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Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement

INRAE

INRAE is a French public institute for scientific research in agriculture, food, and the environment.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Paul Webb (Head of Department European Research Executive Agency)

6 Jan 2026 · Discussion on modalities of the Model Grant Agreement related to the tasks of coordinators of Cluster 6 HORIZON projects.

INRAE urges EU strategy to include all agricultural workers

14 Jul 2025
Topic — The initiative aims to address demographic challenges by attracting and supporting young farmers.
Message — The strategy should encompass the entire agricultural workforce, including employees and migrants. It must also strengthen succession planning to support the entire farm transfer process.12
Why — Increased funding for applied research would help the institute develop localized farming solutions.3
Impact — Older farmers may lose financial flexibility if forced to choose between pensions and subsidies.4
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Research Alliance Urges EU to Boost Bioeconomy Innovation Funding

23 Jun 2025
Topic — This initiative aims to develop solutions for a circular and climate-neutral bioeconomy.
Message — The group calls for increased research funding and public-private partnerships to accelerate innovation. They recommend flexible policies that avoid strictly allocating raw materials to specific uses. Finally, they suggest using public procurement to drive demand for bio-based products.123
Why — Increased funding and better infrastructure would solidify their position as leaders in bioeconomy research.45
Impact — Fossil-based industries face challenges as the EU moves toward phasing out non-sustainable technologies.67
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Meeting with Gijs Schilthuis (Director Agriculture and Rural Development) and

10 Jun 2025 · Science and policy

INRAE urges EU to expand Biotech Act beyond healthcare

6 Jun 2025
Topic — The consultation aims to create an enabling environment for EU biotechnology applications.
Message — INRAE proposes including agri-food and bioeconomy sectors within the scope of the Act. They request faster marketing procedures to prevent losing economic potential to global competitors.123
Why — Modernized regulations would help the institute successfully transfer its laboratory research to industry.4
Impact — The petrochemical industry stands to lose its market dominance due to proposed subsidies.5
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Response to European strategy on research and technology infrastructures

22 May 2025

Considering the importance of a research-technology-innovation confluence in the design process of innovations, the European Strategy on research (RI) and technology (TI) infrastructures should adopt a global perspective to avoid the binary categorisation RI/TI. Indeed, a better articulation between the activities supported by infrastructures involved in all steps of the research-technological development industrial development trajectory should be sought. That means that different types of infrastructures are needed to underpin a vibrant research-innovation continuum. The successful articulation of RIs and TIs is thus crucial to reinforce European innovation, ensure EU competitiveness and demonstrate the added-value of a pan-European strategy. Ensuring a continuum from low TRL (RI) to high TRL (TI): there is an imperious need to sustain the provision of adequate support for fundamental research and the corresponding infrastructures. The existing RI landscape must be part of the strategy, ensuring that science communities can leverage the most advanced tools and technologies to advance science and provide foundational knowledge. In this regard, pre-industrial demonstrators are ideal support tools for budding SMEs. Long-term funding: it is essential for Europe to recognise the need for long-term strategic funding for RIs and TIs. The European Union can better rally national-based organisations, encourage pan-European cooperative initiatives, while rationalising the use of funds, in order to maintain the highest level of excellence. Sustainable infrastructures require long-term support linked to rigorous monitoring processes. It is crucial to ensure that Europe possesses sufficient RI and TI capacity, while reducing duplication and inefficient spending. Consistency of the RI-TI landscape at the national level and at the European level: several infrastructures focused on the same theme areas can coordinate themselves and bring added value in the R&I system while avoiding duplication. Thats why coordination mechanisms between them should be considered as well in the rationalisation process of the landscape. The strategy should build on the regular assessments of the national landscape to identify gaps and needs in terms of new European infrastructures. Management of data generated by RI/TI: European guidelines and good practices to deal with data generated by RI/TI could help to ensure the storage of those data, the quality of data generated, the property of those data, security, etc. The strategy should integrate key technologies such as AI/ML according to open science principles. Efficient communication on the simplification of the landscape: The Commission needs to be clear on what TIs will develop, how they will complement RIs access and services. Environmental impact of infrastructures should remain an important topic, given the significant energy and environmental cost of their implementation and operation.
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INRAE urges EU to expand life sciences strategy to agri-food

