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Welcome to our monthly insights into all EU agri-food policy news – from legislation and debates to political deals and manoeuvring – directly from Brussels and with a focus on sustainability.
At Ohana Public Affairs, we support companies in navigating complex and fast-evolving regulatory landscapes at EU and global level. In this edition, we spotlight our Global Policy Mapping service, a strategic tool designed to help businesses track and anticipate international regulatory requirements across jurisdictions.
By providing a clear overview of emerging obligations, policy trends and enforcement developments worldwide, our mappings enable companies to identify risks early, align compliance strategies and inform advocacy priorities in an increasingly interconnected policy environment.
We track and compare requirements across a wide range of policy areas, including sustainability and climate reporting, corporate due diligence, ecodesign, and waste legislation, just to name a few.
Our coverage spans the EU, the US, APAC and other key markets, offering companies a structured, forward-looking view of regulatory developments that may affect their global operations.
Major EU developments in detail
Commission simplification review confirms core rules while refining scope and easing some duties for agri-food supply chains
What? On 4 May, the Commission published its longawaited simplification report on the EUDR, accompanied by updated FAQs and Guidance, a draft Delegated Act on product scope (open for feedback until 1 June), and a draft Implementing Act for the EUDR Information System. The basic Regulation remains untouched: the seven commodities (cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soy, wood and rubber), the benchmarking system and the main due diligence architecture are unchanged, as are the revised application dates (30 December 2026 for large and mediumsized companies; 30 June 2027 for SMEs). According to the Commission, the package is expected to cut estimated annual compliance costs by around 75% compared with the original framework, from about €8.1 billion to €2.0 billion.
Several changes have been introduced to the EUDR Annex I, which lists in-scope products: the Commission has proposed to add certain downstream food and feed products such as soluble/instant coffee, selected palmoil derivatives (including some oleochemicals and soaps), and frozen cattle tongues, while excluding leather and cattle hides waste, retreaded tyres, used and secondhand products, samples and testing materials, and most packaging and information materials used merely to support or carry goods.
The updated FAQs and Guidance also clarify some definitions and grey areas, including company roles, e-commerce transactions, and threshold defining micro and small companies. In addition, it is now clear that due diligence statements can cover multiple shipments.
Why is it important? The core architecture of the EUDR remains unchanged, which provides a clearer level of certainty for companies preparing for implementation. At the same time, the limited nature of the changes confirms that simplification is being approached cautiously. For operators, this means the direction of travel is stable, but the burden of implementation remains largely intact.
The proposed scope adjustments will be important to watch, but the bigger takeaway is that companies should continue preparing on the basis of the existing framework, rather than expecting fundamental changes.
Commission proposes streamlined ESRS and the new Sustainability Reporting Standard for voluntary use
What? The European Commission has released a simplified draft of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) for consultation until 3 June, aiming to reduce complexity and reporting burden under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) while keeping its core objectives intact. The proposal would cut mandatory datapoints by over 60% and total datapoints by more than 70%, streamline structure and language, and remove most voluntary disclosures and overlaps. It also clarifies that companies should report only material information, introduces a more practical top down approach to materiality and a fair presentation requirement for the sustainability statement as a whole, and allows forward looking estimates to be updated without being treated as errors. EU agri-food groups falling within the expanded CSRD thresholds will apply the revised ESRS for financial years starting in 2027, with first reports due in 2028.
In parallel, the Commission has proposed a voluntary sustainability reporting standard (former VSME) for companies outside CSRD scope, with large CSRD in-scope companies prevented from requesting data from smaller value chain partners beyond what this voluntary standard contains, effectively capping information demands on SMEs.
Why is it important? For agri-food companies what this means in a nutshell is that reporting is not going away, but it is becoming more focused. The proposed changes should reduce the reporting burden, especially for companies collecting data across complex supply chains. The cap on value chain data requests is particularly relevant for smaller producers and processors, who have been under increasing pressure from larger buyers. In practice, this shifts the focus from volume of data to quality and materiality, rather than burdensome bespoke questionnaires, and puts more responsibility on companies to prioritise what really matters.
The Commission officially abandoned the Sustainable EU Food Systems initiative
What? The European Commission has officially abandoned its Sustainable Food Systems Law, planned under the Farm to Fork Strategy, which aimed to create a horizontal framework to make the EU food system more sustainable. The move, aligned with the current Simplification Agenda and driven by recent farmers protests, comes after several years of preparatory work, including a 2022 public consultation that gathered over 2,600 responses. Academics, NGOs and agrifood policy experts reacted on social media, criticising the decision as a missed opportunity to reshape EU food policy and saying the file was first sidelined politically and then quietly scrapped on 26 March.
Why is it important? The decision leaves a clear gap. There will be no single framework bringing together sustainability requirements across the food system in this Commission term. Instead, companies will need to navigate a growing patchwork of legislation across climate, trade, agriculture and labelling. This makes strategic oversight more important as coherence will not come from one central file. For many, this reinforces the need to track multiple policy streams in parallel and engage early where possible.
The Commission officially abandoned the Sustainable EU Food Systems initiative
What? The public consultation on the upcoming EU Livestock Strategy, expected on 7 July, has closed, with 891 valid responses submitted. A striking feature was the dominance of French input: almost twothirds of all responses came from France, while many other Member States registered only a handful of contributions. Over 70 percent of replies were from individual EU citizens, with NGOs and business and farmers’ organisations making up most of the rest. Sector players, including 11 organisations such as Animal Health Europe, COPACOGECA and Euro Foie Gras, have also issued a joint call asking the Commission to set clear objectives and priorities for the Strategy, balancing competitiveness, fair farmer incomes, environmental ambition and animal welfare.
