Organic farming in the EU agricultural policy - the EU action plan for organic farming

Stolze,-M; Lampkin,-N
Forschungsinstitut fur biologischen Landbau (FiBL), CH-5070 Frick,
Switzerland. E-Mail: matthias.stolze@fibl.org

Abstract
The development of organic agriculture in Europe is mainly driven by consumer demand for organic products, policy support through area payments, and standard setting through regulations.

The policy challenge therefore is to achieve a balanced policy mix recognizing governmental policy support on the one side and the market mechanisms for yielding premium prices.

Action plans are suitable policy instruments to address and integrate different and sometimes conflicting policy measures. In 2004, the European Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming was published by the European Commission.

The action plan takes up very important issues for the further development of organic farming standards through EC Reg. 2092/91, stresses the importance of information provision to both organic actors and consumers and thus sets a baseline for balanced 'push' and 'pull' strategies.

However, there is no consideration of the interaction of organic farming with the main parts of the CAP; nothing about how, by when and on the basis of which resources the suggested actions should be implemented. Furthermore, the action plan failed to set clear targets for organic farming development.

On the positive side, the action plan (i) expresses the relevance of organic farming in the context of the EU agricultural policy and (ii) recognizes the dual societal role of organic farming (providing public goods and services and responding to consumer concern).

Source
Agrarwirtschaft und Agrarsoziologie. 2005; (1): 57-68

 

Posted February 2008