Brussels, 10/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - Adopting the report on organic farming by Hester Maij (EPP, Netherlands), a member of Parliament for Overijssel, on 4 December, the Committee of the Regions noted that the European Commission has “opted for a radical change to the law, with standards being tightened and all flexibility being removed”.
The Committee of the Regions calls for “evolution” in the situation, by improving the legislation in force, rather than “revolution”, by means of far-reaching legislative change.
Mixed farms. The Commission is proposing to put an end to the practice of mixed farms (which combine organic and conventional farming). The Committee of the Regions calls for the possibility to practise both types of agriculture in parallel to remain. Around one quarter of organic farms in Europe practise both organic and conventional production at the same time, the report states. Farms which do so are controlled as a whole by the control bodies of the organic sector. The Committee of the Regions argues that dual production of this kind plays a positive role in interaction between organic and conventional farming and thereby contributes to sustainability and innovation in agriculture. It “fears that the prohibition on parallel production will lead to the disappearance of some organic producers or cause them to resort to legal vehicles (split production) designed to circumvent this rule”.
100% organic reproductive material. The Committee of the Regions calls for agreements with breeders and producers on a “realistic” period for the transition to the 100% organic reproductive material rule. The Commission is proposing to abolish various exceptions to the rules and for only organic reproductive material to be permissible for the organic production of plants, plant products, livestock, seaweed and aquaculture animals. “In many regions this is by no means the case as there is insufficient organic reproductive material available. The Commission therefore provides for a transitional period to 31 December 2021”. The Committee of the Regions believes that this period will not be realistic unless it is backed up by “specific support measures and calls for this deadline to be assessed in 2019 to ensure that it does not lead to a lack of reproductive material”.
The Committee of the Regions recommends that the rules for the inclusion of organic varieties in the official list be adapted before the exceptions for the use of seed are abolished.
Threshold. It recommends a clarification of the rules by which producers can be compensated by the member states for past losses, even before a threshold is introduced for the presence of unauthorised substances in organic products. It is almost impossible for organic farmers to prevent their products from containing residues if their neighbours using conventional methods do not take precautions to prevent possible contamination. The Committee of the Regions believes that the cost of the damage resulting from 'decertification' of this kind should not be borne by the organic producer or the local or regional authorities. The proposed regulation provides for the member states to be authorised to make national payments under the CAP instruments to compensate farmers for past losses. However, the Commission does not give any details on the budgetary consequences of this measure, as the compensation rules are not clear. It will be necessary to establish a budget heading to cover this compensation, the Committee argues.
Trade with third countries. The Committee recommends comparing control and production rules as a basis for the quality criterion. The Commission is proposing a system whereby the equivalence principle for trade with third countries is dealt with as part of trade agreements. Comparison of control measures and production rules would thus become part of the trade agreement in question. The Committee of the Regions considers that this formula is “insufficiently transparent and possibly damaging to consumer confidence”.
On controls, the Commission is proposing to replace the current practice of annual on-site controls with a control system based on risk assessment. However, the Committee of the Regions considers that this would be an unfortunate evolution. Controls are important from the point of view of consumer confidence and helpful to producers, it argues. (LC)