The EP gives green light to stronger farmers’ position and clearer food labelling rules

Farm Europe and EAT Europe welcome the adoption by the European Parliament in Strasbourg of the agreement on the revision of the Common Market Organisation (CMO) regulation, following the successful interinstitutional negotiations led by rapporteur Céline Imart. This vote confirms a major step forward for both farmers and consumers. It strengthens the position of farmers in the food supply chain through enhanced contractual relations and improved possibilities for producers to organise collectively. It also establishes clearer rules regarding the use of meat-related denominations, protecting consumers from misleading practices and safeguarding the value of agricultural production.

We warmly congratulate MEP Céline Imart for her leadership and determination throughout this process, as well as all Members of the European Parliament who supported this important reform. We also acknowledge the engagement of the European Commission, notably Commissioner Hansen, and the Member States that contributed to reaching this result.

The Parliament’s endorsement sends a clear signal: words matter, transparency matters, and farmers deserve a fairer position within the food chain. Consumers must be able to make informed choices based on accurate information about the products they purchase, while producers must be protected against unfair competition and market confusion.

The agreement represents a significant achievement in line with the objectives of the “Words Matter” campaign launched by Farm Europe and EAT Europe in 2024. By recognising the need for stronger protection of meat denominations and excluding cellular and lab-grown products from using meat-related terms, Europe has taken an important step towards greater clarity and coherence in food labelling.

At the same time, the strengthening of contractual relations and producer organisation tools constitutes tangible progress in addressing the long-standing imbalance of power within the food chain. These measures should contribute to improving farmers’ bargaining power, increasing predictability, and creating fairer market conditions.

Today’s vote is not the end of the journey. Farm Europe and EAT Europe underline that work must continue in the context of the forthcoming CAP reform package, which includes a broader revision of the CMO regulation.

This next phase will provide an opportunity to further reinforce farmers’ position in the food chain, improve market resilience, restore clear rules and financial allocations for sectorial interventions, and continue efforts to ensure that consumers receive clear and transparent information. In this regard, particular attention should be given to reinforcing marketing standards, securing coherent reference thresholds (former intervention prices), with updated and differentiated figures adapted to economic and sectoral realities, as a key tool to better guide market management and intervention logic. The reform should also strengthen and upgrade the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme, ensuring greater effectiveness, better targeting food education at school, with an increased impact on healthy consumption habits. In addition, it should reflect on the establishment of comprehensive crisis prevention and management mechanisms, including the possible development of strategic stocks to respond more effectively to market disruptions and food insecurity for the most needed. This work has already been engaged by the EP rapporteur on the CMO, Mr Sargiacomo.