Open letter to the President of the European Commission, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament calling for full alignment of the reformed Common Agricultural Policy with the European Green Deal

A coalition of food, farming, climate, and health organisations calls for a paradigm shift in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to support agroecology and sustainable food systems. The authors argue that the CAP must be reformed to integrate Green Deal targets, eliminate subsidies for harmful practices like intensive animal production, and provide financial incentives for farmers to reduce pesticide use and restore ecosystems.

• The authors argue that the current reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) fails to reflect the priorities of the European Green Deal and must be transformed into a tool for transitioning toward sustainable and socially just food systems.
• The letter advocates for a paradigm shift toward agroecology to create resilient food systems, noting that this position is supported by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems.
• The coalition proposes three priority areas for amending the 2018 CAP reform proposal: establishing robust governance by tying subsidies to Green Deal targets, ensuring the policy does not incentivise harmful practices such as intensive animal production, and empowering rural actors to implement agroforestry and organic farming.
• The document highlights the link between agricultural intensification, specifically animal farming, and the increased risk of new zoonotic diseases, as well as the impact of poor nutrition and climate change on public health.

APA

ClientEarth (2020). Open letter to the President of the European Commission, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament calling for full alignment of the reformed Common Agricultural Policy with the European Green Deal. https://www.clientearth.org/media/fl5p4lky/2020-09-30-open-letter-for-full-alignment-between-the-reformed-common-agricultural-policy-and-the-european-green-deal-coll-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Open letter to the President of the European Commission, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament calling for full alignment of the reformed Common Agricultural Policy with the European Green Deal. 2020. https://www.clientearth.org/media/fl5p4lky/2020-09-30-open-letter-for-full-alignment-between-the-reformed-common-agricultural-policy-and-the-european-green-deal-coll-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Open letter to the President of the European Commission, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament calling for full alignment of the reformed Common Agricultural Policy with the European Green Deal |date=30 September 2020 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/fl5p4lky/2020-09-30-open-letter-for-full-alignment-between-the-reformed-common-agricultural-policy-and-the-european-green-deal-coll-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2020open, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Open letter to the President of the European Commission, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament calling for full alignment of the reformed Common Agricultural Policy with the European Green Deal}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/fl5p4lky/2020-09-30-open-letter-for-full-alignment-between-the-reformed-common-agricultural-policy-and-the-european-green-deal-coll-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }