Agricultural and Environmental Policy

The European Union (EU) is one of the world’s export powerhouses when it comes to agricultural products despite having only a small proportion of its population engaged in farming. The centrality of sustainability has been especially prominent in agricultural policy, where significant reforms over the last decade have placed environmentally sensitive practices at the heart of the EU’s approach. The pattern has been echoed across the EU, which has experienced a large decline in agricultural imports from outside the EU and a growth in trade among the member states. Farmers form an essential part of the rural fabric of most EU states and support a substantial number of people and services in small towns, villages, and rural areas. French farmers have been keen on European agricultural subsidies and have developed a reputation for taking to the streets when they feel that their interests are threatened.