About: organic farming Archives

Despite improvements in the control of organic farming, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) said more work is needed to prevent food fraud and ensure that organic standards are met, as traceability is causing continued issues for foodstuffs bearing the bio label.

Financial assistance for French organic farming has accrued more than two years of delays, organic farmers have filed complaints with the French human rights defender and hope that the state will renew the existing cash advances. EURACTIV France’s media partner the Journal de l’environnement reports.

Most farmers sell their products to large food companies and therefore lose large proportions of their income to long supply chains. But individual farmers manage to sell directly to customers. Is this a viable model? EURACTIV Germany reports.

Negotiations on the re-approval of copper compounds, which are due to be gradually phased out, are still ongoing. The European Commission is expected to present a new proposal to EU member states next month, at a meeting that was not originally scheduled.

Survey: The demand for organic products is rising in Germany. Is this all just marketing is there more behind this increase in turnover. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Local farmers are increasingly sought after by catering establishments, which want to improve their food supply and enhance local production. However, public procurement rules hinder their plans. EURACTIV.fr reports.

The European Commission and the member states extended once again the authorisation for copper sulphate, a controversial pesticide used in organic farming, which is on the EU’s “substitution” list and its effects on consumers are still unknown.

The EU organic logo brings certain guarantees about high standards of animal welfare, and EU institutions ought to show strong commitment to address weaknesses in regards to animal welfare rules, writes Olga Kikou.

EU member states agreed on Monday (20 November) to a new set of rules for organic farming, simplifying the system and creating a level playing field for EU produce and imports. The European Parliament's agriculture committee will vote on the rules on Wednesday.

Food security and global peace go hand in hand. The EU's proposed organic food regulation is not perfect, but it is a step towards the sustainable food system we need, write Claude Turmes, José Bové, Molly Scott-Cato, Martin Häusling, Bart Staes and Philippe Lamberts.

The biotech industry has urged the European Commission to “show leadership and positive commitment” to plant breeding innovation - which environmentalists and farmers largely oppose - and to provide clarity on agricultural innovation in general.

Despite the growth of organic agriculture, France will suspend state support to organic farmers by 2018, in a decision that could weaken the sector, as shown by examples in the UK and the Netherlands. EURACTIV France reports.

The European Commission plans to propose further restrictions on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, an EU official told EURACTIV on Wednesday (20 September), amid a continuing tug of war between environmental groups and pesticide producers.

Sales of organic produce are on the up in Europe. In 2015 alone, they rose by 13%, so it is no surprise the industry is struggling to approve proposed reforms to the EU’s eco-regulation. The sector claims there is little improvement on the table. EURACTIV Germany reports.

A recent trade deal on organic products between the EU and Chile has sparked a discussion regarding the environmental footprint of organic products transportation.

Germans love to do their food shopping at discount retailers. But the costs incurred in order to provide such cheap prices are enormous and society is paying through the nose for it. EURACTIV Germany reports.

French farmers could reduce their pesticide consumption by 30% without losing profitability, a new study published in the review Nature Plants has revealed. EURACTIV’s partner Journal de l’Environnement reports.

The EU Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM EU) yesterday (19 January) sent a letter to EU Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Phil Hogan, calling for a “fundamentally new approach” to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Germany and the EU: How do they cooperate? Where do their approaches conflict and where are their interests aligned? EURACTIV Germany's new Vice-Versa series will take a look at one issue from both a European and federal government perspective.

Europeans are not happy with the way €55 billion of their taxes is spent on agricultural studies, according to a new study, which has backed further tinkering with the EU's farming policy. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Concepts like "100% local" and "zero kilometer" products are now on an upward trend in Spain and are forcing the food industry to rethink how it does business. EURACTIV’s partner EFEAgro reports.

When it comes to the Organic Regulation review, the European Commission is more interested in “substance over speed” EURACTIV.com has learned.

The High Council of Biotechnology (HCB) held a conference on the implementation of the EU's GMO rules. HCB President Christine Noiville and Frans Brom, a member of the Dutch government’s scientific council, answered EURACTIV France’s questions on the subject.

In an interview with EURACTIV's partner EFE, the president of the European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA), Alan Jagoe, called for more aid for people new to the industry and criticised national governments for doing more for veteran farmers than their younger counterparts.