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Figures released by charity Foodrise have revealed that beef and lamb received an estimated 580 times more common agricultural policy (CAP) subsidies from the European Union than legumes in 2020.
The 2020 figures show beef and lamb received €8 billion in CAP subsidies from the EU, compared to just €14 million for legumes such as lentils and beans.
Dairy also received an estimated 500 times more CAP payments than nuts and seeds (€16 billion compared to just €29 million). Overall, the EU directed three times more CAP subsidies to the production of high-emitting meat and dairy than to plant-based foods in 2020 – around 77% of total CAP subsidies for farmers (€39 billion out of €51 billion).
Foodrise published the breakdown of funding for individual food types by the EU in its CAP at the Crossroads report, published last week. It showed that meat and dairy production received over ten times more CAP subsidies than fruit and vegetable production, and over 16 times more than cereal production.
Animal-derived foods are estimated to cause between 81–86% of the total greenhouse gas emissions released during product lifecycle across the EU food production sector – while only providing an estimated 32% of calories and 64% of protein consumed in the EU.
The figures come as EU policymakers are due to soon make decisions on public money given to farmers through its common agricultural policy for 2028–2034.
Martin Bowman, senior campaigns manager at Foodrise, said: “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”.
He added: “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 2024 Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture resulted in an agreement between EU farming groups, civil society, businesses and academics, acknowledging an EU trend toward plant-based foods and stating that it is “crucial to support this trend”.
The European plant-based food and beverage market is projected to grow by over 50% to $83.3 billion by 2030. However, the EU has faced criticism from those advocating for a shift toward plant-forward diets due to its delays in taking action – particularly in light of its potential introduction of a labelling ban that would reserve words like ‘burger’ and ‘sausage’ for meat products, creating barriers for the meat alternatives category.
