Organic farming is one of the most dynamic sectors of the European agri-food industry. Organic farming means producing food respecting the natural life cycles, minimising the human impact on the environment. The European Union organic logo guarantees production and quality standards for organic farming, such as sustainable production, strict limitations for the use of chemical pesticides or use of food additives.

land used for organic farming grows at around 400,000 hectares a year

a market worth around €27billion (some 125% more than ten years ago)

271 500 registered organic producers end of 2015 (increase of 5.4% compared to 2014)

PER YEAR400,000 ha+ 125%

IN 10 YEARS

= € 27BILLION

+ 5.4%+

DYNAMIC ORGANIC!

ORGANIC SECTOR IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Agriculture and Rural Development

New rules for the organic sector, benefitting farmers and consumers alike

Certainty that any agri-food product bearing the EU organic logo sold in the EU, whether imported from third countries or produced in the EU, meet the same quality standards.

Buying organic means contributing to global goals on climate change, biodiversity and environmental protection.

New rules reinforce precautionary measures taken by farmers to reduce risk of contamination by pesticides.

A level playing field: rules apply also to farmers from non-EU countries, who export their organic products to the EU market (replacing the today’s 60+ different standards in relation to imported organic foods).

Rules cover new products such as salt, cork and essential oils, and it will be possible in the future to add new products to respond to consumer demands.

Simplification for farmers includes group certification for small farms, reducing certification costs.

The new rules will apply to also to seeds and processed agricultural products used as food and feed.

CONSUMERS

THE BENEFITS FOR:

FARMERS

Many of the current rules are more than 20 years old, so the European Union updated the rules in 2017 to help the organic sector to grow even faster. With the reform, EU-wide rules covering the whole EU organic sector will apply – compared to an “à la carte” system of exceptions in the past. Any agri-food product carrying the EU organic logo will have the same production and quality standards, whether produced in the European Union or imported from other countries in the world.