EU adopts conclusions on the future of organic farming
07 July 2013
At its meeting in May 2013, the EU Council “adopted some important conclusions on organic farming”, including on the application of the regulatory framework and strategies for the development of the sector. The Council called on the EC to:
- “develop the organic farming sector at an ambitious level by reviewing the current legal framework”;
- “take specific measures aimed at protecting the reputation of the organic sector and meeting consumer expectations”, by improving consultation and coordination among all control agencies;
- harmonise member states’ application of EU regulations on organic products;
- “encourage the promotion of the organic sector and increased consumption of organic produce”;
- “acknowledge the specific inclusion of organic farming in the current CAP reform proposals and consider further possibilities for providing financial support for organic production within this framework”;
- “improve the current mechanisms to facilitate international trade in organic products and require reciprocity and transparency in any trade agreements”;
- “ensure that the import procedure is robust and does not put EU operators at a disadvantage”;
- “support access for developing countries’ products to EU markets where adequate guarantees can be provided that the controls are effective and the organic products meet EU requirements”.
In April, before the meeting of the Council, EU farmers’ organisation Copa-Cogeca called on the EC to establish a regime that maintained the credibility of EU organic certification and consumer trust, in order to ensure continued growth in the fastest growing component of EU agriculture.
Developments in the German organic sector were reported by Hortoinfo, noting that “according to a study published by the University of Bonn, the demand for organic food in Germany is booming”, with sales “[having] tripled over the period 2006–2012”. Significantly, in the most important category – fruit and vegetables, which account for 27% of organic product turnover – a growing dependence on imports is emerging.
Copa-Cogeca has called for an efficient control system and the “application of sanctions in cases of fraud”. In particular, Copa-Cogeca representatives called on the EC to ensure that “rules for protecting, regulating and checking imports and exports are respected”.
Editorial comment
The EU is seeking to further develop organic production in the EU, with this forming an integral part of policy efforts to promote the production of quality-differentiated food and agricultural products. These efforts are to include a review of the financial mechanisms available to support and promote the increased use of organic production methods as part of the 2014 round of CAP reforms.
These developments reflect growing consumer demand for organic products not only in the EU, but also overseas, and this accounts for the policy focus on promoting reciprocity in recognition of organic certification as a vehicle for facilitating trade in organic products. This is potentially of interest to those ACP exporters who could benefit from the conclusion of mutual recognition agreements on organic standards (e.g. Dominican Republic banana exporters).
However, there is also an important policy focus on ensuring that import procedures for organic products are robust. This forms an integral part of EU policies to maintain the integrity of organic labels. How this policy dimension is operationalised could carry important financial implications for ACP countries seeking to develop organic product exports to the EU. This constitutes an important area for dialogue, both at government-to-government level and between organic producers, within the framework of the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM). The latter dimension can be seen as particularly important, in view of the pressures emanating from EU farming organisations to rigorously control organic imports in order not to undermine consumer confidence in organic labelled products. This suggests the need for a concerted approach between ACP governments and ACP organic producers’ associations with regard to dialoguing with the EU over the design and application of the EU’s evolving organic product policy framework.
