New European regulation for organics delayed

BIOFRESHI (Netherlands) at Fruit Logistica 2020 © Eurofresh Distribution

The European Commission has decided to put back the launch of a new EU Organic Action Plan until 27 November 2021.  Eduardo Cuoco, director of IFOAM Organics Europe, welcomed the move: “Postponing the entry into force of the new organic regulation is a wise decision that will allow Member States to properly finish the work on the secondary legislation. We commend the European Commission for listening to the concerns of organic farmers, processors, retailers and certifiers all over Europe, who need the assurance that they will have sufficient time to adapt to the new rules and to maintain the quality of the organic control system. We now urge the European Parliament to accept this proposal without delay through a simplified procedure.”

The president of organic farming organisation IFOAM Organic Europe, Jan Plagge, was similarly pleased with the news, arguing that concrete steps are needed to boost demand and steer Europe in the direction of organics: “The future action plan should be up to the ambition of the Biodiversity and Farm to Fork strategies to reach 25% organic land in the EU by 2030, with time-bound targets, an adequate budget and a real influence on the CAP national strategic plans. We already welcome the Commission plans to allocate a budget of €40m to organic farming under the promotion policy in 2021.”

The aim of the plan is to examine how organic production can help the agri-food sector boost its sustainability throughout the supply chain, developing both demand for organic products and organic production. The new organic regulation was initially intended to enter into force on 1 January 2021, but many of the technical requirements remain to be discussed and adopted by Member States.