Organic food

Organic farming: Europe’s south produces, north consumes

Organic farmland in three countries in southern Europe accounts for 44.9% of the total across the EU but when it comes to the consumption of organic products, northern countries top the list.

INFOGRAPHIC: Organic farming in the EU

Today, organic farming plays an increasingly bigger role on the world’s agricultural stage.

In the European Union, the use of organic agricultural land has almost doubled in recent years.

Commission: Organic farming ‘not enough’ to address food security

SPECIAL REPORT / Organic farming has a role to play in the new Common Agricultural Policy, but it cannot address the perplexing issue of food security, an EU spokesperson said.

German government to boost organic farming

Germany is hungry for organic products. But, despite good market conditions, and heavy marketing, organic farmers are not reaping their share of the boom’s benefits, something Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt intends to change. EURACTIV Germany reports.

New EU regulation could curb organic farming

As demand for organic products continues to grow among Europeans, the supply of sustainably manufactured and animal-friendly foods is struggling to keep up, experts indicate, warning that a new EU amendment could widen this gap. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Organic sector disappointed by Commission proposal

The European Commission's latest plans to reform the production and labelling of organic produce, presented in March, have met with harsh criticism from the French organic sector, which says it fails to respond to the real issues. EURACTIV France reports. 

Organic farming has grown rapidly, says EU

The organic farming sector has grown rapidly over the past ten years, to about 500,000 new hectares every year, according to EU statistics.

30,000 gather in Berlin to protest against intensive farming

Some 30,000 people gathered in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday (18 January) to demonstrate against large-scale 'agribusiness', but the question remains about how to produce enough food to feed a growing population without intensive farming.

EU gradually turning green in food security debate

SPECIAL REPORT / With the world's population expected to rise to nine billion by 2050, European regulators are pushing for a gradually greener approach to food sustainability, warning that demand for food could cause a number of related crises, such as runaway carbon emissions, waste and obesity.

Commission looks at possible revamp of organic farming legislation

The European Commission is due in September to reconsider the EU’s rules on organic farming, including a likely review of certification standards and an assessment of the potential risks posed by genetically modified crops.

Audit urges stronger enforcement of organic foods

Consumers who are willing to pay extra for organic fruits, vegetables and other goods may not always get what they are hoped for due to lax oversight in some EU countries.

Organic farmers defend EU’s ‘green revolution’

Outgunned by large industrial farm lobbying groups, organic producers, supported by conservation organisations, have risen up to defend some of the European Commission's proposals for a 'greener' Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Commission sees sharp growth in organic food trade

Imports of organic food products into the European Union are likely to increase sharply as demand outstrips domestic supply, a report published by the bloc's executive said on Friday (16 July).

EU label aims to boost organic farming

The European Commission hopes that new EU rules, including the new organic logo 'Euro-Leaf', will enhance consumer confidence in organic food and boost the sector across Europe.

EU eyes increased role for organic farming

With the EU's future farm policy expected to have an increased focus on protecting biodiversity, promoting sustainable farming and achieving CO2 reduction goals, organic farming may be worth a closer look, EU officials said.

No health benefits from organic food, claims study

There are no important advantages in terms of health and nutritional benefits gained from eating organic food when compared to food produced using conventional techniques, says the UK’s Food Standards Authority (FSA), with the recent publication of a scientific study.

Organic farmers look to R&D to boost yields, save planet

Ensuring both food security and environmental sustainability is possible, argues a platform which is currently sketching a vision and strategic research agenda for organic food and farming.

EU report reveals pesticides in organic food

An annual monitoring report found traces of pesticides in organic food products for the first time, challenging public perceptions that organic products are free of synthetic plant protection products.

Commission urged to support organic food research

Stakeholders called on the European Commission to provide "adequate support" for organic food and farming research at the launch of a new technology platform, TP Organics, on 2 December.

Ministers to start talks on future of EU agriculture

As EU ministers for agriculture prepare to launch a debate on the future of the bloc's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) tomorrow, farmers' groups are calling the EU to adopt organic farming as its future model and to safeguard farming activities in mountainous regions.

Accidental GMO content permitted in organic food

The EU-27's agriculture ministers have agreed to new organic food production and labelling standards from 2009, but green groups say that the rules are lax and will allow widespread contamination of organic products by genetically modified organisms.

MEPs put the breaks on organic-food law

The Parliament has held back its opinion on a new EU regulation on organic production and labelling rules, aimed at buying more time to negotiate on legislative powers and restrict the GMO content of organic products.

Despite measures, organic farming remains tiny in EU

Recent figures by Eurostat show organic farmers represented only a tiny share (2%) of the total number of EU-15 farmers in 2002 and that this proportion has remained unchanged since the turn of the century.

EU uses space technologies to combat CAP subsidy fraud

State-of-the-art satellite systems will help implement CAP reforms by ensuring farmers are only claiming aid for genuine farmland. The new technology will soon be used in the entire EU-25.