17 Apr 2025
Topic — A consultation to create a strategy for boosting European life sciences competitiveness and innovation.
Message — INRAE calls for a broad strategy including agricultural and environmental sciences. They request increased research funding and faster regulatory approval for new innovations.12
Why — Sustained funding and market access would help them commercialize new agricultural technologies.34
Impact — Citizens could face health risks if regulatory sandboxes lack robust safety oversight.5
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Meeting with Christophe Clergeau (Member of the European Parliament)

17 Nov 2023 · Déjeuner avec Pierre-Benoît Joly, INRAE de Toulouse

Response to Soil Health Law – protecting, sustainably managing and restoring EU soils

24 Oct 2023

On 5 July 2023, the European Commission published a proposal for a directive on soil monitoring and resilience (COM(2023) 416). The official Scientific response Document from the French Institut National de la Recherche pour lAgriculture, lAlimentation et lEnvironnement (INRAE) accompanying this message has been downloaded from this site. This document is signed on behalf of INRAE by Patrick Flammarion, Deputy Director General of Expertise and Support for Public Policies. INRAE welcomes this proposal for a directive and consider it as a crucial means of protecting soils, as an essential part of the ecosystem contributing strongly to many ecosystem services and thus to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. However, we believe that this proposal needs to be improved in terms of its chapters I, II, III and IV (and the main associated annexes: I, II, III and VI). Our main points of attention concern: (1) in Chapter I, the definition of soil health, the definition of soil districts and their relationships with competent authorities, the definition of net land take, and the need to take account of overseas territories linked to Europe; (2) in Chapter II (and ANNEXES I and II), biodiversity indicators (by identifying relevant indicators measured using appropriate methods), the relevance of Soil Water Holding Capacity, possible indicators on ecosystem services, sampling frequency, and complementarities with the Land Use/Cover Area frame statistical Survey (LUCAS) Programme; (3) in chapter III (and ANNEX III), a lack of ambition (including the lack of recommendations for non-agricultural soils); (4) in Chapter IV (and ANNEX VI) the need to take into account the geochemical background of the soil, the need of additional details on relevant organic contaminants, and the need to not restrict contamination assessment to sites exposed to point source contamination.
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Meeting with Christophe Clergeau (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

8 Sept 2023 · Visite du centre de recherche

Meeting with Christophe Clergeau (Member of the European Parliament)

4 Sept 2023 · Innovations et recherche agricoles

Response to Enhancing the European Administrative Space (ComPAct)

