EU agriculture ministers formally approved several significant legislative files at the latest AgriFish Council, the second under the Cypriot presidency, while simultaneously staking out early positions ahead of a broader policy reset on animal welfare, food safety and the future Common Agricultural Policy.
Among the A-items adopted were measures concerning a number of key market rules in the wine sector as well as migration-related regulations on the application of the “safe third country” concept and the establishment of a union list of safe countries of origin. Ministers had already reached political agreement on these files, but their formal adoption at this meeting marked an important procedural milestone.
Alongside these approvals, the Council used the meeting to signal where debates are likely to intensify in the months ahead, with discussions on animal welfare reform, regulatory simplification and CAP governance exposing clear differences in emphasis between higher standards and competitiveness concerns.
CAP recommendations and unfair trading practices
Ministers discussed how future CAP national recommendations should guide member states’ post-2027 partnership plans. Cyprus’ Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou, who chaired the meeting, argued that the recommendations should serve as “a key steering mechanism to ensure a level playing field across the union, while fully taking into account national and regional specificities within a coherent European framework”.
Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christoph Hansen confirmed the recommendations would “not be legally binding” and stressed he would remain “very vigilant indeed about preserving the commonness of our agricultural policy”.
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Ministers also exchanged views on the Commission’s evaluation of the Unfair Trading Practices (UTP) Directive, ahead of a planned revision proposal in the second half of 2026. The Presidency acknowledged that “further reflection is needed” to strengthen fairness and resilience in the supply chain.
Animal welfare: momentum builds, divisions remain
Animal welfare dominated the afternoon debate, with a broad coalition urging the Commission to maintain momentum on long-promised legislative reforms. Interventions reflected both urgency and caution, with several delegations pressing for concrete legislative follow-up while others warned against moving faster than farmers and supply chains could realistically absorb. Denmark called for concrete proposals, stating:
“I urge the Commission to present the much-needed proposal on animal welfare regarding farm animals, killing of animals, and animal welfare labelling. Additionally, we should aim to phase out the production of fast-growing broilers in the EU and move towards slow-growing breeds.”
Meanwhile, Germany focused on the scope of the coming overhaul:
“The overhaul, as Germany sees it, must include a ban on fur farming and a ban on killing male chicks. We also need to have uniform EU-wide rules on animal welfare information on food labels so that consumers know what they’re buying.”
The Netherlands pointed to ethical and market considerations shaping national debates: “We were of the opinion that the Commission should aim for a ban on fur farming. We think it’s not ethical to keep animals only for their fur and we think time is ripe for a European ban.”
At the same time, the discussion made clear that economic concerns remain close to the surface of the file. Poland warned: “We believe that it’s better to encourage than to force the farmers to increase the welfare of animals.”
Several delegations stressed proportionality, transition periods and the need to avoid excessive administrative burdens — themes that repeatedly surfaced across the broader Council agenda. Commissioner Hansen reiterated the objective of “a balanced approach combining ambition in animal welfare with feasibility, proportionality, and appropriate transition periods”, noting that more than 200,000 contributions had been received in the public consultation.
Simplification versus safeguards
The Commission’s food and feed safety “omnibus” package triggered a parallel debate over how far simplification should go, with ministers broadly supportive of streamlining but wary of unintended consequences. The Commission said:
“The EU’s food and feed safety rules are among the strongest in the world, and we want to keep it that way. But we also need to remain competitive, which means our regulatory framework must become faster, simpler and more innovative.”
It added: “We are confident that these proposed measures could save all of us at least €1 billion every year.”
Several delegations used the discussion to underline sensitivities around trade and regulatory alignment. France argued that “reducing LMRs should automatically be enforced if these are substances that are banned in the EU for human health reasons or for environmental reasons.”
Germany cautioned “The possibility of withdrawing guaranteed maximum quantities for products from third countries we think is very problematic, both in terms of trade law and trade policy.” While few opposed simplification outright, the exchange showed the tension between maintaining high standards and ensuring trade compatibility and administrative relief.
Sector pressures and risk management
Beyond the main files, ministers flagged ongoing pressures across the sector. Under “any other business”, delegations raised CAP controls and audit burdens, the pork market, pesticide regulation and fisheries concerns including mackerel — a reminder of the breadth of economic and regulatory pressures facing the sector.
Risk management featured prominently, with renewed discussion of an EU-wide reinsurance mechanism for natural disasters. Referring to recent storms in Portugal and Spain, Commissioner Hansen described the situation as “devastating” and noted: “we have an agriculture reserve 450 million for 27 member states in one year. This is by far not sufficient.”
Presidency framing
At the press conference, the Cyprus Presidency framed the day around food security and strategic autonomy. Panayiotou said “strategic autonomy is not just an abstract concept. It begins with our ability to feed our citizens, protect our farmers and rural and coastal communities, while acting confidently on the global stage.”
Despite the wide agenda, no new legislative breakthroughs were announced.
What the meeting clarified instead was the direction of travel. As work accelerates on CAP reform, unfair trading practices, animal welfare legislation and regulatory simplification, ministers are drawing early lines between those prioritising higher standards and those emphasising competitiveness and administrative relief — a balance that is likely to shape the next phase of EU agriculture policy.
