News
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…
ClieNFarms project has started
Making farms climate-neutral is the aim of the ClieNFarms projects that started last January. The project will set up 20…
New project wants to make school meals part of transition to sustainable diet
The EU-funded “SchoolFood4Change” (SF4C) project aims to shift school meals and schools into a new paradigm of systemic change towards…
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…
The 7 key policy recommendations on sustainable food public procurement
The Food Policy Coalition’s policy recommendations on food procurement support procurement as a tool that contributes to the systemic transformation…
Statement of solidarity with Ukraine
The European organic movement expresses its solidarity with all people in Ukraine, with all those, including in Russia, who have…
Organic Movement calls for increased support for organic farming in CAP Strategic Plans to achieve Farm to Fork's targets
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, 3 March 2022 – Today, the organic food and farming movement published its assessment of the support for…
02/02/2022
GMOs
New GMOs: What’s next for Europe & state-of-play legislative process
As covered in previous editions of our newsletter, the European Commission has been moving forward with plans to create a…
EU organic movement calls on Member States to provide reliable data on organic and other Farm to Fork targets
BRUSSELS, 2 FEBRUARY 2022 – As the first trialogue on the Regulation on Statistics on Agricultural Inputs and Outputs (SAIO)…
Sustainability labelling: Product Environmental Footprint not suitable for agri-food products
Sustainability labelling has to be one of the major food-related political topics of 2022. As the think tank IDDRI outlines…
Policy brief outlining key points for a “Carbon Farming Scheme”
In December 2021, the European Commission presented its Communication on ‘Sustainable Carbon Cycles’, which addresses how to increase carbon sequestration…
Trialogues on Regulation on Statistics on Agricultural Inputs and Outputs to start
On 10 December, the Council of the EU approved its mandate for negotiations on the Regulation on Statistics on Agricultural…
Revised Directive for a Sustainable Use of pesticides expected on 23 March
The indicative calendar of the European Commission for the first half of 2022 mentions the launch of a “Nature restauration…
18/01/2022
Plant health care
Join pan-European testing for pesticide residues during #GoodFoodGoodFarming action month in October 2022
In the bodies of farm workers and city inhabitants, in people’s bedrooms and children’s playgrounds – pesticide residues at harmful…
Political hotspot December 2021 newsletter
On 23 November, the European Parliament approved the new CAP (2023-2027) Regulations. Now, Member States’ CAP Strategic Plans will be…
Review of events
On November 16, IFOAM Organics Europe and French Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Eric Andrieu (S&D) co-hosted a webinar…
14/12/2021
GMOs
Commission event: Can New Genetic Engineering Techniques (NGETs) be sustainable?
The European Commission invited stakeholders, public officials, and politicians for a high-level event to discuss their plans to launch new…
Read our new leaflet on plant health care in organic farming
Have you ever heard of all the preventive plant protection measures implemented by organic farmers to produce food without using…
29/11/2021
Plant health care
Sign by 3 December to stop toxic alliance between FAO and CropLife International
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently signed a letter of intent to formalize a partnership…
EU releases soil strategy & plans legal initiative in 2023
On 17 November, the European Commission published the EU Soil Strategy for 2030 together with a proposal for a regulation…
Organic’s approach to plant health: Webinar with MEP Eric Andrieu - 16 November 2021, online
On November 16, IFOAM Organics Europe and French Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Eric Andrieu (S&D) co-hosted a webinar…
Mainstreaming organic plant breeding – celebrating 20 years of organic plant breeders
‘How to make organic plant breeding mainstream’ – was the guiding question of the 20th anniversary event of the organic…
Last chance to register for the event on research and innovation for organic! 30 November-1 December, online
These are the last weeks to register for the Organic Innovation Days 2021, the only EU event on research &…
Join our webinar on the organic approach to plant health on 16 November, online
