EU Council Backs Updated Market Rules as the Post-2027 CAP Takes Shape
EU Council Agrees Position on Post-2027 Market Rules
On 19 October 2026 the Council agreed a partial position on updated rules for agricultural markets, including a new protein crop sector and a single national partnership fund.
At a glance: On 19 October 2026 the Council agreed a partial negotiating position on the common market organisation (CMO) for agricultural products | A new protein crop and oilseed sector would replace the dried fodder sector | Existing funds, including CAP support, would be pooled into a single national and regional partnership fund
The architecture of European farming support for the rest of the decade is being drawn right now, and this month it moved a step closer. On 19 October 2026, the Council agreed a partial negotiating position on updated rules for the common market organisation (CMO) for agricultural products, part of the wider negotiations on the EU's long-term budget for 2028 to 2034.
The position is described as partial because it does not yet cover the financial and horizontal issues, which are still being settled within the overall Multiannual Financial Framework. In other words, the direction is taking shape, while the final figures depend on the budget deal as a whole. "Today, we are taking an important step towards shaping the future of Europe's agricultural markets," said Martin Heydon, Ireland's Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
What the position contains
Several elements stand out for the agri-food sector. A new protein crop and oilseed sector would replace the existing dried fodder sector, with the explicit aims of boosting domestic production, reducing import dependence and strengthening the EU's strategic autonomy. Sectoral support would remain mandatory for apiculture and for fruit and vegetables, and in certain circumstances for wine, with flexible derogations where the wine sector is less developed.
The text also keeps the EU school scheme, with a sharper focus on healthier diets, including limits on foods high in free sugars and fats, and a shift from a school-year to a calendar-year basis. It opens the door to marketing standards for products such as protein crops, beef, pigmeat, sheep meat, goatmeat and rice, to better inform consumers about origin, and it harmonises rules for hemp across all parts of the plant while keeping strict seed certification and the 0.3% THC threshold.
A single fund, and a simpler plan
Perhaps the most structural change concerns how support is organised. Under the proposal, existing EU funds, including CAP support, would be pooled into a single national and regional partnership fund, with each member state preparing one comprehensive plan in place of today's separate plans and programmes. A dedicated post-2027 CAP regulation is being worked on in parallel, with a partial Council mandate targeted for the October Agriculture and Fisheries Council. With the mandate agreed, the Council presidency can now begin negotiations with the European Parliament.
Why it matters
For farmers and agri-food innovators, these are not abstract procedural steps. The design of the next framework will shape how predictable support is, how easily it can be accessed, and whether funding flows toward resilience, competitiveness and innovation. The new emphasis on protein crops and strategic autonomy is directly relevant to a sector working on domestic, sustainable sources of food and feed, and the move to a single national plan will change how each member state programmes its support.
Navigating that landscape, and helping innovative businesses and farms turn policy into funded, on-the-ground action, is precisely where Agriventures focuses its work. As the post-2027 CAP takes shape, staying close to these decisions is the difference between reacting to the rules and helping shape how they are used.
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/agrifish/2026/10/26-27/
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By strengthening connections between startups, research institutions, investors, and farmers, Agriventures contributes to building a stronger agricultural innovation ecosystem that can accelerate the transition toward sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems.
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