From food-system transformation to field-level production signals, Serbia’s agri agenda is moving on several fronts at once. This update brings together key developments: a Belgrade conference on WWF’s “Healthy Diets for the Whole Planet” methodology and the role of retail in shifting consumption; new official data showing higher autumn sowing area in 2025; progress toward UNESCO World Heritage nomination for ancient beech forests; and an announced shift in agrarian policy linking subsidies more closely to documented farm investments.
Beeld: Mila Mirkovic
Planetary-based diets: from science to retail action
WWF Adria–Serbia, together with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, hosted a professional conference in Belgrade on building healthy and sustainable dietary habits through the WWF methodology “Healthy Diets for the Whole Planet.” The event convened retail chains, food industry leaders, and public-sector stakeholders to explore how diets can support human health while reducing pressure on nature, and what this means for production, innovation, and consumer trends.
On behalf of the LAN Belgrade team, Agricultural Attaché Michiel van Erkel presented how Dutch dietary policy evolved from the 1953 “Wheel of Five”, aimed at preventing chronic disease, to today’s approach that connects nutrition with environmental benefits, highlighting the 2030 goal of a 60% / 40% (plant versus animal based) food balance and the cooperation and retail/public measures supporting that transition.
WWF Food Specialist Dr. Brent Loken presented the Planetary Health Diet & WWF Methodology, a tool for retail chains to measure the environmental impact of food sales across the full assortment using two pillars: Planetary Health Diet (PHD) and the Basket Environmental Footprint (BEF), covering GHG emissions, land and water use, biodiversity loss, and nitrogen/phosphorus pollution (eutrophication). Evidence cited shows that adopting a planetarily healthy diet can reduce food-related GHG emissions (≥30%), wildlife loss (up to 46%), agricultural land use (≥41%), and premature deaths (≥20%).
The program also featured local expertise: Jelena Milešević on dietary habits in Serbia and national recommendations (50% vegetables in every meal), Nikola Stanišić on hybrid food production technology and a Serbian innovation (sausages 70% animal based, 30% plant based), and Aleksandra Mirić (Lidl Serbia) on retail’s role—highlighting Lidl Serbia’s commitment to increase the share of fruit- and vegetable-based products by 30% by 2030. A dedicated retail workshop followed the plenary session
Beeld: Unsplash
Autumn sowing up 5.5% year-on-year in Serbia
According to the Republic Statistical Office (RZS), Serbia sowed a total of 842,347 hectares in the 2025 autumn planting season, a 5.5% increase compared to the final results of the previous year’s autumn sowing. By crop type, acreage increased for wheat (+5.2%), barley (+8.0%), rapeseed (+7.5%), and rye (+8.5%), while oats declined (-5.7%). RZS also reports that, compared with the 2015–2024 ten-year average, the total area sown with wheat has increased by 6.7 percent.
LAN team Serbia also notes that soya acreage has decreased by up to 50% over the past five years in Serbia and across neighboring countries.
Beeld: Unsplash
Ancient forests of Serbia nominated for UNESCO World Heritage List
Serbia will nominate forests in three national parks for inclusion on UNESCO’s World Heritage List under the designation “Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe.” The proposed sites are “Papratski do” on Fruška Gora, “Zvezda” and “Rača” on Tara, and “Kozje stene” on Kopaonik. Inclusion on the World Heritage List would represent international recognition of Serbia’s successfully preserved natural heritage of global importance.
In winter, the Kozje stene reserve can only be accessed by drone—1.2 kilometers in a straight line to the nearest observation point. In summer, hiking routes lead there either over the peak of Kukavica or through the canyon of the Samokovska River, both intended for experienced trekkers. “Beech forests are located in the lower zones of the Kozje stene reserve. These are completely untouched forests, mainly due to the very specific habitat. Their age is estimated at several hundred years,” said Suzana Komatović from the Kopaonik National Park.
The reserve covers 450 hectares and is home to numerous endemic plant and animal species. “These endemic plant species are found only on Kopaonik and nowhere else in the world, such as the Kopaonik violet and Kopaonik houseleek. Among the wildlife are hares, foxes, martens, as well as larger game—bears and wolves. The name Kozje stene (Goat Rocks) itself indicates that chamois live here as well,” stated Miloš Mandić from the Kopaonik National Park. In 2020, Kopaonik National Park reintroduced the European red deer to this habitat, and two years ago, 30 individuals were released into the wild. During the same period, efforts also began to reintroduce the chamois population to Kozje stene.
Beeld: Illustration D.R.
Major shift in agrarian policy
Serbia’s Minister of Agriculture Dragan Glamočić announced a major shift in agrarian policy, linking state subsidies more closely to farmers’ actual investments. He said there will be no equal distribution, as those who invest more in production will receive higher support. For the first time, subsidies will have to be justified with invoices to ensure funds are spent on agriculture.
Initial payments for crop production will be equal, while later installments will depend on investment levels. Greater incentives will go to vegetable, fruit, and flower producers, as well as to farms investing in irrigation, anti-hail, and frost protection systems. Grassland and pasture subsidies will require livestock ownership.
The minister noted agriculture receives over 62 percent of state incentives and aims at full food self-sufficiency. He reported progress in pig farming and milk production, reduced piglet imports, increased exports, and stressed the importance of predictable and timely subsidy payments, Euronews Serbia reports.