Brussels 4 February 2025 – EFFAT today took part in the inaugural meeting of the European Board on Agriculture and Food (EBAF), a new initiative led by the European Commission to foster cooperation between stakeholders in the food supply chain and civil society to shape the future of European agriculture and food policy.
EFFAT welcomed the creation of this body following the successful outcome of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture. At the inaugural meeting chaired by Christophe Hansen, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, EFFAT reiterated its commitment to ensuring that workers’ voices are heard and their rights respected, as set out in the EFFAT Vision For a Successful EU Vision on Agriculture and Food
As the sole recognized European social partner representing workers across the entire food chain, EFFAT’s presence at the table champions social considerations, fair working conditions, and social justice
Challenges in the agri-food sector
Despite its economic significance, the European agri-food sector faces numerous challenges. Many workers endure low wages, precarious employment, and high levels of undeclared work, undermining both sustainability and social equality. Beyond these labour issues, structural problems such as market concentration, unfair trade practices, financialization, and inconsistencies in interntional trade policies threaten the sector’s fairness and resilience. These factors deepen economic disparities, distort competition, and weaken the bargaining power of workers and small farmers.
EFFAT’s vision for Agriculture and Food
EFFAT General Secretary Enrico Somaglia stresses the importance of the meeting: ‘EFFAT’s vision underlines one consistent point: the social dimension of the agri-food sector must be at the heart of this high-level body. There can be no sustainability without decent work. The EU must take a holistic approach and tackle the long-standing systemic issues that contribute to environmental degradation and vulnerability of agri-food workers throughout the chain. This is the way to improve the image of the sector and achieve a truly fair and resilient food system’
The Road Ahead
EFFAT’s vision calls for stronger worker protection, a just transition and essential policy reforms – such as improvements to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) – that balance sustainability with social justice and ambitious reforms to address imbalances across the food chain, tackling shareholder value maximisation and food speculation.
The way forward must address these challenges comprehensively within a sound and inclusive vision, involving the social partners.
