EU-27 agrifood system

The EU supports the transition towards sustainable agrifood systems. While total EU GHG emissions have dropped by a third since 1990, emissions from agrifood systems have fallen more slowly. In its latest analytical brief, FAOSTAT presents the results of its first database on agrifood systems, going beyond the farm gate. FAOSTAT reports that the agrifood system is responsible for a third of global GHG emissions. They are generated by farm production activities (crop and livestock); land use change (such as deforestation and peatland drainage); and pre-/post-production processes (for instance, retail, consumption and disposal). In 2020, the contribution of agrifood systems to total EU emissions was 31 %, within which the shares of emissions from ‘farm gate’ and ‘pre- and post- production’ activities accounted for circa 48 % and 48 % respectively, while 4 % was due to land use change.