Can you tell us about IFOAM Organics Europe in a few words?
IFOAM Organics Europe is the European umbrella organisation for organic food and farming, fighting for the adoption of ecologically, socially, and economically sound systems based on the principles of organic agriculture – health, ecology, fairness, and care. We represent almost 200 members in the EU-27, EU accession countries and European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Our members span the entire organic food chain and beyond: farmers, processors and traders, retailers, certifiers, consultants, and researchers to environmental and consumer advocacy bodies.
What role does IFOAM Organics Europe play in the application of new organic regulations?
Organic production, labelling and controls have been regulated at EU level since 1991. Today, the EU requirements for organic production are set by Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 defining the aims, objectives and principles of organics. Two implementing regulations (No 889/2008 and No 1235/2008) detail organic production, labelling, control and import rules. All products labelled as organic and sold in the EU must be produced under these regulations.
This set of rules will change soon. After a long revision process, the new Organic Regulation (EU) 2018/848 was published in June 2018. It will apply from 1 January 2022.
The new EU Organic Regulation has 23 delegated and implemented acts, some of which are still to be finalised. To help organic operators read and understand the new regulation, we are drafting an interpretation to guide our members and organic stakeholders.
The guide will simplify reading the regulation by grouping content areas, highlighting the main changes compared to the current regulations and providing recommendations for the implementation of unclear requirements and/or requirements with room for interpretation.
The objectives are:
- Simplifying the reading for operators and other stakeholders, so they will not need to navigate the numerous legal acts and cross-references with difficulty.
- Possible harmonization of the new rules in the different Member States and Third Countries, through recommendations for implementing certain requirements which may give room for different interpretations.
More information on the guide will follow in the coming weeks. I can already tell you that it will be free for members of IFOAM Organics Europe!
What’s your position on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plans?
In June, we published our new study ‘Prospects & developments for organic in national CAP Strategic Plans‘. It visualises the efforts every country needs to put into place to reach their potential national organic land targets, which should fairly contribute to the EU average 25% target.
According to the study, the European Union should dedicate 3 to 5 times the current amount of CAP budget dedicated to conversion and maintenance of organic farming from 2023 onwards.
To reach the 25% organic land target and further develop the organic sector, Member States need to support organic farming in their CAP Strategic Plans. As IFOAM Organics Europe, we are calling on Member States to include in their CAP Strategic Plans
- An analysis of the organic sector’s production needs, and a national target to increase the share of agricultural land under organic management.
- An appropriate remuneration for the delivery of public goods by organic farmers through adequate conversion and maintenance payments, either through existing Rural Development measures, eco-schemes or a combination of both.
Countries have different baselines and should have different targets, and Member States with already more than 25% organic land should also continue to develop organic farming. This is in line with the EU Organic Action Plan’s call for all Member States to set a target and national strategic plan for developing their organic sectors.
France currently has 8.1% organic farmland, in line with the current EU average, and should set itself a target of 25%. Our study shows that it would require between 3.5 and 7.5-times the current expenditure on organic farming to reach a target of 25% organic land. Unfortunately, the current draft of the French Strategic Plan is not ambitious enough and the budget allocated to environmental measures would decrease 11% according to POUR UNE AUTRE PAC[1]. The French government’s previous decision to stop payments for maintenance is not compensated by the low level of payment foreseen under Eco schemes in the current draft. Moreover, the government plans to give the same level of payments to other labels, like High Environmental Value (HVE in French), which provide much less environmental benefits. If the conversion to organic farming does not offer a comparative advantage compared to less ambitious schemes, farmers will not get the right incentives to convert to organic farming. Organic farmers need long-term public support and that is not limited to the period of conversion. Eco-schemes payments should be proportionate to the public goods delivered by the farmers. IFOAM Organics Europe calls on the French government to increase its ambition and support for the development of the entire organic production chain, and we will ask the Commission to pay close attention to this when assesses Member States’ CAP Strategic Plans.
What vision do you have on future consumer trends? Are the effects of the health crisis already being felt from your point of view?
COVID-19 had a significant impact on the consumption of organic products. Supermarkets, discounters and self-service grocery stores reported higher sales in several countries, for example Italy, Spain, Germany and Finland. The demand for organic products increased, especially for non-perishable good like pasta, rice, grains, canned food and beans. This increase in sales also benefitted specialised organic retailers. This was partly because EU citizens spent more time at home, enabling them to reflect on their food choices and cook at home, and partly because many people started ‘panic buying’.
This increased organic consumption of organic products during the health crisis reflects a wider phenomenon in society. European citizens are increasingly aware of the benefits of organic production, and reasons for consumers to buy organic products range from environmental protection, animal welfare, quality standards to health concerns. Overall, the European organic market grew to €45 million in 2019, another 8% increase compared to 2018. In Europe, consumers spent €56 on organic food per person annually in 2019 and per capita, consumer spending on organic food has doubled in the last decade.
The special Eurobarometer 436 assesses the attitudes of Europeans towards biodiversity. According to its findings, at least 80% of Europeans consider the various effects of biodiversity loss to be serious. Pollution and men-made disasters are seen as the main threats to biodiversity. Almost every second European citizen considers intensive farming, intensive forestry and overfishing as a threat to biodiversity. This demonstrates that consumers are aware of the connection between food production systems and biodiversity. The increased demand for organic products is a testament of consumers’ interest in supporting a more sustainable production system, which is likely to continue in the coming years. At the same time, the Commission’s Organic Action Plan’s push-pull approach can further boost organic production and consumption if implemented successfully.
How can European organic actors join the movement and support your work?
There are several ways to join our movement and support our work. If you are interested in expanding your network, gaining access to member-only information, having influence and making a difference, join us and become our member.
To become a member of IFOAM Organics Europe, an organisation must:
- Endorse our mission and goals, as well as the principles of organic agriculture;
- Be an organisation or a department of an institution, subsidiary; and
- Have at least three people employed or active in the organisation.
Our membership is open to all organisations in EU countries as members, and to organisations in other European countries as observers. For more information, have a look at our leaflet summarising all benefits of becoming a member of IFOAM Organics Europe and read more about the types of membership and requirements in the last part of our membership application form.
To find out more about how to support and fund our core work and/or events, have a look at our website ‘Get involved’.
You can also help us make our Vision 2030 become reality by sharing your initiative that is making Europe more organic. We are capturing strategic actions of various food and farming actors and policy-makers on our Making it Happen website. Have a look at the variety of inspiring and practical examples and showcase your own initiative.
We will be seeing you at Natexpo 2021 on October 24th to 26th. What are you expecting from this new edition?
Once again, France experienced the biggest growth of organic retail sales among European countries between 2018 and 2019 according to The World of Organic Agriculture 2021. Its market for organic food reached €11.3 billion, ranking second after Germany. This confirms France, once more, as a key player within the organic sector.
Natexpo provides this growing market and the companies operating in it with a platform for exchange and their further development. As IFOAM Organics Europe, we are keen to understand the structure, needs and trends of the French organic market and the companies operating in it. We are happy and eager to open a dialogue with them about the regulatory and policy developments that affect their businesses. One member of our staff will visit Natexpo this year and is already looking forward to liaising with exhibitors, participants, members and event partners.
[1] Transition agroécologique – BASTA (pouruneautrepac.fr)
