European regulations governing organic production come into effect

The pandemic had delayed until January 1, 2022 the new European regulations on organic production, a legal framework that seeks to standardise the rules for organic production and enable new operators to join and promote the consumption of organic food. Regulation 2018/48 on organic production and the labelling of organic products was originally expected to apply from January 2021.

Europe has set itself the goal of making 25% of its agricultural land organic by 2030 and increasing the consumption of organic products, not because conventional products are not safe, but because organics are “the healthiest option” and meet the demands of quality and animal welfare demanded by the consumer.

This was stated by the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, when he presented the new Action Plan for Organic Agriculture, another document that, although not legally binding, also goes in the same direction.

The key aspects of the new legal framework include the standardisation of the organic farming model to give stability to the sector for many years and allows group certifications, thereby lowering costs for small farmers. This means there is no longer a separate organic form of production in each Member State.