In this special edition of the agrifood podcast, we explore the consequences of the recent coronavirus outbreak on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), focusing on what this outbreak shows about the EU farming system, how farmers can best be supported during times of crisis, and what effect this crisis will have on the on-going CAP post-2020 negotiations.

EU agriculture ministers have called for further measures to address the difficulties faced by the agri-food sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Europe’s farming sector could face a dramatic shortfall in workers, and lawmakers in the European Parliament have called on the European Commission to prepare a strategy anticipating the difficulties that might arise in implementing the CAP during the crisis.

The launch of the new EU food policy will be delayed by another month, EU countries have now been offered the option to extend the deadline to submit applications for CAP payments and food supply chain in Germany functions despite COVID-19. 

This week: The latest leaked draft of the Farm to Fork strategy features several notable changes from the previous version, how the new circular economy action plan will work alongside the Farm to Fork strategy and EFSA's conclusion that there is currently “no evidence that food is a likely source or route of transmission” of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

This week: the leaked draft of the Farm to Fork strategy says that it will base its mandatory pesticide reduction targets on the controversial Harmonised Risk Indicator 1 and that it envisages setting five targets in the flagship new food policy and EURACTIV takes a look at the concerns surrounding digital farming