FAO-EU Strategic Dialogue: Farm to Fork under the European Green Deal

Continuing the EU-FAO Strategic Dialogue technical sessions, the final EU-FAO technical webinar presented the EU's Farm to Fork Strategy, one of the key initiatives within the European Green Deal. The EU Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) Director for Food Sustainability and International Relations, Nathalie Chaze, and FAO Deputy Director General, Beth Bechdol, opened the discussion. Both stressed the need for a holistic approach to achieve more sustainable, greener and just agri-food systems and their central role in delivering on all the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Head of Unit for the Farm to Fork Strategy of the DG SANTE, Alexandra Nikolakopoulou, and EU Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) Head of Unit for Policy Perspectives, Gijsbertus Schilthuis, gave an insightful overview of the EU’s vision for the Farm to Fork Strategy, as well as its main foreseen initiatives, to promote the transition towards more sustainable agri-food systems in Europe and worldwide. Protecting biodiversity, encouraging more sustainable farming practices, reducing deforestation, adopting global standards to ensure human, animal and plant health and improving food security and nutrition outcomes as well as the role of partnerships and collaboration were mentioned as important factors to achieve healthier and more environmentally friendly food systems.

The event was wrapped up by DG AGRI Head of Unit for Global Issues and Relations with Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP), Willi Schulz-Greve, who stressed the EU's determination to transform the Farm to Fork commitments into reality on the ground both inside and outside of the European Union by working together with institutions, such as FAO.

The recording of this session is available here.

The presentation is available here.