At a recent security conference in Munich, European Commissioner for Agriculture, Christoph Hansen, highlighted the urgent need for Europe to be vigilant against the potential weaponization of food supply chains. He stated that Russia views grain as a crucial resource, akin to oil, exploiting it as a tool of power. Hansen urged Europeans to reduce their dependency on Russian grain imports, which he sees as a critical vulnerability for the European Union. He pointed out that countries reliant on Russian food imports are placing themselves in dangerous positions, especially in light of ongoing tensions in the region.

Hansen stressed the excessive dependency of the EU on fertilizers from Russia and Belarus, describing this reliance as placing the bloc in a precarious situation. He advocated for proactive measures to break away from these dependencies to enhance food security and resilience within the EU. His remarks reflect broader concerns about the implications of using food as a geopolitical weapon in hybrid warfare, necessitating a reassessment of current agricultural and import strategies to prepare for potential crises.

The discussion around the weaponization of food underscores the increasingly complex landscape of international relations, where economic dependencies can be exploited as strategic weaknesses. The implications for EU policy and food security are significant, as nations must reconsider their import strategies and enhance self-sufficiency to avoid falling victim to hybrid warfare tactics. This warning serves as a clarion call for unity and proactive measures within Europe to fortify its agricultural and food supply chains against manipulative threats.