EU Agri-Food Exports Hit Record

The European Union set a record for agri-food exports in 2025, reaching €238.4 billion, up 1.2% from the year before, while imports of agri-food products from non-EU countries also hit a record at €188.6 billion, up 9% from 2024, according to figures cited Thursday in Rome during a meeting between the European commissioner for health and animal welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, and Italy’s agriculture minister, Francesco Lollobrigida.

The numbers underscore the bloc’s role as a major global food producer and exporter, but also its growing exposure to foreign competition and supply-chain pressure. Várhelyi said the European Union must strengthen food sovereignty and food security by demanding reciprocity in trade rules with third countries, arguing that imported products should meet the same standards required inside the bloc. He pointed to Italy as a model for quality controls, consumer protection and production standards.

Speaking at the Agriculture Ministry in Rome, Várhelyi said the European Union should do more to defend “the safety, quality and total transparency” of the agri-food system. He said the bloc would increase audits in third countries this year and step up inspections at entry points such as ports, including Genoa, which he said he intended to visit. He also said Brussels had created a fast reaction team of experts from member states that can be deployed when local capacity is lacking.

The commissioner linked food policy to broader concerns about animal health and farm competitiveness. He said the European Union must invest more in animal welfare while also protecting livestock producers from diseases such as African swine fever and lumpy skin disease. He said the bloc should work more closely with the European Food Safety Authority on vaccination strategies and emergency response.

Lollobrigida welcomed Várhelyi’s approach and described him as a commissioner who was acting in Europe’s interest rather than national interest. The Italian minister said Rome wanted tougher checks on imported goods and stronger enforcement at ports. He argued that products entering the European market should not benefit from lower standards abroad while competing with European farmers who must follow stricter rules.

The minister also criticized a recent vote in the European Parliament on rice safeguards, calling it unacceptable because it rejected a proposal to lower the threshold for activating safeguard clauses on imports from third countries. He said imports from countries that use pesticides banned in Europe, or rely on labor exploitation, amounted to unfair competition. He said Italy would press Brussels again for tighter controls and what he called zero tolerance on unauthorized crop-protection products.

The meeting also touched on agricultural technology. Lollobrigida said Italy had asked the commissioner to support wider use of drones in farming, arguing that they could reduce pesticide use and help producers in difficult terrain. He also said Rome backed the European Commission’s Omnibus package and wanted reciprocity written into international agreements.

Wine was another central issue, even though Várhelyi did not take questions from reporters on alcohol and health warnings. Lollobrigida said he had made clear from the start that Italy opposed warning labels on wine that he described as alarmist or conditioning. He said transparency was important, but added that labels should inform consumers rather than frighten them.

“We will never accept labels that condition choices,” he said, referring to earlier disputes over Nutri-Score-style labeling. He argued that wine should be discussed through scientific evidence and responsible consumption rather than demonization. He cited research presented at Vinitaly and by Federvini as support for his position.

Coldiretti, Italy’s main farm lobby, also met with Várhelyi and delivered a petition with 1 million signatures calling for greater transparency and food safety protections. Ettore Prandini, Coldiretti’s president, urged the commissioner to join what he called a battle for transparency in defense of wine, saying it should not be demonized and should be promoted as part of Italian history, territory and quality.