News
GMOs – An easy breakdown on common myths
Global grassroots organization Slow Food International has recently published a short myth-busting article with the most common, but wrong and…
Member States call for ‘new impact assessment’ on the Pesticides Regulation (SUR), delaying strict EU pesticide regulation
On 19 December, Member States1 voted in favour of requesting complementary data to the existing impact assessment the Commission carried…
16/12/2022
Plant health care
EU pesticides regulation (SUR) under attacks from Member States & industry
The EU Pesticide Reduction proposal SUR has been under attack by lobbyists. They developed a strategy to delay and possibly…
Promoting recycled fertilizers in Europe: IFOAM Organics Europe position paper & outcomes policy workshop on closing the nutrients’ cycle
On 28 February, IFOAM Organics Europe has published a new position paper on the Commission’s Integrated Nutrients Management Action Plan…
November newsletter: SUR, GMO-free event, and more!
Two weeks ago, we published our November newsletter and it’s rich in updates and information on the hottest organic topics!…
06/12/2022
Plant health care
Bold pesticide reduction plan faces attack on Saturday
BRUSSELS, 6 DECEMBER 2022 – EU plans to cut pesticide use and risk by half and protect the most sensitive…
Green claims: better methodologies to assess environmental performance of food & textiles products
BRUSSELS, 29 NOVEMBER 2022 – IFOAM Organics Europe welcomes news about the Commission’s decision to postpone the publication of the…
Press conference: EU pesticide reduction under fierce attack
In June 2022, the EU Commission presented a legislative proposal on the “sustainable use of plant protection products” (SUR), which…
24/11/2022
Plant health care
Political Hotspot - November 2022
The legislative process of revising the EU’s pesticide legislation, the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Regulation (SUR), is full of hurdles,…
Welcome note November 2022
Dear reader, I am happy to welcome you to this year’s last edition of our newsletter. I am proud to…
1 million EU citizens knock on EU’s door: No synthetic pesticides to save bees & farmers
Over 1 million EU citizens are asking to restore nature, provide healthy food, healthy soil and clean water. On Friday 25…
‘Way forward in organic plant health care strategies’ Conference, 17-18 November 2022, online
On 17 & 18 November, IFOAM Organics Europe, BÖLW and JKI Institüte organised an online conference on the ‘Way forward…
GMO-free Europe Event held at the European Parliament to take a stand discuss the European Commission's new NGT legislative proposal
The European Commission announced a new legislative proposal for so-called ‘Novel Genomic Techniques’ in the second quarter of 2023. This…
09/11/2022
Plant health care
Commission's fertiliser communication, short term fixes, no long-term solutions
In its Communication on ensuring availability and affordability of fertilisers, the EU Commission postpones necessary changes to achieve more sustainable food systems by…
03/11/2022
Plant health care
Organic movement asks for higher environmental ambition in the upcoming Fertiliser Communication & digitalization of pesticide use data in SAIO’s implementing act
Upcoming Fertilizers Communication of the Commission On 24 October, we co-signed a joint letter with 9 NGOs calling on the…
Sustainability labels, ”sustainable or not? That’s the question!”
In the current food environment, labels are crucial to provide consumers with information to help them make the sustainable choice.…
Sustainability labelling for food: one day to understand all about it
The European Commission is expected to reveal their proposal for a Regulation on Substantiating Green Claims based on the Product…
14/10/2022
GMOs
The scientists behind the GMO deregulation lobby – A story of vested interests
Many scientists currently active in agricultural biotechnology who lobby for deregulating so-called ‘new genomic techniques’ (NGTs) in the European Union…
14/10/2022
GMOs
Add your signature – Support these EU-wide petitions to stop attempts to deregulate new GMOs
The European Commission is working on a new legislative proposal for ‘New Genomic Techniques’ (NGTs). We expect this to be…
Save the Date: GMO-Free Europe Event 2022 - 17 November
We invite you to join us for a GMO-free Europe event at the European Parliament to discuss the European Commission’s…
30/09/2022
Vision
They make it happen! Helping young graduates get in touch with the practical organic world
Organic contributes to promoting and delivering healthy and sustainable diets. This is part of our Vision 2030 set out and…
29/09/2022
Labelling
New position paper on sustainability labelling & the Planet-score
IFOAM Organics Europe published its new position paper on “Sustainability labelling & the Planet-score”. Political context This position paper comes…
27/09/2022
GMOs
Worrying step to deregulating GMOs: EU Agriculture Commissioner says “no controversy about direction” among EU Agricultural Ministers
The recent Informal meeting of the EU Ministers of Agriculture set a worrying tone for the political agenda regarding Genetically…
Updates on pesticides and recycled nutrients: Regulation (SUR), statistics and data
IFOAM Organics Europe welcomed the Commission’s proposal on the revision of the Sustainable Use of pesticides Regulation (SUR). It could…
13/09/2022
Vision
Help us show that organic is a front-runner in transforming food & farming
To make our shared Vision for organic in 2030 a reality, we collect European initiatives that are transforming EU food…
29/07/2022
Seeds
European Parliamentarians, NGOs and organic sector discuss seed marketing rules
Before the European Parliament’s summer break, the political process reviewing seed marketing rules kickstarted with an event on 22 June.…
June newsletter: measuring pesticides, new GMOs, and more!
