In November 2021, Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski and United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the Cooperation Platform on Agriculture (CPA).The CPA is an Administrative Arrangement between the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The agreement aims to reinforce the dialogue and enhance collaboration between the two organisations in relation to agricultural challenges. This will lead to a greater exchange of knowledge and information, and the promotion of mutual understanding between the US and the EU on agricultural issues.
Topics covered by the CPA
The CPA is a platform for dialogue between the administrations and open to all stakeholders in EU and US agriculture. It covers three main areas for collaboration.
1. Sustainability and agriculture
Areas of focus will include:
- ways to enhance or recognise sustainability in various agricultural production systems;
- sustaining vibrant rural communities;
- resource management;
- conserving the environment and fostering biodiversity;
- research and innovation;
- other related issues.
2. Climate and agriculture
Areas of focus will include:
- approaches to improving the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions;
- carbon sequestration;
- climate adaptation strategies;
- improving the climate resilience of agricultural production systems;
- research and innovation;
- other related issues.
3. Agri-food exchanges
Areas of focus will include:
- food system resilience;
- communication;
- production;
- food supply chains;
- other related issues.
Activities envisaged
Both sides:
- exchange information on policies and regulations, governance models, and other related issues;
- organise joint activities such as seminars, workshops, internal meetings, field visits and stakeholder reach outs;
- promote ties between the agricultural sectors of the US and the EU.
The CPA can engage in the following activities:
- visits and exchanges to agricultural sites and facilities involving producers, policymakers, regulators, academic institutions, communities, and businesses and civil society;
- cooperate on sustainable and climate-smart agriculture, consider varying approaches to common goals and promote mutual understanding;
- facilitate exchanges on programmes that support rural and underserved communities and their sustainable development, including through innovation and applied research;
- identify opportunities for collaboration to raise climate and environmental ambition in agriculture and land use through research and innovation.
Events 2024
Empowering Rural Areas: The Role of Rural Investments in Accelerating Climate Resilience, 18 June 2024
While the majority of US and EU territory is rural, only 14-30 percent of the populations reside in these areas. On 18 June, the CPA held an essential exchange on evaluating new ways to connect the unconnected, strengthen rural areas, and ensure that policymakers keep rural areas in mind in ongoing green transition initiatives through rural proofing. An important part of the discussion focused on decarbonisation and climate resilience at the rural level.
Crop Protection and Integrated Pest Management, 3 June 2024
The webinar was led by Luis Carazo, Acting Director International, Margaret Bateson, Acting Director Sustainability, and Dr. Prakash Hebbar, APHIS Acting Deputy Director Europe, Africa, and Middle East. Participants took part in two sessions on mitigating pest risks while maintaining productivity in a changing climate and another on the integrated pest management techniques. The sessions concluded on the way forward in the context of the CPA with the call for more intense transatlantic cooperation just as is now the case in scientific cooperation. All participants agreed that the challenges are very dynamic and require flexible responses with an emphasis on farmer training, research, and innovation.
EU-US Collaboration Platform on Agriculture 2024 Stakeholder Session, 8-9 April 2024
On 8-9 April 2024, Commission officials from the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) together with USDA organised a very successful second EU-US stakeholder event. It included a one-day conference on 8 April and a field trip on 9 April. The delegation was accompanied by around 20 EU stakeholders from various parts of the food system (farming, processing, knowledge transfer, NGO, etc.), and more than 25 registered on the US side. The panel sessions were opened by senior officials from both administrations:
- Pierre Bascou, Deputy Director General, DG AGRI;
- Catherine Geslain-Laneelle, Director for Strategy and Policy Analysis, DG AGRI;
- Robert Bonnie, Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, USDA;
- Alexis Taylor, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, USDA;
- Seth Meyer, Chief Economist, USDA
The event consisted of six panels:
- Recapturing and building on 2023 exchanges
- Ensuring resilient food chains: global and regional perspectives
- Developing new markets and measuring agricultural stability
- The future of the livestock sector: pressures and opportunities
- The role of innovation: how do we ensure farmers have access to all tools necessary to transform our food system?
