The report, by the AGRI Committee, fails to recognise the damaging impact of industrial animal agriculture on food security, and the huge inefficiencies it creates.

Large volumes of crops which could feed people, are instead used to feed industrially farmed animals. For every 100 calories of human-edible grain fed to animals, just 3-25 calories of meat or dairy are produced.

This inefficiency is happening at scale, with around 60% of EU crop land used to grow animal feed, instead of food for people.

The system also relies heavily on imports, with over 30 million tonnes of soy being imported annually to sustain the system. The dependence on imports extends beyond feed to the fertilisers used to grow the feed.

Together this creates a system which is not only inefficient but leaves farmers vulnerable to volatile markets and geopolitical shocks. It undermines the EU’s food security at a time when it is increasingly recognised as a matter of national security.

More than 47,000 EU citizens have already called for change by signing our open letter demanding policies which prioritise feeding people, not factory farms.

As we set out in our position paper, the European Commission must take a different path with the EU Livestock Strategy. It needs to champion a transition to nature-friendly farming to deliver for the environment, animal welfare, and protect farmers from market shocks.

Our position paper, Putting the EU livestock sector on a path to sustainability and resilience, calls for the upcoming EU Livestock Strategy to: 

phase out intensive animal farming 
shift towards higher animal welfare systems 
prioritise food for people over feed for animals 
support a just transition for animal farmers and workers 
adopt a One Health approach.

To achieve these goals, the EU livestock sector needs a reset. It must stop harmful subsidies to intensive animal agriculture, phase out cages and support farmers to move away from production which relies heavily on feed, fertilisers and imports.

It must also align the coming Livestock Strategy with the EU’s climate and biodiversity goals, which the report voted on today fails to do.

Vinciane Patelou, head of EU at Compassion in World Farming, said:  

Today’s vote is short sighted. It’s a failed opportunity for EU lawmakers to put Europe’s food system on a sustainable and resilient path.

Instead of facing up to, and addressing, the problems caused by industrial animal agriculture, this report risks amplifying them.

The EU Commission must use the Livestock Strategy to reset our food system. We need bold, ambitious plans which will support farmers’ transition to sustainable practices with fewer animals, higher welfare standards and prioritise food for people, not feed for animals.

As part of the vote, the European Parliament has also disappointingly given in to misleading and unfounded attacks on civil society, the organisations representing key priorities for EU citizens.

It is vitally important for all democracies to have open and inclusive decision making, where all voices are head.

We urge the EU to uphold these principles and ensure civil society can continue to contribute openly and constructively.

EU misses chance to fix broken food system