On Thursday 25 March, the European Commission proposed a series of measures to achieve a European objective of 25% of agricultural land devoted to organic farming by 2030. This is one of the priorities of the ‘European Green Deal’ (see EUROPE 12673/1).
The Action Plan for organic production aims to equip the already rapidly growing organic sector with the right tools to reach the 25% target. Twenty-three actions are planned, structured around three axes: boosting consumption, increasing production and further improving the sustainability of the sector.
National Action Plans. The Commission encourages Member States to develop national action plans for organic farming in order to increase their national share in organic farming. There are significant differences between Member States in the share of agricultural land currently used for organic farming, ranging from 0.5% (Malta) to over 25% (Austria). The national action plans for organic production will complement the national strategic plans under the CAP.
Eco-schemes. Importantly, the Communication detailing the Action Plan states that, under the future CAP, Member States will have the flexibility to support organic operators in a tailored manner under “both the rural development funds and with targeted direct income support eco-schemes”.
Janusz Wojciechowski, the European Commissioner for Agriculture, told the press that eco-schemes will be “part of the support” for organic farming. “Before, we had support through the rural development programmes (second pillar). We will have a double support: these eco-schemes and the Member States will be able to prioritise organic in the strategic plans”, he said.
In terms of stimulating demand, the Commission proposes a series of measures, including the promotion of the European logo, encouraging the use of organic products in public canteens and schools and stepping up the fight against fraudulent practices. An Organic Farming Day should be organised every year in the EU. On the traceability side, the certificates of organic operators (already published by the inspection bodies on their websites) will be centralised on a single European website. The European Commission will also develop a database of certificates of all European producers, which will be extended to non-Member State producers at a later stage.
On the production side, the second axe of the plan, the Commission wants Member States to develop “a national strategy with clear national targets and deadlines” that can be verified annually.
In particular, the Commission will extend the analysis of EU market observatories to organic products. It will also explore the possibilities for organic producers to form or join specific organic producer organisations, which have greater market power when faced with unfair trade practices.
The Commission is committed to helping Member States and stakeholders find the best ways to foster local and small-scale processing.
The third and final axe is to further improve the sustainability of organic farming.
A section is reserved for the development of genetic resources adapted to organic production, which often lacks certified seed. Funds will be set aside under the Horizon Europe programme to support the preservation and availability of organic seeds.
In a statement, the EU’s agricultural organisations and cooperatives (Copa-Cogeca) welcomed “the market-oriented strategy contained in the Action Plan” on organic farming, which aims to “ensure the market profitability of the organic sector as well as the necessary investments and a fairer distribution of every euro spent by the consumer to the farmer”. Lone Andersen of Copa-Cogeca admits that the 25% target is very ambitious.
Link to the action plan: https://bit.ly/3fdGfTK (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)