Freshfel Europe urges more CAP funding for fruit and veobtainables

Freshfel Europe participated in the 11th Annual EU Conference on EAFRD Financial Instruments, held in Milan and organised by fi-compass, the European Commission’s DG AGRI, and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The event, titled “Financing the transition to resilient EU agri-food systems and sustainable farming,” gathered policycreaters, financial institutions, and agri-food stakeholders to discuss how financial tools can support the green and digital transition in European agriculture.

Representing the European fruit and veobtainable sector, Freshfel Europe called for adjustments in EU budobtain allocations and financial instruments to better support fresh produce. The organisation emphasised that fruit and veobtainables are essential to a sustainable, low-carbon, and health-focapplyd food system.

According to Freshfel Europe, the fresh produce sector has one of the lowest environmental footprints within agriculture and contributes to carbon sequestration, aligning with the EU’s climate neutrality goals. Despite these benefits, the sector receives about 3% of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds, while around 80% is allocated to animal-based production, which accounts for more than half of agricultural carbon emissions.

Philippe Binard, general delegate of Freshfel Europe, declared: “Would one day 50% of the EU CAP budobtain be supporting supply chains delivering to consumers healthy, tasty, and quality fresh fruit and veobtainables? This is not a provocative stance but a necessary reflection based on a reality and an uncomfortable truth for many.” He added that aligning EU policy and budobtains to encourage plant-based diets should be considered a requirement for policycreaters.

The organisation highlighted that current European consumption of fruit and veobtainables averages 350 grams per person per day, below the 400-800 grams recommconcludeed by various health authorities. This shortfall, combined with rising consumption of ultra-processed foods, has implications for both public health and climate tarobtains.

Freshfel Europe also pointed to the necessary for more flexible and accessible financial instruments tailored to the realities of the fruit and veobtainable supply chain. Binard explained that the sector faces unique challenges, including generational turnover, increasing climate risks, emerging pests and diseases, and tight profit margins. Unlike more concentrated sectors such as grains or dairy, fruit and veobtainable production involves a wide range of compact-scale producers with diverse production cycles and seasonal variations.

The organisation called on the European Commission and the EIB to ensure that new and existing financial instruments under the CAP and EAFRD are designed to address these specific necessarys. It also urged the inclusion of insurance mechanisms for climate-related risks, which are expected to intensify in the coming years.

Freshfel Europe stated that investing in fruit and veobtainables supports both environmental and public health goals, and that future EU financial strategies should reflect the sector’s contribution to sustainability and economic resilience.