General budget of the European Union for the financial year 2025 - all sections

Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development · Rapporteur: Daniel Buda

OPINION

The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development calls on the Committee on Budgets, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following suggestions into its motion for a resolution:

1. Takes note of the EUR 53,75 billion in commitments and EUR 51,12 billion in payment for agriculture; regrets the decrease compared to 2024 and calls for a budget increase considering the challenges farmers will face in 2025;

2. Reminds that farmers and rural communities are key actors in food quality and affordability and the preservation of rural areas;

3. Deplores the ongoing negative cascade effects Russia’s war against Ukraine has on European agriculture, such as high input prices, inflation or market disturbances;

4. Underscores that the 2% deflator of the MFF does not compensate for the loss of value linked to inflation; notes that direct payments have decreased in real terms due to inflation, while the administrative burden on farmers has increased;

5. Deplores the CAP budget cut in the MFF revision and calls for a CAP budget increase in the next MFF to ensure food security and a fair income for farmers;

6. Welcomes the recent CAP simplification package and notes it has no budgetary impact; calls for additional measures and resources to address the causes of farmers’ discontent across the EU;

7. Calls for the strengthening of support measures for young farmers;

8. Calls on the Commission to provide sufficient funding for the agricultural reserve to safeguard food security;

9. Stresses the need for a fair distribution of CAP support between Member States, including direct payments;

10. Calls for an increase in the Horizon Europe research budget for agriculture; emphasizes the vital role of innovation for a more competitive and sustainable agriculture, as well as the importance of digital transformation;

11. Stresses the need to better address the impact of floods, droughts and wildfires on primary production, food security and farmers’ income.