- Improving transatlantic cooperation on agriculture: what’s the future role of the CPA?
Production Input and Crop Management, 4 October 2023
Discussions were led by Luis Carazo, Acting Director International, and Dr. Prakash Hebbar, APHIS Acting Deputy Director Europe, Africa, and Middle East.
Participants exchanged views on how to develop joint activities on production input and crop management, as envisaged in the work programme of the CPA. It was concluded a fruitful avenue of cooperation would be to promote the exchange of information between US and EU farmers on best management practice such as integrated pest management.
Aid and Resiliency, Adaptation and Transformation, 25 September 2023
Commission and USDA officials were led by Mihail Dumitru, Deputy Director-General, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, and Ambassador Robert Bonnie, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation USDA.
Participants discussed how the US and EU absorb the impact of crisis on the short term, help farmers to adapt on the medium term and promote long-term transformation in the farm business model. They identified issues of common interest for further joint work and coordination.
Exchange on Advancing Young and Historically Underserved Farmers and Addressing Intergenerational Farm Issues, 3 June 2023
United States and European Union Young Farmer representatives, joined by officials from the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development and USDA, explored ongoing efforts on both sides of the Atlantic to support young and historically underserved farmers. The session sought to address the issues rural communities and families encounter with the intergenerational transfer of land, knowledge, and other resources.
Participants exchanged perspectives and reviewed efforts being taken to address this complex challenge. They also exchanged on experiences and issues of possible common interest.
Agricultural Market Disturbances and Supporting Producers in Crisis, 22 May 2023
USDA and Commission officials, led by Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, Director, Strategy & Policy analysis, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, and Spiro Stefanou, Administrator Economic Research Service (ERS), exchanged on experiences and issues of possible common interest such as monitoring food supply and food security and mapping risks and vulnerabilities of the food supply chain.
Sustainability Efforts in the US and EU Cattle and Beef Supply Chains, 16 May 2023
USDA and Commission officials and representatives of beef producers in the EU and the US met to share information, exchange ideas and discuss sustainability efforts in the US and EU cattle and beef supply chains.
EU-US stakeholder event, 6-7 December 2022
Stakeholders from the EU and the US exchanged views on sustainable agriculture and policy outlook in the context of the CPA.
Workshop on reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in livestock production, 19 October 2022
USDA and Commission officials exchanged available knowledge, experience and research on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in livestock production in the EU and US. Experts from Wageningen University, Dairy Management Inc., Teagasc and the Institut de l’élevage (IDELE) contributed to the event, which was joined also by representatives from EU Member States and the EU and US civil society.
Food security webinar, 13 July 2022
US government and Commission officials exchanged views on food security, notably in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The discussion focused on:
- the maintenance of open and transparent markets to ensure food availability and security;
- the availability of nitrogen and mineral-based fertilisers, efficient nutrient management, and alternatives;
- how to balance food security, sustainability, and consumer demands.
Online workshop on 'Transatlantic Perspectives on soil health', 28 June 2022
USDA and Commission officials exchanged available knowledge on soil health, including sustainable management of soils to promote carbon sequestration and soil biodiversity. Exchange topics also included targeted research actions, how to foster networking, cooperation and partnerships among users of soil data and information, as well as the development of indicators and assessments aimed at underpinning policy. The exchange was supported by experts’ views from INRAe, Wageningen University, the University of Osnabrueck and the European Land and Soil Alliance.
Online workshop on measurement, trends, drivers, and sustainability impacts of agricultural productivity growth, 3 May 2022
USDA and Commission officials exchanged information and knowledge about the impact of agricultural productivity growth on social, economic, and environmental objectives. Additionally the workshop participants examined how the concept is treated and assessed in US and EU approaches to building more sustainable food systems. The exchange was supported by experts’ views from OECD, Purdue University and the International Food Policy Research Institute.
