11-07-2025
The EU Is Heading Down the Wrong Farming Track
It's not easy to be a farmer, even in the European Union, where the biggest budget expenditure is on agricultural subsidies. After months of protests and a rightward swing in parliament, the EU is now debating the sector's future. Unfortunately, the direction it's moving in doesn't seem to have the best interests of farmers in mind.
An April survey conducted by Ipsos revealed that more than half of farmers surveyed are pessimistic about the future of their operations, largely because of economics: About 40% cited increasing input prices or expenses and insufficient market prices as challenges. Farming is also one of the most exposed sectors to the climate and biodiversity crises: Half of Romanian farmers cited the weather or climatic events as a main concern, with 44% citing environmental constraints as a reason they'd quit farming. Though just 26% overall cited it as a difficulty, climate change is making it harder to produce everything from olive oil and potatoes to champagne and cheese. EU-backed analysis published in May showed that extreme weather costs the agricultural sector an average of €28.3 billion ($33.1 billion) each year. Most of these losses are uninsured — and uninsurable.
