Over 80% of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy supports emissions-intensive animal products.
NATURE FOOD 2024;
5:288-292. [PMID:
38561459 DOI:
10.1038/s43016-024-00949-4]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The European Union's Common Agricultural Policy strongly influences the European Union's food system via agricultural subsidies. Linking global physical input-output datasets with public subsidy data reveals that current allocation favours animal-based foods, which uses 82% of the European Union's agricultural subsidies (38% directly and 44% for animal feed). Subsidy intensity (€ kg-1) for animal-based foods approximately doubles after feed inclusion. The same animal-based foods are associated with 84% of embodied greenhouse gas emissions of EU food production while supplying 35% of EU calories and 65% of proteins.
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