Why is it important? The feedback confirms that the Livestock Strategy will be a highly contested file, with strong mobilisation and a mix of asks ranging from better remuneration and crisis resilience to higher welfare standards and clearer trade rules. For operators, the Strategy is likely to shape future support tools, sustainability requirements and expectations for imported products, so this early stakeholder input offers a first indication of where the Commission may seek compromise, and where tensions between farmers, NGOs and industry are likely to surface.
Commission drops planned CBAM softening for fertilizers, while Parliament explores farmer relief without reopening the levy
What? According to leaked reports, the European Commission has removed references to softening Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) requirements for fertilizers from its draft Fertilizers Action Plan after internal pushback, despite earlier discussion of slowing the CBAM phase-in and extending free ETS allowances for EU producers.
At the same time, the European Parliament is still examining ways to ease pressure on farmers through other channels, including using CBAM-linked revenues via the Temporary Decarbonization Fund, while major political groups are also moving to delete Article 27a, which would have allowed the Commission to exempt sectors from CBAM in crisis situations. The fertilizers action plan is now expected on 19 May.
Why is it important? This confirms that a direct rollback of CBAM for fertilizers is currently off the table at Commission level, even as political pressure from the farming sector remains high. The debate is now shifting from exemption towards targeted compensation, funding support and broader fertilizer market measures, which means agri-food operators should watch not only CBAM itself, but also the upcoming action plan and Parliament’s position on farmer support mechanisms.
Once the Regulation is formally adopted, producers will have a three-year transition period to bring their portfolio into line, including depleting existing stock and updating labels, packaging, marketing materials and related digital content.
European Parliament political group EPP calls for review and simplification of EU environmental legislation affecting agriculture
What? The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), the largest political group in the European Parliament, has called for a comprehensive review of EU environmental rules impacting the agri-food sector, arguing the framework has become overly complex due to newer measures such as the Nature Restoration Law and the Deforestation Regulation layered onto older directives. The political group highlights inconsistencies between laws, limited assessment of cumulative impacts, uneven national implementation, and rigid rules that do not reflect regional differences. The EPP also flags delays in permitting procedures as a key concern.
Why is it important? The paper signals increasing political momentum for simplification and more flexible implementation of environmental rules in agriculture. Priorities include revisiting nitrogen limits, reducing administrative burdens (notably under the deforestation regulation), and clarifying biodiversity obligations—likely feeding into upcoming debates on implementation and potential adjustments of recent environmental legislation.
13 May 2026
Organised by the FAO, this webinar will launch the report “Food safety implications of recycled plastics and alternative food contact materials (FCMs).” The session will bring together food safety experts and stakeholders to examine key safety considerations related to the use of recycled and alternative materials in food packaging, highlighting challenges and areas requiring further attention.
19–21 May 2026, Hamburg
Organised by the EU CAP Network, this conference will focus on strengthening water resilience in European agriculture and forestry. The event will showcase innovative solutions and project results, while providing a platform for exchange, peer learning, and collaboration among stakeholders working on water management and climate adaptation in the sector.
20 May 2026
Organised by FoodDrinkEurope, this webinar will explore how small and medium-sized enterprises can increase the use of whole grains in bread products. The session will highlight the health benefits of whole grain consumption and address challenges and opportunities for improving dietary intake across Europe.
25–26 May 2026
Organised by FAO’s Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, this global multistakeholder workshop will bring together governments and stakeholders to exchange experiences on climate change and genetic resources for food and agriculture. Participants will consider whether existing voluntary guidelines on integrating genetic diversity into national climate adaptation plans need revision and discuss new climate-related questions for future country reporting.
01 June 2026
The European Commission is consulting stakeholders on the Draft Delegated Act amending the EUDR’s Annex I, until 1 June. Products proposed to become in-scope of the Regulation include: soluble / instant coffee; certain palm-oil derivatives (oleochemicals), cattle-derived products, i.e., frozen cattle tongues. Products proposed to be excluded are: leather and cattle hides, sample, testing and analysis products, retreaded tyres, used and second-hand products, packaging and information materials.
02 June 2026
Organised under the Horizon Europe BEATLES project, this final event in Brussels will present the project’s main findings, policy recommendations, and practical tools after four years of research and collaboration. It will open a broader discussion on how behavioural approaches can inform the future of EU agri-food, climate, and digitalisation policies, with a particular focus on opportunities to integrate behavioural insights into the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034).
3–4 June 2026
Organised by the European Commission’s DirectorateGeneral for Environment, this highlevel conference in Brussels will highlight the business case for a naturepositive economy as a driver of Europe’s prosperity, resilience and competitiveness. Bringing together policymakers, investors, farmers, businesses and civil society, it will showcase practical naturepositive models, from sustainable farming and greener cities to innovative financing, with sessions available both in person and online.
3 June 2026
The European Commission has launched two parallel consultations. One asking feedback on the revised European sustainability reporting standards (ESRS), for EU companies in-scope of the CSRD by 2028. A second consultation on the Sustainability Reporting Standard for voluntary use to help companies not subject to mandatory sustainability reporting requirements disclose sustainability-related information.
If you have questions regarding anything in the Ohana Agri-Food Monthly Insights, please reach out to Natalia Yerashevich at natalia@ohanapublicaffairs.eu, or Francesca Fina at francesca@ohanapublicaffairs.eu