12 Jul 2023

Du point de vue dINRAE, institut national de recherche public dont lune des missions principales est, au-delà de la production de connaissances scientifiques, de fournir un éclairage et une aide à lélaboration et la mise en œuvre des politiques publiques agricoles, alimentaires et environnementales, les besoins des administrations centrales, régionales et locales sont à la fois essentiels pour INRAE et multiples dans leur diversité thématique, mais aussi dans les manières de conduire des actions dexpertise et dappui aux politiques publiques par un institut de recherche comme INRAE. INRAE expérimente en particulier la mise en place de dispositifs dinterface entre linstitut et les acteurs publics au niveau national comme territorial, ou encore organise des formations à destination des chercheurs et des acteurs publics pour partager des retours dexpériences et croiser les cultures. INRAE accueille des ingénieurs de lEtat dans ses unités de recherche, ou encore contribue à la formation doctorale dingénieurs de lEtat, qui ensuite déploie une carrière professionnelle au sein des acteurs qui portent les politiques publiques (ministères, agences nationales, collectivités territoriales, etc.). Globalement, INRAE soutient donc fortement les objectifs de linitiative ComPAct qui devra permettre de fournir un cadre global commun aux Etats membres, et de mettre à disposition des outils et programmes permettant de parler un seul et même langage entre les administrations européennes. Cette mise en place dune « coopération administrative » visera le renforcement de lapprentissage mutuel, notamment via la mobilité des agents entre administrations, mais visera aussi la montée en compétences grâce à des actions de formation et dapprentissage tout au long de la vie. INRAE partage donc lambition de linitiative ComPAct et a identifié les mêmes besoins en formation des fonctionnaires dans les administrations à toutes les échelles. INRAE sinscrit bien dans cette même démarche et encourage alors son déploiement au niveau communautaire par la Commission européenne. De la même manière, et comme le propose linstitut, le développement dactions de formation auprès des opérateurs de la recherche aux enjeux politiques, et donc aux besoins des administrations centrales, régionales et territoriales, est tout aussi essentiel. Le renforcement de la formation doit en effet être proposé à la fois des politiques publiques vers le scientifique, mais aussi du scientifique vers les politiques publiques et ce, afin de permettre aux décideurs publics délaborer et de mettre en œuvre des politiques publiques efficaces.
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Meeting with Marc Lemaitre (Director-General Research and Innovation)

12 Jul 2023 · Agricultural research

Meeting with Marc Lemaitre (Director-General Research and Innovation)

12 Jul 2023 · to present INRAE and its priorities for the next strategic plan

Meeting with Wolfgang Burtscher (Director-General Agriculture and Rural Development)

12 Jul 2023 · Research and digitalisation

INRAE advocates for automated data in farm sustainability network

9 Sept 2022
Topic — Converting the EU farm accountancy data network into a sustainability-focused data system.
Message — The organization calls for the automation of data collection to reduce the burden on farmers. They propose a pilot status for participants to receive public funding for digital recording equipment. Feedback also suggests including detailed metrics on pesticide use and biodiversity.12
Why — Detailed automated data would significantly boost scientific knowledge and research capabilities.34
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Response to Ex-post evaluation of Horizon 2020

29 Jul 2022

INRAE wishes to re-iterate its support to the European Framework Programme for research and innovation, which represent a vital source of funding for research actors to address transnational societal challenges. Over the lifetime of H2020, INRAE therefore actively participated in the programme with 314 projects and 97 in coordination, in all parts of the programme (all 4 pillars, every type of instruments and actions). INRAE welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the evaluation of H2020 and Over the period 2014-2020, H2020 has been the vessel of European scientific collaboration, it has created numerous opportunities for INRAE to conduct high-impact research and long-lasting cooperation with its European (and global) counterparts in many different research areas. H2020 has also showed a much-appreciated reaction capacity and the ability to fund crisis response research. As future crisis loom (due to war and climate change), it is crucial that Horizon Europe (HE) safeguards this feature. However we are disappointed that the simplifications that were announced for the H2020 were far from acted during both the contractualisation and the reporting phases of H2020 projects. The executive agencies running the contractualisation phase demanded details and justifications that were not requested at proposal stage and led to a multitude of fastidious and time-consuming modifications of the initial proposal unrelated to any shortcomings in the ESR. In the implementation phase of the project we also and almost systematically experienced numerous and recurrent delays in Project Officer replies to and validation of project amendments and reports leading to a significant increase in the workload of the project coordination team and frustrations at consortium level. Regarding audit procedure, INRAE would also like to take this opportunity to underline difficulties encountered with the timeframe (short delays given to the beneficiary to comply with the demands, including during periods when staff are less available; significant periods waiting for feedbacks from the auditors). INRAE then calls for greater flexibility given to the beneficiary to provide information and responses. INRAE also reminds the EC that more rapid publication of audit reports from the auditors would contribute to ameliorate the follow-up and would help the beneficiary to quickly take into consideration auditors ‘comments. Over the years, H2020 has increasingly focused on impact in order to develop practical responses to challenges, however negatively affecting the balance between Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA) with a problematic rise of the latter. This was especially the case of the much-needed Green Deal call, with maximal ambition and minimal success-rates. INRAE would like to underline that impact cannot be reached only by focusing on high technology readiness levels only. Fundamental and applied research are crucial for feeding the innovation pipeline. Investments in fundamental research as well as specific measures and support mechanisms for innovative researchers should be maintain as the core of the Framework Programme to guarantee impact-oriented research that provides solutions to both current and future challenges. It is also necessary for Europe to remain internationally competitive and attractive for leading scientists.
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Response to Interim evaluation of Horizon Europe

