be better addressed.
• Making the healthy and sustainable choice the easy one: The European Commission and Member States should adopt demand-side policies to create enabling food environments where balanced, sustainable, healthy diets are available, accessible, affordable, and attractive. To improve the sustainable balance between animal and plant-based protein intake at the European population level, it is crucial to support this trend by re-balancing towards plant-based options and helping consumers to embrace the transition
• Promoting sustainability and competitiveness in trade policy: by ensuring greater coherence between its trade and sustainability policy.