Overview
The analysis is based on the legislative proposal 2024/0319(COD) titled "Strengthening of the position of farmers in the food supply chain". The file is a Commission proposal undergoing the ordinary legislative procedure, with its current status being "Awaiting Parliament's position in 1st reading". The source documents analysed include the European Parliament's consolidated summary of amendments (P10_TA(2025)0214), a report overview detailing the extent of parliamentary changes, and procedural and institutional data. The proposal aims to amend existing EU regulations to enhance the regulatory framework of the agri-food supply chain, with a primary focus on improving the economic and legal standing of farmers and producer organisations. Key areas of legislative activity concern contractual fairness, market intervention mechanisms, and the integration of sustainability and food security objectives.
Legislative timeline
The procedural narrative indicates the file is under first-reading examination. The European Parliament is preparing its position, while the Council conducts its own technical and political scrutiny. Recent calendar events show interinstitutional negotiations commenced in the Parliament in November and December 2025, with the formal proposal documented in February 2026. The next major step is the adoption of the Parliament's first-reading position.
Institutional handling
The lead committee in the European Parliament is the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI). Within the European Commission, the responsible department is the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI), under Commissioner Christophe Hansen. The relevant Council configuration for ministerial-level discussions is the Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AGRIFISH).
Stakeholder reactions
Stakeholder engagement has been extensive, with 158 documented meetings involving 82 distinct organisations. Meetings were held with Members of the European Parliament, Commissioners, and Commission staff. The most active organisations in these engagements include BEUC, CEFIC, WAREG, Slow Food, and Water Europe. Positions on specific policy aspects vary. On the core issue of farmer-buyer relations, retailer and commerce associations like Schwarz Group, Handelsverband Deutschland (HDE), and EuroCommerce express support for the proposal, with positions interpreted as subtly or clearly favouring buyer flexibility and competitiveness. In contrast, Ilec advocates for strengthening farmers' positions, opposing what it describes as unnecessary downward price pressure from retail. On ancillary topics, companies like Prewave and Amazon show support for provisions incentivising the use of artificial intelligence in supply chains. Regarding due diligence rules, Prewave's position subtly favours strict regulations, promoting its AI solutions as tools for compliance.
Media coverage
*No data on media coverage was provided in the input.*