29 Jul 2022

As a proud supporter and already a significant beneficiary of the HE programme, with already more than 50 projects, including several as a coordinator, and under many different areas of the programme, INRAE welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the interim evaluation of Horizon Europe (HE). INRAE welcomes the increased budget allocated to HE to face global challenges as well as the continuity with H2020 in the general structure and instruments. The addition of a four-year strategic plan is a welcome improvement and INRAE is looking forward to contributing to the co-construction of the 2025-2027 Strategic Plan. HE has also showed a much-appreciated reaction capacity and the ability to fund crisis response research. As future crisis loom,it is crucial that HE safeguards this feature and associate European research actors to the identification of R&I emergencies and the best ways to face it. For INRAE’s researchers, HE represents an opportunity to conduct ambitious research projects with their European counterparts, on a broad set of research areas. However, HE remains a very demanding programme, with challenging tasks for participants and coordinators alike […] INRAE urges the EC to ensure that the expectations of HE calls adequately match the proposed funding. Furthermore, calls for projects are increasingly directive, significantly hampering real innovation in the proposal writing phase. INRAE welcomes the effort made by the EC to try to advance further in simplification. However, proposals should be evaluated coherently, as Evaluation Summary Reports have been seen to inadequately underline a lack of detail in sections of the proposal while new templates have introduced a consistent reduction in the page-limit. We are disappointed that the simplifications that were announced since H2020 were far from acted during both the contractualisation and the reporting phases of HE projects. […] Regarding research infrastructures in HE, setting up INFRASERV proposals has proved really complicated and burdensome. […] More generally, there are very few opportunities for new RI communities in HE, especially for RI networks which do not plan to evolve towards the lengthy procedure of becoming an ESFRI landmark. From H2020 to HE, Innovation Actions have become more numerous in the work programmes. INRAE believes that lower TRL research should remain at the core of HE and insists that the EC maintains a high number of Research and Innovation Actions in future work programmes. Furthermore we believe that non SMEs providing a supporting role in should be funded at 100%. Unfortunately, the calendar of the first calls of HE has also been challenging, with many single-stage calls opening in a very limited timeframe for each first year of biannual work programmes (2021 and 2023). […] INRAE insists that visibility on deadlines and call openings is crucial for high quality proposals and research. The EC should also seek to produce balanced work programmes, with a higher number of two-stage calls. Furthermore, despite the call for rationalisation made under the preparation of Horizon Europe, the multiplication of instruments and work programmes has been detrimental to an adequate participation: with various timeframes and deadlines, overlap on the covered topics, competition between calls, and utterly negatively affecting the overall comprehensiveness of the framework programme. While European partnerships are a highly-appreciated effort to rationalise the landscape and reduce the number of tools and instruments, INRAE is concerned about their proper implementation, with calendar issues and delayed calls and inadequate timing of initiatives designed to support the implementation of those partnerships. The role research performing organisations can play in these partnerships has also been a source of confusion and urgently needs to be clarified.
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Response to Recommendation for strengthened actions against antimicrobial resistance

24 Mar 2022

Please find attached INRAE's (French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment) for this call for evidence to the forthcoming Council recommendation on a greater action towards antimicrobial resistance.
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Meeting with Pascal Canfin (Member of the European Parliament)

