Some 30 different groups representing EU primary producers, farmers and the agri-food sector have called on the EU to pursue an "ambitious" simplification agenda of farm rules.

In a joint statement, these groups said the simplification was needed to "secure the future and competitiveness" of the European agri-food chain.

The groups behind the joint statement include Copa Cogeca, which represents farm organisations and agricultural co-operatives, along with several other groups representing several different agri-food sectors, as well as groups in the renewable energy, plant protection and animal health sectors.

They said: "In a world marked by geopolitical instability, conflict, and growing uncertainty, Europe’s farmers, pre-farm and agri-food actors remain a stabilising force - a strategic asset for food security, peace, resilience and sustainability.

"Yet the chain is under growing pressure. Legal uncertainty, increasingly regulatory complexity, outdated provisions that block innovations and rising administrative burdens are putting the future of entire value chains at risk," the statement said.

The groups said that these "hurdles" hold back essential investments to boost sustainability and ensure long-term resilience, implementation, hamper innovation, and "slow the transitions society is asking for".

Simplification package

The European Commission is expected to present a legislative simplification package, which is expected to deal not only with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) but other policy areas impacting farmers.

The groups concerned said that their expectations for simplification in the areas of environment, and food and feed, are "extremely high".

"The commission must urgently streamline existing rules and avoid piling on new rules. This cannot be achieved by focussing solely on administrative burdens," their statement said.

"It requires broadening the perspective so that the package integrally addresses the regulatory, administrative, legal, practical and reporting burdens that agri-food operators are facing, which are major obstacles to investment in sustainability and productivity," it added.

It calls for a simplification package that is "capable of genuinely simplifying the lives of millions of farmers, agri-cooperatives, and hundreds of thousands of agri-food supply chain processors and operators, providing businesses [with] the certainty they need to operate and invest while reinforcing consumers’ confidence".

"We need better regulation and call for the upcoming omnibus packages to also modernise legislation that is currently hampering permitting, innovation, and circularity in agriculture and food," the joint statement said.

"It is now essential to align EU rules with the realities faced by farmers and economic operators on the ground. This must include enabling interoperable and innovative solutions that support farms and agri-food actors without creating new burdens," it added.

The groups called for simplification of farm rules to be a "thorough and staged process".