A report by the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has revealed that the EU Farm to Fork strategy will cut farm incomes by 16% on average.

This is because the price increases the USDA predicts of 17% won’t be enough to compensate for the 12% loss in production caused by reducing pesticides, fertiliser and antibiotics use by European farmers.

The report also looks at what the impact would be if the Farm to Fork strategy was put in place by the countries that are trade partners with the EU and if the EU Farm to Fork model was repeated across the entire world.

If it was applied on a global basis, ERS/USDA predicts that it would cause an 11% drop in global production of agricultural produce that would cause a massive 89% increase in prices.

At this point it would be positive for farm incomes, leading to a 15% increase, but in the process would increase global food costs by a predicted $450 (€388) per person outside the EU and US which would have the effect of increasing food insecurity for 185m more people, mainly in Africa and Asia.