Organic farming: new EU rules adopted

On 22 May the Council adopted new EU rules on organic production and the labelling of organic products.

The new regulation encourages the sustainable development of organic production in the EU and aims at guaranteeing fair competition for farmers and operators, preventing fraud and unfair practices and improving consumer confidence in organic products.

"Organic farmland has more than doubled in the last decade and is still growing. Thanks to the rules we have adopted today, the organic sector will continue to thrive and consumers can trust that the organic products they buy are of the highest quality."

Rumen Porodzanov, minister of agriculture, food and forestry of the Republic of Bulgaria and president of the Council

Old rules covering organic production were uneven across the EU, as they included a wide range of different practices and exceptions. Furthermore the principle of equivalence applying to imported organic food created a situation in which different standards applied to different producers from the same country.

A new legislative framework was therefore needed to equip a fast-growing sector with clear and stable rules, and to allow organic producers to compete fairly, independently from whether they produce in the EU or in a third country. Moreover, thanks to the new rules consumers buying a product bearing the EU organic logo can be sure of getting the same quality across the EU.

Read the full press release here.

Visit the meeting the page on the website of the Council of the European Union.