19 May 2021 · Green Deal/Agriculture

Meeting with Thierry Breton (Commissioner) and

18 Feb 2021 · Pact for Skills roundtable with the representatives of agri-food sector

Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

18 Feb 2021 · Pact for Skills roundtable with the representatives of agri-food sector.

Response to New EU Soil Strategy - healthy soil for a healthy life

10 Dec 2020

INRAE welcomes the initiative undertaken by the EU Commission on the New Soils Strategy ‘healthy soil for a healthy life’, as part of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. There is indeed an urgent need to act to address soil and land degradation, and INRAE is pleased to see that research is identified as a lever for action to achieve the objectives of this future new soil strategy. However, in line with the Caring for soil is caring for life Mission objective to ensure that” 75% of soils are healthy by 2030 for food, people, nature and climate”, INRAE considers that the roadmap should place greater emphasis on the need to mobilize research on this issue through an ambitious inter- and transdisciplinary research program. We are indeed convinced that additional research is essential and has a crucial role to play in filling knowledge gaps in soil health and quality, and therefore in helping the development of a comprehensive and coherent policy framework to protect land and soil. Considering the importance of research and innovation, INRAE considers that the roadmap should also seek to build synergies with Horizon Europe Missions (and specifically the “Caring for Soil is caring for Life” Mission), European partnerships, and R&I programs as the “European Joint Programming Cofund on Agricultural Soil Management" (EJP SOIL). In order to tackle the challenges facing the EU, and reach the level of ambition set by the Green Deal, INRAE considers that the following points should be given special attention in the future EU Soil strategy : [...] To conclude, although INRAE warmly welcomes this Strategy, we suggests that the roadmap should be more closely associated with research actions. INRAE also encourages the strong links and synergies between this Strategy an equally ambitious, adequately funded research and innovation framework programmes.
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Response to EU Action Plan Towards a Zero Pollution Ambition for air, water and soil

29 Oct 2020

INRAE welcomes the EU Action Plan “Towards a Zero Pollution Ambition for Air, Water and Soil – Building a Healthier Planet for Healthier People”. Nevertheless, INRAE deeply regrets that the Zero Pollution Action Plan only builds on available information and that research and innovation is not included. Although a lot of information is already available, we are deeply convinced that additional research is still required to understand the complex phenomena that underlie the fate and effects of many environmental pollutants. It is essential to investigate further the origin, fate and impacts of pollutants, to improve and design new solutions tackling point and nonpoint sources of pollution and the various pollution-related issues (including source reduction and remediation approaches, improved public policies and appropriate digital solutions) and to analyse the drivers of societal change. Research has a crucial role to play in filling knowledge gaps and should therefore be featured prominently in the Action Plan. This plan should seek to build synergies with Horizon Europe Missions, European partnerships and R&I projects; research infrastructures should be mobilized to deliver the Zero Pollution Ambition. In addition, environmental monitoring programs and analytical platforms are essential to inform decision-making and ensure that the zero pollution objective has been attained. [...] To conclude, although INRAE warmly welcomes this Action plan, it strongly suggests that the roadmap for the Zero Pollution Action Plan should be more closely associated with research actions. INRAE encourages the European Commission to create strong links and synergies between this Action plan and an equally ambitious, adequately funded research and innovation framework programme.
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Meeting with Jorge Pinto Antunes (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski)

18 Mar 2020 · Reduction of the use of pesticides

Response to Farm to Fork Strategy

16 Mar 2020

INRAE, the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food & Environment, shares the views of the European Commission on the need for a sustainable food strategy to achieve the goals of the EU’s Green Deal. We welcome the opportunity to co-construct the roadmap towards a Farm to Fork Strategy for Sustainable Food. INRAE wants to highlight the importance for research and innovation to contribute to the European Green Deal. Achieving the goals of this ambitious strategy will indeed require discovering and developing new solutions. Besides these concrete innovations, research needs to be bold and already consider going one-step further to foster change. In details, INRAE would like to emphasis the need to work on the following issues listed in the enclosed document.
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Response to Organics production rules

