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At the start of 2024, Europe’s farmers caused widescale disruption by blocking traffic and dumping manure in protest of their compounding challenges, including tighter environmental regulation and declining incomes.
Despite this mass mobilisation, over one year on the situation remains much the same. A Europe-wide survey, launched by CropLife Europe, in partnership with Ipsos and Euronews, captures farmers’ sentiments in 2025, reflecting a sector still in turmoil. The discontent is palpable – 55 per cent are ready to protest again.
Drawing from farmers’ own perspectives, we uncover the state of European farming today, asking what, if anything, has changed since early 2024 and the opportunities and challenges Europe is yet to address.
The state of play: an industry in crisis
In 2024, half of the 1,998 farmers surveyed by Ipsos across nine key European countries took to the streets. Yet, a year later, over 90 per cent remain disappointed by the lack of both concrete policy reform and engagement from authorities.
Worryingly, half of those surveyed estimated a worse economic situation since last year, with widespread concerns regarding regulatory and administrative burdens. Over two-thirds of respondents felt international competition had intensified, a main cause of difficulty for nearly one in four farmers. This is driven partly by challenges in managing product imports from countries with different regulatory standards.
Though support for climate adaptation was seen as a priority for only 18 per cent of respondents, climate change remains the quiet crux of the crisis. Green regulations attempting to undo decades of unsustainable practices are exposing vulnerabilities in the sector, leaving farmers without adequate transitional support as they bear the brunt of environmental decline and worsening economic realities.
Economic woes persist for Europe’s farmers
In 2025, European farmers continue to face mounting costs and dwindling revenues. Increasing input prices and insufficient selling prices are cited as top issues, with around two-thirds of farmers seeing a worsened capacity to invest in new tools or machines and many percieving current product prices as not allowing a sufficient profit margin.
Consequently, European farmers remain caught in a cycle of uncertainty and frustration, with around half still struggling to cover basic farm expenses.
Environmental regulations have compounded this situation, further impacting farmers’ returns. Real world examples of this can be seen in France and Germany where farmers face the end of fuel subsidies, while in the Netherlands, farmers are under mounting pressure to cut livestock emissions. Droughts and water restrictions are also impacting production across large parts of Europe, in particular, Spain, Greece, and France.
Young farmers most optimistic despite challenges
Despite a broadly gloomy outlook, rays of optimism can be found. The job remains one of pride and is still considered ‘rewarding’ and ‘necessary’ by a number of farmers in the sample.
Business success persists as the number one reason to be optimistic, especially in France. Achieving such success is increasingly difficult, but Polish and Romanian farmers are more hopeful for a better future in agriculture than in other countries.
Generally speaking, the countries showing more optimism are the countries facing fewer economic difficulties overall, including Romania, Ireland and the Netherlands, despite regulatory and administrative burdens still being reported.
Practical fixes: what could change the outlook?
As economic pressures mount, Europe’s farmers are urging the EU for targeted support to secure their livelihoods. Even in the most optimistic countries, farmers consistently cited enhanced financial support and redistribution of profits along the value chain (82%) as top priorities for EU action, alongside regulatory and administrative simplification (65%).
One in three farmers also urged greater support for research, innovation and access to an effective ‘crop protection toolbox’ in order to mitigate climate impacts, reduce costs and be profitable.
CropLife Europe advocates for sustainable solutions such as advanced irrigation techniques, drought-resistant seeds and digital farming tools. However, implementation is only possible if authorities acknowledge the economic burden of transformation and the societal imperative of investing in farmers’ futures.
In the coming weeks, we go deeper into the study, looking at potential solutions to address the farmers’ core concerns and inject some much needed optimism into the European farming community.
In this way, Europe may move from crisis to resilience, securing not only the future of its farmers but that of Europe’s entire food system.
For more insight, read the full Ipsos report.
