The European Commission will hold a two-day agricultural outlook conference to provide an opportunity for a broad exchange of views on the state of agriculture and the global issues which lie ahead. Some four hundred stakeholders, including EU institutions, governments and international organisations, those involved in the food chain, the socio-professional sector, market experts, academics and think tanks, and the broader civil society, are expected to participate in the event.
On the first day of the conference, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan and U.S. Secretary for Agriculture Tom Vilsack will discuss the challenges facing the farm sector.
In addition, high-level panel discussions will take place highlighting the challenge for agriculture to provide food in an environmentally sustainable way while adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change. The functioning of the food supply chain will also be at the centre of the debates. Senior representatives of the European institutions, and leading experts from international organisations will participate in these debates.
On the second day of the conference, the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development will present its latest projections on the outlook for EU dairy, meat and arable crop markets for the next ten years.