The EU is off course on meeting its headline organic farming target of hitting 25% of the entire agricultural area farmed organically by 2030, according to a new report from the EU’s financial watchdog.
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) reported that the current yearly rise in organic area would need to double if the EU is to meet the Green Deal’s 25% target on time.
The EU’s organic area stood at 10.5% of the agricultural area in 2022, with this varying from a low of 0.6% in Malta to a high of over 25% in Austria.
However, the auditors claimed that more targets are needed in addition to just a target on area, for example on consumption and output.
The auditors also called on the EU to set out a strategy for organics which goes beyond 2030, a call which has since been rejected by the European Commission, which claims that targets cannot be set beyond this to not prejudice future political discussions on the sector.
Bigger role for markets
Auditors recommended that more be done to develop organic supply chains and markets to prevent organic farming becoming “entirely dependent on EU funds”.
“European agriculture is becoming greener and organic farming plays a key role in that. But for lasting success, it is not enough to focus on increasing just the area of land that is organically farmed,” said lead auditor Keit Pentus-Rosimannus.
“More needs to be done to support the sector as a whole - developing the market and boosting production.
“Otherwise, we risk creating a lopsided system that is entirely dependent on EU funds, rather than a thriving industry spurred on by informed consumers.”
The auditors said that a well-developed market for organic produce would provide an “additional incentive” for conventional farmers to make the switch.
The report references significant differences in the average consumer spend on organic food between member states.
The yearly spend ranged from a high of €365 per capita in Denmark in 2022, to €2 in Romania and with Irish consumers' spend coming in at €47.
Derogations from rules
The auditors noted that certain member states grant derogations, authorisation or exemptions from the EU’s organic farming framework, such as it being a “common practice” to allow farmers obtain derogations for using conventional seed when organic seed cannot be sourced.
They found that Italy still allows small organic farmers to tether cattle, which is generally prohibited under organics’ animal welfare rules.
Some countries allow organic farmers to convert grassland, but not the livestock grazing it to organics, the auditors also pointed out, which sees organic funding not increasing the sector's output.
They recommended that the Commission issue guidance to member states to ensure organic rules are applied consistently across member states to tighten standards and level the playing field for farmers.
The auditors noted that more than one in every three organic farmers visited under the assessment had grown the same crop on the same land, not following a crop rotation.
They stated that these farms had a higher use of commercially-available organic inputs around fertilisers and pesticides, which although compliant with regulations, goes “against the principle of restricting the use of such inputs in organic farming”.
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