A study published on the website of the European Commission’s DG Agriculture on Tuesday 21 February reveals that, as of 1 June 2016, 123 interbranch organisations (IBOs) had been recognised in eight EU member states: France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Spain.
The Commission-funded study was carried out by Arcadia International, LEI-Wageningen UR, Luc Bodiguel and national experts with the aim of providing a state of play analysis of agricultural interbranch organisations. It also shows that, as of 1 June 2016, 19 member states had a legal framework in place governing the recognition and functioning of IBOs. Three main clusters were identified: - France (legislation as early as 1975); - Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Romania, Cyprus, Malta, Poland and Wallonia in Belgium (legislation between 1994 and 2004); - Bulgaria, Flanders in Belgium, Croatia, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, Latvia and the Netherlands (legislation after 2005).
The member states that currently have no legislation in place on IBOs are not expected to lay down national rules in the near future, the study indicates.
Only France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain have hitherto officially recognised IBOs. Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Sweden, Slovenia and United Kingdom currently have no national legislation on IBOs within the meaning of Regulation 1308/2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products.
A total of 21 new IBOs have been recognised since entry into force of this regulation (including seven in the Netherlands). According to the report the three main aims of interbranch organisations are: promoting consumption of agricultural products on internal and export markets; improving knowledge and transparency of production and the market; and supporting research and innovation.
The work done by IBOs has a positive effect for farmers and primary production. For example, promotion campaigns may result in increased exports and, thus, have a positive impact on the development of the sector and, potentially, on farmers’ incomes. It is, however, very difficult to quantify the effect for producers, the study’s authors acknowledge. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)