Foodrise puts EU farm spending under the microscope in call to rethink CAP subsidies

The European Union has directed billions of euros in farm subsidies toward meat and dairy production while plant-based foods received a fraction of that support, according to a new report from Foodrise that has urged policymakers to overhaul the Common Agricultural Policy ahead of its next funding cycle.

The report, titled CAP at the Crossroads: Reforming EU CAP subsidies to support healthy sustainable diets, has examined how EU CAP subsidies were allocated in 2020 and has concluded that the majority flowed to high-emitting animal-sourced foods rather than plant-based production.

• The EU directed around €39 billion (US$42.3 billion) in CAP subsidies to animal-sourced foods in 2020, representing 77% of total CAP spending of €51 billion (US$55.3 billion).

• Beef and lamb received an estimated 580 times more CAP subsidies than legumes in 2020, while dairy received 554 times more than nuts and seeds.

• The €39 billion (US$42.3 billion) allocated to animal-sourced foods accounted for 23% of the EU’s total 2020 budget of €168.7 billion (US$182.6 billion).

Foodrise has argued that the scale of support for livestock production stands in contrast to the environmental impact of animal-sourced foods. According to the report, such foods are estimated to account for 81-86% of total greenhouse gas emissions from EU food production, yet supply around 32% of calories and 64% of protein consumed in the bloc.

The organization has described the distribution of subsidies as disproportionately favoring high-emissions meat and dairy production, with billions of euros of EU taxpayers’ money directed toward both production and the promotion of these products.

In 2020, beef and lamb received an estimated 580 times more CAP subsidies than legumes such as lentils and beans, the report stated. Dairy received an estimated 554 times more than nuts and seeds. Meat and dairy together received more than 10 times more CAP subsidies than fruit and vegetable production, and more than 16 times more than cereal production.

Overall, the EU directed three times more CAP subsidies to the production of high-emitting animal-sourced foods than to plant-based foods in 2020, amounting to €39 billion (US$42.3 billion) out of a total €51 billion (US$55.3 billion) CAP budget that year.

That €39 billion represented nearly a quarter, 23%, of the EU’s total annual budget of €168.7 billion (US$182.6 billion) in 2020.

The findings arrive as the EU prepares to determine the future structure of CAP for the 2028-2034 period. Foodrise has described this moment as pivotal, arguing that policymakers face a choice between maintaining existing subsidy patterns or redirecting funding to support what it called healthy sustainable diets.

Calls for reform of agricultural subsidies have intensified in recent years. The report cited recommendations from the EU’s Group of Chief Scientific Advisors, the European Court of Auditors, the World Bank, and the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission, all of which have advocated for aligning agricultural support with health and sustainability goals and reducing livestock numbers.

Foodrise has pointed to potential environmental and health benefits associated with a shift toward plant-rich diets. According to the report, adoption of the Planetary Health Diet in high-income countries could reduce agricultural production emissions by an estimated 61%. It also stated that such a transition could reduce the EU’s reliance on food imports, boost agricultural incomes, cut fertilizer use by about a quarter, reduce deaths linked to air pollution, and prevent up to 10-39% of cancers in Europe.

Martin Bowman, Senior Policy and Campaigns Manager at Foodrise, criticized the current distribution of funding. “It’s scandalous that such an unfair share of EU subsidies, worth billions of euros of EU taxpayers’ money, are being pumped into propping up high-emissions meat and dairy production and distorting European diets. CAP is at a crossroads, and EU policymakers have a huge opportunity to switch course and take the action required to support a just transition to healthy sustainable plant-rich diets. Which we know have the potential to boost farmer incomes, reduce reliance on imports, mitigate climate change, improve Europeans’ health and restore nature.”

Bowman added that plant-based foods should receive greater financial backing under the policy. “At the very least, plant-based foods deserve a fairer share of CAP subsidies, to compete on an equal footing. In line with the recommendations of the landmark Strategic Dialogue report, EU policymakers should urgently introduce a Plant-Based Action Plan to promote plant-based foods across the supply chain, and an Agri-food Just Transition Fund to support farmers in the transition. The shameful use of EU funds to promote meat and dairy to EU citizens – which is directly contrary to EU health and climate goals – should end immediately.”

The report set out a series of policy recommendations. These included increasing CAP funding for farmers growing plant-based foods for direct human consumption, expanding funds for the promotion and marketing of plant-based whole foods and alternative proteins, and making livestock subsidies conditional on limits to stocking density per hectare.

Foodrise also recommended ending EU funding for the promotion and marketing of meat and dairy products, establishing an Agri-food Just Transition Fund to support livestock farmers, and ensuring CAP subsidies contribute to nature restoration, including peatlands, wild grasslands, and woodlands.

Further proposals included introducing an EU Action Plan for Plant-based Foods to support production and consumption across the supply chain. Measures under such a plan would include promoting plant-rich public procurement in schools and hospitals, increasing financial support for plant-based food production and processing, particularly agroecologically produced foods, and reforming dietary guidelines to align more closely with the Planetary Health Diet.

As negotiations over the post-2027 CAP framework begin to take shape, the report has sought to place subsidy reform at the center of discussions about the future of Europe’s food system.