| Titre : | A critical review of EU agri-food policy impacts (2026) |
| Auteurs : | D. Borniotto ; A.-M. Courtois ; P.V. Baret |
| Type de document : | Article |
| Dans : | Food policy (vol. 141, June 2026) |
| Article en page(s) : | p. 103090 |
| Langues : | Anglais |
| Langues du résumé : | Anglais |
| Catégories : |
Catégories principales 06 - AGRICULTURE. FORÊTS. PÊCHES ; 6.2 - Politique AgricoleThésaurus IAMM POLITIQUE AGRICOLE ; PAC ; ORGANISME GENETIQUEMENT MODIFIE ; PESTICIDE ; ENGRAIS ; EVALUATION DE L'IMPACT ; DURABILITE ; RENDEMENT DES CULTURES ; EUROPE |
| Résumé : |
The European Union’s agri-food policies aim to balance productivity with environmental, social, and economic sustainability. However, their overall effectiveness remains debated due to fragmented evidence and inconsistent implementation. This study critically reviews the literature on the cumulative impacts of EU policies governing primary agricultural production, focusing on six sectors: the Common Agricultural Policy, genetically modified organisms, pesticide, fertilizers, fisheries, and animal health and welfare.
Using a two-step approach, we first mapped EU-level policies, retaining 38 policies that met predefined criteria (binding EU scope, production-related, impact-oriented, and active since 2000). We then conducted a qualitative synthesis of 97 peer-reviewed studies (from 1.359 retrieved), coding the environmental, social, and economic impacts reported in these studies. Results reveal three systemic weaknesses limiting policy effectiveness across sectors: i) compliance gaps, where high implementation costs and limited enforcement create uneven outcomes across actors and Member States; ii) governance tensions, driven by subsidiarity ambiguities and fragmented decision-making; and iii) targeting deficiencies, where vague objectives reduce effectiveness and accountability. Environmentally, region-specific agri-environmental measures show localized benefits but fail to address systemic pressures like persistent nitrate pollution and delays in pesticide reassessments. Socially, advances in food safety and animal welfare coexist with exclusionary effects, notably the marginalization of small-scale fishers. Economically, compliance costs disproportionately burden smaller operators, while larger actors tend to leverage regulatory complexity and loopholes to their advantages. To overcome these structural challenges, the EU must set clearer objectives aligned with long-term sustainability goals, streamline decision-making responsibilities across governance levels, and implement robust outcome-based monitoring to ensure adaptability and accountability. |
| Cote : | En ligne |
| URL / DOI : | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2026.103090 |
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