EU Agriculture Commissioner Hansen takes stock

In his opening statement at the press conference on 15 January 2026, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen took stock of his first year in office. The press conference took place on Thursday at the Berlin Press Centre shortly before the official opening of Grüne Woche.

Grüne Woche as a showcase for the agricultural and food industry

"It is a great honour for me to be able to participate in this wonderful Grüne Woche event in Berlin. We are back here at one of the largest agricultural fairs in Europe and the world. This fair helps to highlight the hard work our farmers do in producing our food. But it's not just about farmers, it's about the entire food production industry and everything related to it."

Christophe Hansen has been EU Commissioner for Agriculture since 2024 and is responsible, among other things, for food security, farmers' incomes and the further development of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). He says he has been very conscious of this responsibility over the past year. "Dialogue is central to my work, which is why I travelled to all 27 Member States in the first year of my term – not only to the capitals to meet politicians, but also to hear first-hand from agricultural representatives on farms and in rural areas about the challenges they face and the options for the future.

CAP, income and the question: who gets the money?

Hansen focused on the future Common Agricultural Policy. With regard to the budget proposal presented in July, he makes it clear: ‘In the future CAP, income support for farmers will be secured and guaranteed.’ A total of almost €400 billion is now available for agriculture and rural areas, supplemented by funds from the Competitiveness and Research Fund.

With regard to the design of the support instruments, he emphasised: ‘The aim is for the money to go to farmers who produce effectively. At present, it often still goes to those who own the land.’ He also referred to the increasing involvement of external investors in agricultural land who do not themselves engage in farming. In an interview with Messe Berlin, he also emphasised the role of women in agriculture: ‘Women make up 40 per cent of the workforce. But they have a harder time.’ He told of a Swedish farmer who introduced him to the term ‘kids or cows’. By this she meant that she had to choose between childcare and work because the nearest nursery was an hour away from her farm. ‘There is a lot of catching up to do,’ said Hansen. The United Nations has designated 2026 as the International Year of Women in Agriculture.

Where do chicken nuggets come from?

The EU Commissioner took a clear European stance on the origin labelling of food. Consumers need to know where their food comes from, especially in the case of highly processed products. "Let's take the example of a chicken nugget, which my children really like to eat. You can find out where it was produced, but you don't know whether it's German, Luxembourgish, Ukrainian or Brazilian chicken meat. I find that problematic. For a product that consists mainly of meat, I would like to see at least a label stating whether it is European meat. At the same time, he warns against overly detailed labelling. ‘But I don't want us to start writing Baden-Württemberg, Brandenburg, Bavaria or Luxembourg on everything,’ he said. Over-granularisation jeopardises the internal market, which still has great potential. ‘I am a staunch European in this regard,’ he said.

In conclusion, Hansen emphasised his efforts to reduce bureaucracy, create fairer trading conditions and speed up approvals for alternatives to traditional plant protection products. Direct dialogue with farmers at the Grüne Woche is particularly important to him in this regard.