The European Commission adopted on Friday 4 September a proposal to postpone the application of Regulation 2018/848 on organic production for one year, until 1 January 2022.
The Commission recalls that the Biodiversity Strategy recognises the role of organic production in preserving biodiversity in Europe.
Twenty-five percent organic by 2030. “A solid, consensual regulatory framework for the next 10 years, is therefore key for achieving the objective of 25% of agricultural land dedicated to organic farming and a significant increase in organic aquaculture by 2030, stated objectives in the ‘Farm to Fork’ and Biodiversity Strategies”, the Commission recalls.
The coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing public health crisis represent an unprecedented challenge for Member States and place a heavy burden on national authorities and organic operators, the Commission explains. “Those extraordinary circumstances have a significant impact on various areas covered by Regulation (EU) 2018/848, and therefore it is very likely that Member States and organic operators will not be ready to ensure the proper implementation and application of that Regulation from 1 January 2021”.
Therefore, in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the internal market, to provide legal certainty for all organic operators and to avoid potential market disruption, it is necessary to defer the date of application of certain provisions of Regulation (EU) 2018/848 by one year.
The Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, Norbert Lins (EPP, Germany), welcomed the one-year postponement of the application of the organic rules.
Public consultation. At the same time, the Commission launched a public consultation, until 27 November 2020, on the future action plan for organic farming, which should be adopted early 2021.
For the year 2021, the Commission also plans to allocate a specific budget of 40 million euros to organic farming under the promotion policy. This budget will co-finance promotional actions and information campaigns on the EU organic sector, raising awareness of its qualities and stimulating demand.
Link to the proposal on the one-year deferral: https://bit.ly/3hZCekl (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)