Brussels, Belgium, 8 March 2024
Representatives of the EU-funded AGROMIX Project attended the For Sustainable Food Forum in Brussels on 7 March 2024, joining legislators, academics and leading representatives of agrifood sectors, among others, in discussions geared towards furthering sustainable practices in European livestock management.
The event came just over a month ahead of the AGROMIX Policy Summit: Agroforestry for the Future of European Agriculture, which is to be held in the same venue in Brussels on 17 April 2024.
Brigitte Misonne, Head of Unit, E3 Animal Products, DG Agriculture & Rural Development speaks at the For Sustainable Food Forum in Brussels on 7 March 2024. Photo: REVOLVE
MEP Pascal Canfin (RENEW) speaks at the For Sustainable Food Forum in Brussels on 7 March 2024. Photo: REVOLVE
A panel of (L-R) Grzegorz Brodziak, Brigitte Misonne, Natasha Foote and Pierre-Marie Aubert, speak at the For Sustainable Food Forum in Brussels on 7 March 2024. Photo: REVOLVE
PATHWAYS is working towards reducing the environmental impacts of the livestock sector with positive changes that will meet increasing societal demands for safe, nutritious and affordable meat and dairy products.
The morning session was opened with welcome statements from Valerio Abbadessa, Research Programme Officer at DG AGRI, and Laurence Smith, Coordinator of PATHWAYS Project and Lecturer/Researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).
This was followed by the Less is More: Food Sufficiency and Climate Resilience in Europe panel featuring French MEP Pascal Canfin (RENEW); Grzegorz Brodziak, Vice President of Polish Agricultural Federation and Chairman of the Board of Goodvalley Agro S.A., Pierre-Marie Aubert, Director, Agriculture & Food Policies, IDDRI and Brigitte Misonne, Head of Unit, E3 Animal Products, DG AGRI. The panel was moderated by Natasha Foote, freelance journalist specialised in agricultural topics.
Misonne used the occasion to underline the importance of effective policy: "We need policy because it's not enough to identify what's wrong with livestock, we have to take into account the positive externalities of livestock and all we are in danger of losing if we have an approach that's too drastic.”
In response to the challenges faced by agri-food, PATHWAYS advocates a series of recommendations designed to foster harmony between agricultural productivity and environmental stewardship.
These were as follows:
AGROMIX was represented by project partners REVOLVE. Robert Borek, chair of AGROMIX partner Polish Agroforestry Association (OSA) was also in attendance. The Forum served as an opportunity to build on the project’s well-established network of sustainable agriculture advocates ahead of the AGROMIX Policy Summit.
Journalist Sam Wilkin moderates Rural Rennaissance breakout session.
Following the opening panel discussion, the Forum participated in a rapid-fire pitching session to present the PATHWAYS Project’s practice hubs and then a series of breakout sessions tailored to discussion pressing policy and market issues in the sector.
Pierre-Marie Aubert during a pitch at the For Sustainable Food Forum in Brussels on 7 March 2024.
