EU tightens supervision of organic farmers

Organic livestock farmers and arable farmers are subject to stricter supervision of the production process from Brussels. Controls will also be tightened further down the chain, the European Parliament has decided.

Producers, processors, transporters and sellers of organic food will be inspected annually from 2021. For example, if traces of plant protection products are found, the license can be revoked. With a clean slate, the control is extended to 2 years. These are some of the spearheads in the new legislation on organic production and labelling. More than three quarters of the European Parliament has voted in favor of this today.

Equal import standards
Organic products imported by European member states must also comply with European standards. Previously, even more lenient standards applied to the organic import flow. About half of the organic food comes from outside the EU. In terms of value, the organic market has doubled in the past 4 years to around €30 billion. VVD MEP Jan Huitema says that he thinks it is important that organic is actually organic. According to Huitema, the fact that European standards now also apply to producers outside the EU is an important element in the new legislation. 

European Member States may determine individually to further tighten the Brussels standards. However, if a Member State so chooses, organic products from other Member States may not be banned. The European Commission will decide in 2025 whether the standards within the EU should still be aligned.

Both conventional and organic
Under the new legislation, so-called mixed organic farms can continue to exist. These are companies that produce both organic and conventional; The condition is, however, that the two production processes remain strictly separate. There was a proposal from the European Commission to ban this; that has now been stopped by the European Parliament. 

According to MEP Annie Schreijer-Pierik, it is a good thing that the mixed organic farms can continue to exist. "These companies would otherwise have to stop because of the new regulation, which would be very strange," said Schreijer-Pierik. According to the MEP, this measure makes it possible to farm organically, without having to switch completely.

Wouter Job

Wouter Baan is editor-in-chief of Boerenbusiness. He also focuses on dairy, pig and meat markets. He also follows (business) developments within agribusiness and interviews CEOs and policymakers.

w.baan@boerenbusiness. Nl

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