Food is fundamental to life and the majority of the food that we eat comes from Europe’s rural areas. Food priorities for the European Union (EU) include safeguarding food supplies and providing European citizens with quality, value and a diversity of food which is produced sustainably3 . The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) contains vital forms of EU support to help rural areas from the 27 Member States supply us with a tasty range of different food products. CAP contributions to guaranteeing European citizens with healthy and quality food are closely linked with other priorities of the policy which strengthen the position of agriculture, preserve the environment, and help to develop rural areas.4 EU rural development policy is an integral part of the CAP and is heavily involved with supporting the competitiveness of Europe’s food sector through modernisation and innovation. Large parts of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) budget are targeted towards the agrifood industry5 through Rural Development Programme (RDP) measures that operate in each EU country.