IFOAM Organics Europe and Member of the European Parliament Eric Andrieu (S&D group) are glad to invite you to their…
Political hotspot October 2021 newsletter
26 October marked the final day for final contributions to the Commission’s inception impact assessment (roadmap) on the Sustainable Food…
Welcome note October 2021 newsletter
Dear readers, Autumn has reached Europe, and unlike nature at this time of year, our work is not slowing down.…
Preview of events
On 16 November, from 10:30-12:00, MEP Eric Andrieu (S&D) will co-host our website on the organic approach to plant health…
Save the date: Webinar on organic approach to plant health 16 November, online
On 16 November, from 10:30-12:00, MEP Eric Andrieu (S&D) will co-host our webinar on the organic approach to plant health…
Save the Date & Register now for the Organic Innovation Days 2021
Register now to attend this year’s Organic Innovation Days and discuss Better inputs for organic farming. TP Organics’ annual public…
The Farm to Fork Strategy: An ambition to safeguard
It is a busy time for stakeholders active on the Farm to Fork (F2F) Strategy. On 19 October, the European…
Registration open: 6th European Conference on Copper in Plant Protection17-18 November 2021, online
Registration for the 6th European Conference on Copper in Plant Protection is now open! Bund Ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft (BÖLW), IFOAM Organics…
Watch RELACS’ new video about copper replacement in oil rose plantation
A new RELACS video explores the work and research currently pursued in the Rose Valley in Bulgaria. Organic farmers are…
12/10/2021
GMOs
Participate in Commission Public Consultation to keep (new) GMOs regulated and to protect organic
As covered in the last edition of the newsletter, the Commission is considering a new legal proposal for so-called “New…
12/10/2021
Plant health care
MEPs in COMAGRI made a first step to improve statistics on organic agriculture
On 12 October, the Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI) adopted their report on…
The future of organic food: Ten take-aways of the Organic Food Conference 2021
Our Organic Food Conference 2021 was a success, and we are happy to share the ten key take-aways. The European…
28/09/2021
GMOs
Public consultation for new legal proposal upcoming
On 29 April 2021, the European Commission published a study on the status of New Genomic Techniques under Union law…
Last Commission consultation before presentation revised Sustainable Use of pesticides Directive
On 5 October, Mathilde Calmels, IFOAM Organics Europe’s Policy Coordinator on Pesticides, Natural Inputs and Fertilisers, will be one of…
Upcoming vote on the Regulation on Statistics on Agricultural Inputs and Outputs (SAIO) in AGRI Committee
On 2 February 2021, the Commission published its proposal for a Regulation on Statistics on Agricultural Inputs and Outputs (SAIO),…
Save the date & contribute: 6th European Conference on Copper in Plant Protection, 17-18 November 2021, online
Recent severe weather events and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report make it clear: agriculture will have to…
Vote on European Parliament’s Farm to Fork Strategy report: mostly positive on organic
The Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy, published in May 2020 with a view of holistically transitioning towards more sustainable food…
08/09/2021
GMOs
The debate about new GMOs in Europe: Our Policy Coordinator in conversation with Slow Food Europe
In their podcast series on European food and farming policies, Slow Food Europe brings together experts to discuss hot matters…
LIVESEED – Organic seed breeding at the Organic World Congress
The LIVESEED project, which IFOAM Organics Europe co-cordinates, is contributing to the Organic World Congress (OWC) with a colourful program.…
Have your say! IFOAM Organics Europe provided feedback to the Commission’s EU School Scheme roadmap
As announced in the Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy, the Commission will “review the EU school scheme to enhance its…
Boosting organic seed & breeding - Policy and stakeholder recommendations
As the LIVESEED project is coming to its end, it has released a synthesis of all its results and recommendations.…
Organic movement's preliminary statement on CAP negotiations
“This CAP deal is a missed opportunity to engage European agriculture in an ambitious transition towards sustainability. We need action…
24/06/2021
Seeds
Commission opens public consultation on the review of the seed legislation
The Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) is reviewing the Union’s options to update the existing…