March 2026 Data (April Edition)

Section A: The Themes Hidden in March's Lobbying Data

EU’s Single Market Report Spurs Debate on Food Sector Competitiveness

A surge in lobbying from 'Other Food Products' manufacturers and related groups, including organisations such as The Kraft Heinz Company, FoodDrinkEurope, and the European Dairy Association aisbl, and advocacy efforts directed at Commission figures like Comm Hansen (Agriculture and Food) in March 2026 coincides with renewed policy focus across the EU on food sector competitiveness following the release of the 2026 Annual Single Market and Competitiveness Report. With the report highlighting regulatory fragmentation and administrative burdens, Member States began debating urgent support measures for strategic industries, generating heightened advocacy around competitiveness, supply chain issues, and sectoral reforms.

📎 Single Market and Competitiveness Report 2026 · Results of the Competitiveness Council, February 2026

Commission Plans to Tighten Unfair Trading Practice Rules

Heightened lobbying by The Kraft Heinz Company, FoodDrinkEurope, and the European Dairy Association aisbl in March 2026 aligns with the European Commission’s plan to strengthen the Unfair Trading Practices (UTP) Directive, with multiple meetings held with Direct. Gen. Agriculture and Food and Comm Hansen (Agriculture and Food). The policy overhaul aims to close regulatory gaps and reinforce protections in the food supply chain, raising stakes for agri-food manufacturers, retailers, and farmers at the center of EU market dynamics debates.

📎 Commission to overhaul food chain trading rules in 2026 · FoodDrinkEurope position paper, May 2026 · Regulation (EU) 2026/697 on UTP cooperation

Agri-Food Groups Respond to New 2040 Climate Target and Carbon Farming Framework

March 2026 saw increased advocacy from agri-cooperatives and the European Dairy Association aisbl, as well as European farmers and The Kraft Heinz Company, as the EU adopted a binding 2040 climate target and advanced new measures for carbon removals and farming certification, in discussions with Direct. Gen. Climate and Comm Hansen (Agriculture and Food). These developments are driving technical engagement as sector actors seek clarity on how carbon credit schemes and Buyers’ Clubs will affect compliance burdens, farm income, and broader supply chain participation in climate mitigation.

📎 2040 climate target - Climate Action - European Commission · Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming - Climate Action - European Commission · The CRCF framework: Current policy direction and the climate transition ...

Animal Welfare Policy Advances Drive Lobbying on Sector Reform

A new EU regulation targeting the welfare of cats and dogs, adopted in April 2026, has intensified debate over pending reforms to broader animal welfare legislation impacting farmed species. The pronounced lobbying efforts by organisations such as the European Dairy Association aisbl, the European Forum of Farm Animal Breeders, and the European Rural Poultry Association, in exchanges with Direct. Gen. Health and Animal Welfare, reflect sector concerns about legislative scope and timelines as advocacy intensifies ahead of anticipated farm animal welfare proposals.

📎 Parliament adopts dog and cat welfare rules, April 2026 · Commission animal welfare policy update · Eurogroup for Animals—campaign and legislative timeline

Section B: Lobbying Activity by Industry

This section compares, by industry, the lobbying activity with the European Commission last month to its historical average.

Industry Lobbying Activity, March 2026

In March 2026, 10 industries from this sector were active in lobbying meetings with the European Commission, led by Other Food Products.

Industries running notably above their historical average this month include Other Food Products, Grain Mill and Starch Products, Meat Processing & Preservation, Vegetable and Animal Oils, and Plant Propagation.

On the quieter side, Agriculture Support & Post-harvest, Beverages, and Mixed Farming saw notably less lobbying activity than their historical average.

Section C: Lobbying by Industry for the Past Year

To contextualize Section B, this chart shows the residual trajectory of the same top industries from Section B over the past 12 months — the deviation from what would be expected after accounting for seasonal patterns and the overall trend. Persistent above-zero values indicate sustained over-activity; persistent below-zero values indicate sustained quiet periods.

