Business models in European agri- and aquaculture and engagement strategies for farmers and aquafarmers

This work assesses the current state of European farmers and aquafarmers business models, challenges, and strategic opportunities to explore how future innovations - farm-based cultured meat (CM) and cultured seafood (CSF) production- could be meaningfully integrated within existing sector realities. Exploring this integration is essential given the mounting economic, environmental, and regulatory pressures facing both sectors, and the need to understand whether CM and CSF could offer realistic pathways to diversification and resilience for European primary producers. For farmers, the research conducted within FEASTS builds on prior explorative feasibility work carried out by RespectFarms. As part of FEASTS, 41 semi-structured interviews were conducted across eight countries, continuing an established trajectory while deepening insights into business model patterns and strategic drivers. The findings from this work will directly inform the upcoming FEASTS Deliverable D4.7, which will present a blueprint for a CM farm. For aquafarmers, S2AQUA conducted the first structured investigation within FEASTS. Consequently, methodological depth differs: Aquaculture research represents an exploratory baseline. A total of 26 interviews were conducted in seven countries, covering Northern and Southern Europe, to establish sector structure, operational realities, and strategic orientations. The smaller sample size of aquafarmers reflects the structure of the European aquaculture, where the number of operating companies is significantly lower and more concentrated than in livestock farming, resulting in fewer accessible interview participants. Among farmers, clear strategic trajectories are observable: there is a strong shift toward diversification of business models, autonomy, and risk management, with roughly two-thirds already hybridizing multiple streams of revenue within their business. Nine business model typologies and five farmer personas were identified. A small, younger, market-facing, and entrepreneurial cluster shows early openness to innovations such as CM when positioned as a business enabler rather than a replacement. Among aquafarmers, structural differences are pronounced across regions and scales, but most emphasize sustainable growth, product quality, and environmental responsibility as key drivers of future competitiveness. Northern enterprises demonstrate strong technological and investment capacity, while Southern small- scale producers prioritize operational stability. Six company profiles were identified, reflecting diverse challenges, opportunities, orientations, and innovation levels. An innovation-driven segment, mainly Northern and capital-intensive, is best positioned to lead CSF integration, while Southern and small-scale actors are more likely to engage indirectly through partnerships or shared infrastructure. For farmers, adoption drivers align CM with existing strategies: economic diversification, labor automation, regulatory compliance opportunities, reputation enhancement, infrastructure adaptability, premium market access, innovation appetite, and policy support alignment. Barriers include high debt, technical complexity, infrastructure requirements, regulatory and market uncertainty, cultural identity concerns, and supply chain adjustments. Future CM adoption should focus on the high-potential profiles and models, co-developed with them, avoiding broad communication without demonstration. For aquafarmers, persistent sector constraints could be partly mitigated through CSF adoption, while existing aquaculture strengths provide leverage. Key opportunities include growing demand for sustainable seafood, R&D investment, academic partnerships, production diversification, value-added products, and access to renewable energy and improved resource efficiency. Barriers - mainly affecting small and micro-producers with limited resources or tertiary education - include technical complexity, infrastructure needs, and constrained structural capacity. Adoption will not follow a single pathway: readiness depends on structural capacity and innovation level rather than attitudes, and engagement strategies must reflect sector asymmetry. Critical to success for both sectors are enabling factors: regulatory frameworks must facilitate participation; technological and economic constraints should be addressed case by case; and industry partnerships must foster genuine collaboration, supporting smaller, coastal, and rural producers. Without supportive policies, appropriate technology, and business model design, CM and CSF risks could concentrate on industrial facilities, further marginalizing the family farms that underpin Europe’s decentralized food system and food sovereignty. Both sectors now require evidence-based pilots to validate financial and regulatory feasibility before broader strategic positioning. Regulatory classification will be decisive in determining whether on-farm and -aquafarm participation is viable. Engagement must remain sector- specific: language, incentives, and expectations suitable for farmers cannot be transferred directly to aquaculture without contextual adaptation. Future CM and CSF exploration must remain anchored in the sector realities mapped in this research, not in abstract innovation narratives.