As part of the Green Deal Farm-to-Table strategy, the European Commission has committed to a target of at least 25% organic farmland by 2030.
Starting from a current starting point of just 8.5%, the Commission has a lot of work ahead of it. “We do not argue that it is a difficult goal”, Said Diego Canga Fano, Senior Advisor of DG Agri, who revealed that a “great challenge” lies in the different starting points of the EU 27.
Challenges faced by the ‘ambitious’ goal
“Organic agriculture has a positive effect on the environment, biodiversity and animal welfare”, Fano told delegates at a recent European Food Forum (EFF) event. “The more we focus on organic farming, the better it could be for other objectives of farm-to-table strategies and biodiversity.” He added, referring to the simultaneous reduction targets for pesticides and fertilizers.
Achieving a 16.5% increase in land dedicated to organic farming by 2030 is undoubtedly a significant leap. However, if “things remain unchanged” for the next nine years, a business like approach should see the amount of EU land used for organic farming rise to 15-18%.
The Commission’s decision to increase this 18% to 25% comes down to sheer ambition. To achieve this goal, the EU will face two key challenges.
First, organic markets and agricultural coverage differ significantly between Member States.
Austria currently leads the charge with 25.3% of its agricultural land already under organic farming. Estonia follows in second place with 22.2%, before Sweden (20.4%), the Czech Republic (15.2%) and Italy (15.2%). Lower down, Bulgaria has 2.3%, Ireland 1.6% and Malta only 0.5%.
“Some of the Member States are very backward and that is a great challenge for the European Commission”, Fano said. As a result, the Organic Action Plan is not adopting a one-size-fits-all approach, he emphasized, adding that each Member State requires flexibility to achieve the goal.
The second challenge lies in food fraud, which could have a negative impact on consumer confidence.
“The more popular organic becomes, the more dangerous the risk of fraud,” Fano explained. The Commission “will have to pay close attention to this issue,” he continued. “Consumer confidence is everything in organic products.”
Simulate demand and ensure consumer confidence
The Organic Action Plan details how the Commission plans to achieve its objective through three axes: boosting consumer demand, stimulating production and processing; and strengthening environmental sustainability.
The first axis focuses on stimulating demand and guaranteeing consumer confidence. According to the 2020 data, both elements are on the rise.
A 2020 Eurobarometer survey revealed that 82% of citizens believe that organic products are more likely to comply with specific rules on pesticides, fertilizers and antibiotics, 81% say that organic products are more environmentally friendly and 80% believe that they are produced with a greater respect for the welfare of animals.
Recognition of the organic logo is also increasing. According to the survey, 56% of citizens recognize the organic logo, a figure higher than 27% in 2017.
Retail sales of organic products have increased by more than 128% in the last decade and, on average, each European spends around € 84 a year on organic products. This differs from one Member State to another. Per capita, the Danes spend the most (€ 344 per year) on organic products.
To increase the consumption of organic products and strengthen consumer confidence, the Commission will take action to promote organic farming and the EU logo; promote organic canteens and increase the use of green public procurement; reinforce the organic school schemes; prevent food fraud; improve traceability; and facilitate the contribution of the private sector.
Other axes include the focus on stimulating conversion, reinforcing the value chain and improving the contribution of organic agriculture to environmental sustainability.
Focus on national, regional and local stakeholders
The plan has been welcomed by IFOAM Organics Europe, which highlighted the role of Member States in adhering to the Commission’s objective.
“We must not forget the importance of the participation of national, regional and even local actors so that this action plan is as successful as possible in reaching the organic objective of 25% …” IFOAM director Eduardo Cuoco said in a statement.
Uroš Brežan, member of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and rapporteur on the “Action Plan for the development of EU organic production”, has expressed concern that the plan “does not have a local and regional dimension” .
While he was unable to provide the committee’s official opinion, as the Action Plan has yet to be discussed among its members, Brežan said he is “disappointed” with the “low profile” of the plan.
“Although local and regional authorities are directly involved in the development of organic farming in their regions … the action plan ignores the key role that local and regional authorities play in this area”, He told delegates at the EFF event.
“The European Commission should urgently establish and coordinate a network of municipalities committed to taking measures to promote sustainable and resilient agricultural and food systems.”
Minimum objective in mass catering?
Brežan has also opposed the Commission’s proposal for green public procurement, which, according to him, should include a minimum target.
“I regret that the new action plan does not include a minimum target for organic products in mass catering, as this is an important means of developing and structuring local organic production and promoting sustainable and regional development.”
The CoR member continued: “The introduction of organic products into catering facilities is often an integral part of local policy measures. The Committee calls for efforts to ensure that 75% of school canteens consist of healthy, organic or, at least, local products ”.
Cost may be the “main barrier” to the adoption of organic products in mass catering, Brežan suggested. However, local experience often shows that there are “means” to keep the budget in check, he continued. “In mass catering, food costs generally only represent 25% of the total cost of a meal. Therefore, savings can be made on non-food spending components and then transferred to the purchase of food products. ”
Ultimately, the CDR member said he believes in setting a threshold for organic food in mass catering, which, according to him, could have a “significant effect” on “stimulating demand.” “That is why I see great potential in the opening of the public acquisitions included in the proposal.”
In response, DG Agri’s Fano said the Commission’s decision to exclude mass restoration from the plan was deliberate.
“When setting the European targets, we were very careful not to set too many … because of this huge difference between the Member States,” Explained.
“We encourage national targets, but it is very different to have a European target on green public procurement when there is a big difference between Member States. So it was a careful choice to avoid that. ”
‘It is not consistent with the CAP regulations’
According to the Commission, the CAP will be “fully mobilized” to support the implementation of the Action Plan.
Specifically, an additional stream of funding will be made available through green plans, with the support of the CAP, including technical assistance and the exchange of best practices and innovations in organic matter. Agricultural advisory services will also be strengthened to promote the exchange of relevant knowledge.
“The organic movement welcomes the fact that the Commission ensures that Member States make the best use of the possibilities offered by the new CAP to support their national organic sector and that agricultural advisory services will be strengthened.” Cuoco from IFOAM Organics Europe noted.
“It is time to properly reward organic farmers, as well as conventional farmers transitioning to organic for the benefits they bring to nature and society, and to properly fund agricultural advisory systems geared towards organic practices. and other agroecological practices “.
However, for CoR’s Brežan, the CAP needs a review if it adequately serves farmers who are transitioning to organic farming.
The action plan “is not consistent” with the CAP regulations, he argued. “While we welcome the goal of reaching 25% of farmland in organic farming to promote the transition to sustainable food systems, included in the Farm-to-Table strategy, we fear that this goal will not be achieved without reform. more in-depth of the CAP regulation. ”
The CoR is not against the inclusion of tax penalties in the CAP to encourage Member States to act, for example. In this context, if Member States fail to achieve their organic targets, they could be “financially penalized,” Brežan suggested.
“Experience has shown that without financial penalties, environmental goals are never achieved.”
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