(L-R) Martine Hansen, Luxembourg's Minister of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture; Anne-Catherine Dalcq, Belgium's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, in charge of Forestry, Nature, Hunting and Fisheries; Credit: European Union

On Monday 24 March 2025, Luxembourg’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture, Martine Hansen, participated in the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels.

A press release, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture, explained that the main focus of the Council was the policy debate held by the Agriculture Ministers on Commissioner Christophe Hansen's vision for agriculture and food.

Minister Hansen emphasised the importance of this vision for agriculture and the strategic role of food sovereignty and highlighted the priorities for Luxembourg agriculture in this regard. "The new vision places the active farmer at the centre of discussions, but we must also guarantee greater planning security for producers and further simplify the Common Agricultural Policy," she said.

The minister welcomed the European Commission's desire to impose reciprocity of European production standards on imported agricultural products, particularly in the areas of pesticide residues and animal welfare. Moreover, Minister Hansen proposed better labelling of EU and non-EU origin for all foodstuffs.

Minister Hansen also shared the Commission's priority for young farmers and highlighted the importance of generational renewal. 

Regarding diversification of the agricultural sector, the press release stated that Minister Hansen supported producers diversifying their income sources, provided that the farmer's main income comes from food production and that complementary activities such as renewable energy production and the bioeconomy do not increase land pressure in the agricultural sector. The minister advocated reviewing state aid regulations to allow support for farmers who sell biogas.

Minister Hansen also defended the interests of Luxembourg livestock farming, which is characteristic of an agriculture based on grasslands, pastures and animal production.

She proposed increasing direct aid to make the production of protein crops more profitable. 

Furthermore, Minister Hansen stated that she intends to reduce the administrative burden of research and innovation. 

HOM