Industry Lobbying Residuals, March 2026

This chart shows the 10 industries in this sector with the largest deviations from expected lobbying activity in March 2026. Positive values run above their seasonal trend, negative values below.

Beverages, Meat Processing & Preservation, Dairy Products and Edible Ice, Grain Mill and Starch Products, and Agriculture Support & Post-harvest saw lobbying notably below expected levels this month.

Section D: Lobbying Activity by Organization

In this section, we see the organizations with the most unusual lobbying behavior last month, defined by either unusually high or unusually low lobbying activity.

Organization Lobbying Activity, March 2026

In March 2026, 80 organizations from this sector took part in 82 lobbying meetings with the European Commission.

The organizations with the most notable increases in lobbying activity this month include The Kraft Heinz Company, European Rural Community Alliance, Carlsberg Breweries A/S, European Dairy Association aisbl, and Eurogroup for Animals.

On the quieter side, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements EU Regional Group, PERNOD RICARD, and European farmers saw notably less lobbying activity than usual.

New to the sector's lobbying records this month: Northern Ireland Grain Trade Association, EU Ukraine Agriculture Council, Pluriton Netherlands, De Heus Animal Nutrition, and Rugenwalder Muhle Carl Muller GmbH & Co. KG.

Section E: Lobbying of Government Institutions in the Past Month

Every lobbying meeting takes place with one of two types of European Commission body: a Commissioner's cabinet (political staff) or a Directorate-General (the civil service). This section shows the organisation-to-institution pairings with the most unusual lobbying activity last month, defined by the largest absolute difference between this month's meeting count and the pair's 12-month rolling average.

Lobbying of Commission Institutions, March 2026 vs 12-Month Avg

In March 2026, 80 organisations from this sector met with 25 Commission bodies across 82 meetings — split across 11 Commissioner cabinets and 14 Directorates-General.

Notable increases in lobbying activity this month include FoodDrinkEurope with Direct. Gen. Agriculture and Food, European agri-cooperatives with Direct. Gen. Agriculture and Food, and European farmers with Direct. Gen. Agriculture and Food.

Section F: Organization Lobbying by Subject in the Past Month

This section shows the organisation-to-subject pairings with the most unusual lobbying activity last month. Subjects are classified from each meeting's title text into one of 19 EU policy areas. A meeting covering multiple topics counts toward each of them.

Lobbying by Subject, March 2026 vs 12-Month Avg

In March 2026, 79 organisations from this sector lobbied on 13 policy topics across 82 meetings. Meetings may touch multiple topics, so subject totals can exceed total meetings.

Topics with notably elevated lobbying activity this month include The Kraft Heinz Company on Agri-Food, The Kraft Heinz Company on Single Market, Eurogroup for Animals on Environment, FoodDrinkEurope on Single Market, and European Dairy Association aisbl on Agri-Food.

On the quieter side, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements EU Regional Group on Agri-Food and Lantbrukarnas Riksforbund on Agri-Food saw notably less lobbying activity than their historical average.

Section G: Most-Lobbied Officials

This section lists the most-frequent lobbying touchpoints between this sector's organisations and individual European Commission officials last month, compared to each pairing's average over the past year.

Most-Lobbied Officials, March 2026

In March 2026, 76 European Commission officials took part in 82 meetings with this sector's lobbyists.

The most-frequent meetings this month were European Horse Network and Ursula von der Leyen at Pres von der Leyen, European Rural Community Alliance and Raffaele Fitto at EVP Fitto (Cohesion and Reforms), PREPARE Partnership for Rural Europe AISBL and Raffaele Fitto at EVP Fitto (Cohesion and Reforms), European LEADER Association for Rural Development and Raffaele Fitto at EVP Fitto (Cohesion and Reforms), and European agri-cooperatives and Christophe Hansen + 1 other at Comm Hansen (Agriculture and Food).

Most activity came from Cabinet members (50 meetings), followed by Head of Unit (37) and Commissioner (11).