EU: Member States support the new standards for organic farming

The European Commission has assessed as a decisive step the support that Member States have expressed on November 20th, for the approval of new standards for organic farming, which would establish a simplified legal framework that would cover all producers, since be from the EU or from third countries exporting to the EU.

The Commissioner of Agriculture, Phil Hogan, welcomed this decisive step towards the final approval of the new Regulation on the biological sector: “Today’s Council Decision is an important step for the organic sector, which is growing rapidly and will be able to continue to grow with the guarantee of having clear and fair rules for everyone. There was a general consensus that the current rules, some of which go back 20 years, were no longer adequate and were going to end up hurting the growth of the sector, which represents EUR 27 billion in the EU. (…) In these negotiations, which have lasted three years, the Commission has always had in mind the European consumer who buys organic products and who rightly has expectations about the guarantees offered by the European Union’s eco-label. The new rules will put an end to the existing system of exceptions. They will apply to all organic products sold in the EU, regardless of whether they are EU products or imported“.

More stringent preventive measures will also reduce the risk of accidental contamination by unauthorized substances

The Agreement supported by the Special Committee on Agriculture of the Council will now go to the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers for approval. Once this is achieved, the new rules will take effect on January 1st, 2021.

Source: Office in Spain of the European Commission