Chairman of Copa & Cogecas’ Organic Working Party Kees Van Zelderen said “We thank the EU Maltese and Estonian presidency, as well as European Parliament for their hard work and efforts to reach a political compromise. This political agreement was endorsed by the EU Special Committee for Agriculture and by the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee. It will now be rubber stamped by Parliament and Council. A top priority for the Working Party on Organic Farming will be to work on the rules needed to implement the legislation so that we can continue to support the fast growth of the sector. Today, there are 295,600 organic farmers who produce in an organic way within 12 million hectares. It will consequently be vital to ensure that the implementing rules and delegated acts are practical on the ground and that all remaining uncertainties are removed in order to have harmonised and clear rules across the EU”
At Copa and Cogeca, we have identified 5 key priority areas which are essential for a smooth transition. These include the implementing rules relating to the annual on-site controls, as well as residue controls. They also include rules on the regime for imports certified by control bodies to ensure a level playing field between EU farmers and farmers in non-EU countries, as well as technical rules governing plant reproductive material and poultry production.
Copa and Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen said “On the basis of this agreement, we will continue working to ensure that organic farmers, like any other farmers, can earn a living from their farming activities and this includes in particular increasing their bargaining power and positioning in the food chain”.
