Brussels (dpa) - The European Commission presented its plans for more environmentally friendly agricultural production and greater biodiversity on Wednesday, as part of its flagship "European Green Deal" policy.

The European Union's executive set out with an ambitious environmental strategy when commission President Ursula von der Leyen took office last year. That has taken a back seat, however, during the coronavirus pandemic.

The aim of the so-called "farm to fork" strategy is to reduce the use of pesticides and antibiotics and improve fertilizers. Animal welfare is also to be improved and the fishing industry is be made more sustainable.

At the same time, it calls for a reduction in food and packaging waste, while proposing the introduction of mandatory food labels on the front of packaging to cut back on high fat, sugar and salt contents and encourage consumers to make sustainable choices.

The strategy aims "to reconcile our food systems with our planet's health, to ensure food security and meet the aspirations of Europeans for healthy, equitable and eco-friendly food," said EU Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides.

The commission also presented a parallel strategy to promote biodiversity, at the core of which is a proposed expansion of protected areas

Under the proposal, 30 per cent of European land and sea areas are to be placed under protection while 10 per cent would be left virtually untouched under particularly strict conditions.

EU capitals and lawmakers are invited to endorse the commission's approach, which will then be fleshed out with concrete legislative proposals.

However, it has already encountered resistance from the centre-right European People's Party, the largest in the EU legislature.

"We regret that the European Commission is hurrying its 'farm to fork' strategy now when farmers all over Europe are facing huge insecurity over their future," said EU lawmaker Herbert Dorfmann, the group's agriculture spokesman.

But the Greens welcomed the approach, with spokesman Martin Haeusling calling on the commission to "promptly" incorporate its ideas into a broader reform of EU farm policy.

The "European Green Deal" aims to overhaul the EU's economy and channel investments into projects that will see the bloc's carbon emissions fall to net zero by 2050. The commission stresses that it should form a cornerstone of coronavirus recovery measures.