We just published our June newsletter and it’s rich in updates and information on the hottest organic topics! Not sure…
28/06/2022
Plant health care
Got pesticides in your body? It’s your last chance to find out
Pesticides threaten our food and farming systems.They kill pollinators like bees, reduce the quality of soils, endanger the health of…
27/06/2022
GMOs
Public consultation on new genomic techniques still ongoing + Member briefing
The 12-weeks consultation period of the European Commission in the context of the Impact Assessment for new legislation for ‘New…
24/06/2022
Labelling
Sustainability labelling & the PEF – Closed event in the European Parliament
Green Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) Benoît Biteau, Claude Gruffat and Michèle Rivasi held an invitation-only event in the…
They make it happen! Green public procurement in Copenhagen’s public kitchens
Organic contributes to promoting and delivering healthy and sustainable diets. This is part of our Vision 2030 set out and…
21/06/2022
Vision
Do you have an initiative that is transforming food & farming? Share it with us, get visibility & inspire others!
To make the EU Green Deal a reality, we will need to transform food and farming. The organic movement has…
20/06/2022
Plant health care
Contribute to the Commission’s consultation on the future EU integrated nutrient management action plan (INMAP)
The Commission is preparing an Integrated Nutrient Management Action Plan (INMAP) as announced in the EU Biodiversity and Farm to…
Environmental NGOs and organic movement call on Commission to develop a new indicator to measure progress towards the Farm to Fork pesticide reduction target
BRUSSELS, 9 JUNE 2022 – The organisers of the European Citizens’ Initiative Save Bees and Farmers (signed by 1.2 million…
09/06/2022
Plant health care
Do you have pesticides in your body? Join the pesticide check-up and find out
Pesticides are a serious threat to our food and farming systems. On the field, they kill pollinators like bees and…
Organic Innovation Days 2022: Living labs & lighthouse farms in organic, 11-12 October 2022, Rumbeke-Beitem & Brussels, Belgium
After two virtual editions of the Organic Innovation Days, this year’s edition will once again take place as a physical…
06/06/2022
Plant health care
Agreement on agricultural statistics (SAIO)
On Thursday 2 June, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament reached an agreement on the new EU…
Alternatives to contentious input in organic - Heritage of RELACS project
The RELACS project developed and researched alternatives to contentious inputs in organic crop production – copper and mineral oils, nutrient…
05/05/2022
Vision
Share your organic initiative transforming food and farming & get visibility!
Across Europe, a range of organic and other initiatives are already changing food and farming, paving the way for the…
Wrapping up the RELACS project: Policy roadmaps, videos & other publications
The RELACS project, which aims at finding alternatives to contentious inputs in organic farming, came to an end on 29…
03/05/2022
Vision
They make it happen! Improving the sustainability of agriculture in the Puglia region
Organic contributes to promoting and delivering healthy and sustainable food. This is part of our Vision 2030 set out and shared by…
03/05/2022
GMOs
Commission opens public consultation on new legislation for new genetic engineering techniques
The EU Commission launched a 12-weeks consultation period in the context of the Impact Assessment for new legislation for ‘New…
Sustainable nutrient management: our contribution to the European Commission’s public consultation
In Europe, surplus nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the environment are already exceeding safe planetary boundaries – for N…
24/03/2022
Seeds
New rules vegetative plant reproductive material for organic production
While the new EU Organic Regulation officially entered into force on 1 January of this year, not all details were…
Policy instruments & voluntary initiatives for reducing contentious inputs in organic farming
The RELACS project released a new scientific paper by Varga et al., 2022, analysing existing policy instruments and voluntary initiatives in…
23/03/2022
Plant health care
Commission delays proposal for Regulation on the sustainable use of pesticides
On 23 March, the European Commission was supposed to publish a proposal for a Regulation on the Sustainable Use of…
Expert on recycled fertilisers? Join our Task Force on Recycled Fertilisers
IFOAM Organics Europe’s Board created a Task Force on Recycled Fertilisers. This decision comes in the context of the “Integrated…
Soil Health Law: Organic movement’s contribution to public consultation
60-70% of soils in the EU are not healthy and the EU still lacks a comprehensive soil protection policy. In…
16/03/2022
GMOs
No risk assessment and labelling for eggs and hens of genetically modified origin?
Following an EU Commission statement, it can be concluded that eggs and laying hens that originate from genetically engineered hens…
09/03/2022
Vision
They make it happen! A Belgian farming collective for biodiversity and preservation
Organic farming and production work with nature to achieve the best possible results for people, animals, and the planet. To…