Organic Farming: The Consumer's side

The European Commission will launch a new Europe-wide promotional campaign for Organic Farming on 25 July 2008. The campaign is based on the political agreement reached by EU agriculture ministers in June 2007 on a new regulation on organic production and labelling, which will be simpler for both farmers and consumers. The new rules set out a complete set of objectives, principles and basic rules for organic production, and include a new permanent import regime and a more consistent control regime. The use of the EU organic logo will be mandatory, but it can be accompanied by national or private logos. Increased consumer awareness of food safety issues and environmental concerns has contributed to the growth in organic farming over the last few years. Organic farming has to be understood as part of a sustainable farming system and a viable alternative to the more traditional approaches to agriculture. Since the EU rules on organic farming came into force in 1992, tens of thousands of farms have been converted to this system, as a result of increased consumer awareness and demand for organically grown products. The sustainability of both agriculture and the environment is a key policy objective of today's common agricultural policy (CAP).

European Commission | April 24, 2008

Tags:. .simpler. .organic farming. .european commission