EU Policy Framework and Slow Food Entrepreneurship

Why this matters now

According to the European Unions’  Farm to Fork Strategy published in 2020, the EU food chain as a whole, from production to consumption, accounts for approximately one-third of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions and consumes 70% of the EU’s freshwater resources (European Commission, n.d.). At the same time, the EU’s agriculture and food sector supports around 44 million jobs, making it a cornerstone of the EU economy (European Commission, n.d.). The tension between emissions reduction and job preservation lies at the heart of EU food policy.

Under this background, Slow Food Movement gradually took shape as a counterpoint to the industrialized food system. Its guiding philosophy as “Good, Clean, Fair” which has given rise to a diverse ecosystem of business, including small-scale organic farmers, artisanal food producers and local restaurants.

From the perspective of market, The EU organic food market was valued at approximately €58.7 billion in 2024, with an average annual growth rate of around 8% over the past decade (FIBL, 2026) . EU's Farm to Fork Strategy sets a clear target: to raise the share of organic farmland from roughly 10.5% today to 25% by 2030. This shows that within the next four years, the EU's organic farming supply must more than double, a gap that small and medium-sized producers are expected to fill in large part.

The EU's Sustainability Agenda

The European Green Deal, published by the European Union in 2019, sets a target of achieving carbon neutrality across the EU by 2050. Within this framework, the Farm to Fork Strategy (F2F), introduced in 2020, serves as the key policy instrument specifically addressing the food system. The strategy brings the entire food chain under a unified sustainability framework ,spanning the reduction of chemical pesticides, fertilisers, and antibiotics in agricultural production, to minimising food additives during processing, and achieving low-carbon standards throughout transportation.

In the consumption and packaging domain, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which entered into force in 2025, requires. Economic operators to ensure that a certain proportion of the packaging they place on the market in member states is reusable.

Opportunities for Slow Food Entrepreneurs

Figure 1: The Common Agriculture Policy  Strategic Plans 2023–27 Source: European Commission

 

As the supporting tool for the rollout of F2F, the reformed Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for 2023–2027 carries a total budget of approximately €387 billion.From Figure 1, around 25% of direct payments are now linked to "eco-schemes”, farmers must adopt higher-standard sustainable practices to qualify for this portion of the subsidy (European Commission, n.d.). Eligibility is conditional on measurable sustainability criteria such as reduced chemical inputs, crop diversification, or organic transition.

Alongside this, Horizon Europe (2021–2027) allocates €9 billion specifically for food system innovation, supporting areas such as organic agriculture, alternative proteins, circular food economies, and digital farming (European Commission, n.d.). Compared to conventional agricultural subsidies, this funding stream is more oriented towards innovative and cooperative small enterprises. The EAFRD (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development) continues to provide matched funding for short supply chains, rural tourism, and small-scale processing projects, making it the most significant funding channel for slow food entrepreneurs at the Member State level.

Challenges 

There is a gap between EU policy ambitions and the realities faced by slow food entrepreneurs. Higher sustainable production standards, for instance, translate into steep compliance costs for small agricultural businesses , burdens that are not only financially draining but often difficult to implement in practice.

During the 2–3 year conversion period, producers must comply with organic standards without benefiting from price premiums, creating significant financial pressure (European Commission, n.d.).

Through raising standards regarding pesticide use, fertilizer application, animal welfare, and environmental conditions, F2F has systematically increased production costs for EU producers.Under this background, EU producers are forced to compete with imported products manufactured under lower standards while facing higher compliance costs, resulting in a clear imbalance in the competitive environment.

n 2024, large-scale farmer protests erupted in several member states, including France, Germany, Belgium, Poland, and Italy (Dwyer, 2024). Under the F2F strategy, stricter regulations on pesticides, fertilizers, and environmental standards were implemented, increasing compliance costs and production constraints for farmers. Furthermore, persistently low agricultural prices made it difficult for farmers to maintain their income levels amid rising costs. Moreover, low-cost agricultural imports from non-EU countries created unfair competition, reflecting farmers’ dissatisfaction with rising policy costs and intensifying competitive pressures.

Reference List

For a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system (n.d.). https://food.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2020-05/f2f_action-plan_2020_strategy-info_en.pdf

From farm to fork - consilium.europa.eu. (n.d.-b). https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/from-farm-to-fork/

Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL. (2026, February 10). Europe’s organic market sets another record in 2024 – farmland stable at 19.6 million hectares. FiBL. https://www.fibl.org/en/info-centre/news/europes-organic-market-sets-another-record-in-2024-farmland-stable

CAP at a glance. Agriculture and rural development. (n.d.). https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/common-agricultural-policy/cap-overview/cap-glance_en#cap-2023-27

Packaging and packaging waste regulation. Reloop Platform. (2025, October 24). https://www.reloopplatform.org/ppwr/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21512837651&gbraid=0AAAAA9-6uqqmYEwCVnLX5Ri5HfdWtaW4M&gclid=CjwKCAjwhqfPBhBWEiwAZo196i4OcHasgg4Z2uT8hS-Q2ApJ_oyt8K0avPoSS0HTxdWqHzZyH7YaIBoCqXAQAvD_BwE

Dwyer, O. (2024, May 3). Analysis: How do the EU farmer protests relate to climate change? . Carbon Brief. https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-how-do-the-eu-farmer-protests-relate-to-climate-change/

Yaxin Bao  is a second-year Accounting and Finance student at the University of Bristol, driven by the ambition to bridge the gap between financial systems and global sustainability. As part of his work with IRIS Sustainable Development, he is currently supporting research on the practical implications of EU sustainability frameworks, specifically the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy. Polly is exploring how these policies may create both challenges and opportunities for small-scale food entrepreneurs. He aims to develop a career at the intersection of finance and international business, contributing to a more resilient and sustainable global economy.