The European Council this week (20 November) endorsed the deal on overhauling EU laws on organic production and the labelling of organic foods agreed in the summer by the Maltese presidency and the European Parliament.
The next step is the sign off in the Parliament’s plenary and the Council of Agriculture Ministers.
The Council says that the new EU rules on organic set “more modern and uniform” rules across the EU with the aim of encouraging the sustainable development of organic production across the bloc. They are also intended to ensure fair competition for farmers and operators, prevent fraud and improve consumer confidence in organic products.
But organic groups have warned that unless “important weaknesses” in the current text are addressed the new regulation could end up actually hindering prospects for organic producers.
Christopher Stopes, IFOAM EU president, commented: “IFOAM EU acknowledges the huge effort made by the institutions to improve the text. We recognise that a number of concerns highlighted by IFOAM EU have been taken into consideration and some improvements have been made. The legal check has also solved some of the inconsistencies previously highlighted.
“Nevertheless, the lack of a strong majority in both the SCA and the AGRI Committee has shown the fragility of this text. Countries like Austria (biggest share of organic land) and Germany (biggest EU market) did not endorse the text, as it still includes a number of inconsistencies and mistakes that will make the practical implementation very difficult.”
“Countries like Austria (biggest share of organic land) and Germany (biggest EU market) did not endorse the text, as it still includes a number of inconsistencies and mistakes that will make the practical implementation very difficult”
Eduardo Cuoco, IFOAM EU Director, said: “The organic sector continues to grow – currently with 800,000 hectares per year in the last two years and a market yearly growth of 12.6%, worth €27 billion in 2015. The organic movement has an ambitious vision and demands a regulation that can support its development whilst keeping consumers’ trust in organic products.
“We therefore call for a strong commitment by the EU institutions and by the Member States to work together to immediately address the important weaknesses that still exist. If not, the development of organic production and its delivery of public goods to EU citizens will be seriously hindered.”
Speaking at last week’s Nordic Organic Food Fair in Malmö, Anita Falkenek, the newly installed CEO of Sweden’s lead organic body KRAV, said: “We are very worried about the new organic regulation in its current form. We are working behind the scenes to ensure Sweden votes ‘no’ to the draft, and we hope you will do the same.”