Learn more about organic food and agriculture in Europe and how the new rules for the organic food market will improve quality.

The new EU rules on organic farming will guarantee food quality, environmental protection and animal welfare throughout the production chain, and the application of the new EU rules on organic farming is due to the consequences of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic postponed until 01.01.2022. so that farmers and governments have more time to adjust.

Products with natural ingredients and processes are being bought by more and more consumers, and organic food is no longer a niche market, although it still accounts for a low share of total agricultural production in the EU.

Here is what green agriculture really means:

Organic agriculture

Organic farming or farming is a farm and production management system that combines best environmental practices, a high level of biodiversity, conservation of natural resources and the implementation of high standards of animal welfare care.
All parts of the production chain are taken care of, including procurement, processing, storage, transportation, distribution and sales.

EU rules for organic production

The EU regulation on organic production and labeling of organic products ensures high standards throughout the EU. The rules include agricultural production and processes, product labeling, certification procedures for farmers, and imports of organic products from foreign countries.

In the EU, organic food farmers use land and other resources responsibly, take care of animal health and preserve biodiversity, ecological balance and soil and water quality.

Organic farming in the EU includes:

• crop change,
• ban on the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides,
• strict restrictions on the use of antibiotics in livestock,
• ban on genetically modified organisms,
• use of local resources and natural fertilizers and animal feed,
• livestock breeding and use of organic food,
• adapted and careful animal husbandry.

Labeling of organic production

The eco-label is a guarantee that EU rules are respected in production. Labeling is mandatory for parked food. For processed foods, the logo means that at least 95 percent of the ingredients are of organic origin.

Eco-market

The organic food market is growing and today is worth about 37.4 billion euros a year. Although the area of ​​agricultural land has increased in recent years, it still represents only 7.5 percent of the total agricultural area. The difference between supply and demand is covered by increasing imports.

The main points of the new rules:

Amendments to the regulation on organic production and labeling of organic products reflect changes in the sector itself.

Greater control is introduced so that all parts of the production chain are monitored at least once a year or once every two years if there have been no problems with previous results over the last three years.

• Fair competition in which foreign producers wishing to sell their products on the EU market must adhere to the same standards as domestic producers.
• Farmers must take measures to prevent accidental contamination with pesticides that are not allowed (for example from neighboring fields or due to deliberate fraud). Member States have a permitted threshold for illicit compounds in organic foods and must continue to implement them, but at the same time they cannot prevent producers from other EU countries from having access to the market.
• Better delivery of organic seeds and animals through the use of a computer database available in each Member State.
• Farmers can have organic and non-organic products on their farms, but they must clearly distinguish them in all activities.
• The certification process is facilitated for small farmers.
• New products are included, such as salt, cork and vegetable oils.

Source: EU parlliament 

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