27 Nov 2019

L'avis mentionne , pour l'élevage de lapin biologique , la même surface en élevage exterieur, pour un système en cage mobile (la cage est déplacée chaque jour) et pour un système fixe (parc extérieur), soit 0,6m² par lapin. C'est évidemment complètement illogique. Il faut offrir plus de surface à pâturer aux lapins logés en extérieur avec un système de parc fixe. Puisque chaque jour, un lapin en cage mobile dispose de 0,6m², soit sur l'ensemble de la phase d'engraissement (au moins 6 semaines= 42jours) il aura eu accès à 42x0,6 = 25m². La même surface par animal doit être disponible en parc fixe Il existe des publications scientifiques récentes sur ce sujet: Legendre H., Goby J.P., Duprat A., Gidenne T., Martin G., 2019. Herbage intake and growth of rabbits under different pasture type, herbage allowance and quality conditions in organic production. Animal, 13, 495-501. Martin G., Duprat A., Goby J.P., Theau J.P., Roinsard A., Descombes M., Legendre H., Gidenne T., 2016. Herbage intake regulation and growth of rabbits raised on grasslands: back to basics and looking forward. Animal, 10, 1609-1618.
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Meeting with Vytenis Andriukaitis (Commissioner) and

19 Sept 2019 · Visit of a site and exchange of views on how to move towards a more sustainable agriculture

Meeting with Anne Bucher (Director-General Health and Food Safety)

9 Jul 2019 · INRA’s presentation and health challenges ; One health (human health, food, nutrition, animal health, plant health) ; Three research priorities developed at INRA : microbiome, holobionte, predictives approaches (toxicology, animal health, plant health), alternatives to pesticides

Meeting with Phil Hogan (Commissioner)

9 Oct 2018 · Agri matters

Response to MFF: 9th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation and Rules for Participation and Dissemination

23 Aug 2018

INRA welcomes the European Commission’s proposal for Horizon Europe, maintaining, improving and further simplifying the rules of participation established under Horizon 2020. INRA also welcomes the increased financial envelope proposed by the European Commission for the Framework Programme, and the €10 billion allocated to Food and Natural Resources: a strong budget for excellent science in the European Union is essential to address the global challenges ahead.
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Response to Multiannual Financial Framework: Specific Programme implementing the 9th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation

2 Aug 2018

Please find attached INRA's position of the Specific Programme implementing the 9th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. Moreover, INRA presents three of its scientific priorities for Horizon Europe that emphasize the importance of research in the fields of agriculture, food and environment and contribute to further discussions on the cluster "Food and Natural Resources".
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Response to Update of the 2012 Bioeconomy Strategy

20 Mar 2018

We welcome the publication by the Commission of the Roadmap on the update of the Bioeconomy Strategy to refocus the scope of the 2012 strategy with the general objective to optimise impact across all sectors of the bioeconomy and to better link with global and European priorities. We welcome the fact that the update aims to provide a framework for a sustainable biomass supply for bio-based products and bioenergy by using resources not competing with food production (including waste) while taking into consideration the protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems. We also support the objective of the Commission to strengthen the bio-based sectors engaging all stakeholders and to have regional bioeconomy strategies. Indeed, territories are crucial to implement the objectives targeted by the Bioeconomy strategy but different bioeconomic schemes corresponding to the diversity of territories are needed. Overall, we strongly support the general proposition to have a more systemic approach in order to achieve a circular bioeconomy. This will require to reinforce the coherence between public policies concerned by biomass. To achieve that, knowledge and therefore research are key. More specifically, we wish to emphasize that : - The bioeconomy development requires to think “system”, breaking with the old linear logic of separate optimization in the different production and transformation sectors. - The bioeconomy is partially (but not completely) inscribed in the circular economy, this later encompassing other sectors. Two new concepts enrich the landscape: cascading uses, and closing of C, N, P and K cycles. - The bioeconomy has not yet given rise to a collective policy construction involving all of the actors of society. - The bioeconomy must therefore rely on a real research strategy.
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