The proposed so-called Omnibus amendments strengthen the position of farmers in the food chain by relaxing many bureaucratic rules in the common agricultural policy and abolishing other procedures and controls. For example, various Climate and Environmental measures from the Green Deal would be withdrawn.
Dutch MEP Jessika van Leeuwen (BBB) called the approval an important victory for the farmers who took to the streets en masse last year to be heard. BBB has fought for fair contracts and less bureaucracy, and today we see the fruits of that work, she said.
Dutch GreenLeft member Bas Eickhout said that the European Parliament had ‘turned the proposal into an assault on nature.’ He condemned the abolition of environmental criteria in granting agricultural subsidies. “This is yet another time that the right is working with the radical right, with nature as the victim. Nature is being carelessly squeezed to increase production even more.”
The expanded proposal from Strasbourg must still be negotiated with the 27 governments, which will happen later this year. Many EU countries agree with the agricultural lobby in Brussels, but it is still uncertain whether there will be enough support for a qualified majority for additional relaxations.
For instance, MEPs have also established that stricter rules must be made for food product labeling. Five years ago, the Parliament decided that terms in the dairy industry such as “yogurt,” “milk,” or “cream” could no longer be used for products without animal milk.
This time it is the meat labels’ turn. Vegan foods and cultured meat will no longer be allowed to use descriptions containing the words meat, sausage, or burger. The European Parliament had already established this in 2020, but many EU countries then thought it went too far.
Moreover, the two largest groups in the European Parliament still believe that there should be less budget cuts on EU agricultural subsidies. In July, the European Commission presented its proposal for the budget cycle from 2028 to 2034. This proposal provides for the merging of agricultural and regional EU expenditures into national plans, to the great dissatisfaction of the agricultural lobby in Brussels. Especially the influential agricultural committee in the European Parliament feels sidelined.
Although the European Parliament and the 27 EU countries have already agreed on an overarching new multiannual budget, negotiations are now beginning on the detailed budgets per year and per policy area. The full agricultural budget for 2026 must be unanimously approved by the EU countries and by the Parliament. In both cases, long and difficult negotiations are expected.