The European Commission has decided to launch a public consultation from 30 October to 27 November on the rules governing the production and marketing of seeds suitable for organic farming. These rules are laid down in the new regulation on organic farming.
This draft delegated act (accompanied by an annex) sets out the definitions, the conditions for identifying the seeds and the health quality, packaging and labelling requirements. The text is due to come into force in 2022 at the same time as the organic farming regulation.
The Council of the EU and the European Parliament have decided to postpone implementation of the organic farming regulation for one year (see EUROPE 12584/25).
Organic crops are more vulnerable to extreme weather events and pests because no artificial fertilisers or pesticides are used (unlike in conventional farming), says the Commission. They may, however, be more resilient to these threats if they are grown as part of a mix of genetically diverse plants on the same farm. The aim of the proposal is to develop rules for the production and marketing of seeds for these diverse plants (‘heterogeneous material’) for use in organic farming.
The consultation and documents can be found at: https://bit.ly/32aiNj1 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)