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Europe's agriculture and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) –
frequently asked questions
A picture of EU
agriculture
How rural is the EU?
Rural areas (farm land and forests)
cover over 90% of EU territory and are home to around
half of its population (farming community and other
residents).
How many farmers are there in the EU?
There are about 12 million
full-time farmers in the 27 EU
countries.
What types of farming are there in
the EU?
Throughout the EU, there are farms practising extensive
and intensive farming, as well as conventional and
organic farming.
In the EU, family farming is
an important tradition. Many farms have been owned and run by
the same family for generations.
Compare 12 million farmers with an
average farm of about 12 hectares in Europe to only 2 million
farmers running 180-hectare farms in the US!
Corporate farming – where the farm (i.e. the land,
buildings, machinery and livestock) is owned by a commercial
company that employs a manager to run it – is rather unusual in
Europe
Does the EU support a
particular 'European model of agriculture'?
The EU favours sustainable,
productive, and competitive agriculture, even in regions
where conditions are difficult.
This means farmers should be
able to live well and be competitive, to respond to consumers'
and citizens' concerns regarding food availability and price,
quality and safety, environmental protection and the
safeguarding of animal welfare.
Rural communities
and regions should be preserved as a valuable part of Europe's
heritage and landscape and Europeans should continue to
enjoy not only safe and affordable food but also Europe's
beautiful countryside.
Where can I find statistics on EU
agriculture?
In our
'Statistics' section and on the
EUROSTAT website.
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