News
14/10/2021
Knowledge for organic
LIVESEED and OK-Net EcoFeed highlighted to be EU-funded research projects demonstrating potential of more sustainable alternatives
The EU Green Deal and its related Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies identified agroecology and organic farming as one…
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…
04/10/2021
Knowledge for organic
LIVESEED project comes to an end after 52 months
The LIVESEED project came to an end on 30 September 2021, after 52 months of activities. Started in June 2017,…
28/09/2021
Knowledge for organic
Digital Excellence in Agriculture Contest: Organic Farm Knowledge platform awarded first prize in Category 2!
The online platform Organic Farm Knowledge was awarded the first prize of the ‘Digital Excellence in Agriculture in Europe and…
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…
09/09/2021
Knowledge for organic
Emerging eco-friendly solutions to plant & animal protection inputs - RELACS scientific publications
The RELACS project recently released two new scientific papers on promising plant and animal protection methods and strategies for reducing…
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…
How are cities engaging with food system transformation? FoodSHIFT webinar, 13 September, 15:00-16:00
City councils – either led by the city government itself or by citizens – are key to involve citizens and…
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.…
Organic production of milk and meat - Join RELACS & Organic-PLUS at meeting of European Federation of Animal Science
The Horizon 2020 projects RELACS and Organic-PLUS will organize a session (#51) on “Organic production of milk and meat” on…
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.…
15/07/2021
Knowledge for organic
Organic Farm Knowledge platform finalist in Digital Excellence in Agriculture Contest
The online platform Organic Farm Knowledge was nominated as one of the finalist ‘Digital Excellence in Agriculture in Europe and…
Info Days on Horizon Europe Cluster 6 - 7-8 July 2021, online
Under the Pillar 2 of Horizon Europe, Cluster 6 – Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture & Environment is central to…
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…
EUREKA summer consortium meeting - 15-17 June 2021, online
On 15-17 June, all EUREKA’s partners virtually met at the project’s annual meeting to update and exchange about the project’s…
18/06/2021
Knowledge for organic
End of OK-Net EcoFeed project
Over the past three years, 19 organisations from 12 European countries have taken part in the Horizon 2020 OK-Net EcoFeed project to help farmers achieve 100% use of organic…
18/06/2021
Knowledge for organic
SmartAgriHubs’ Open call (RESTART & EXPAND)
In July 2020, SmartAgriHubs opened the RESTART and EXPAND open calls, assigning up to €5,000,000 funding for Digital Innovation Hubs…
Curious about alternatives to contentious fertilisers? Read RELACS’ new practice abstracts
The RELACS project just released two new practice abstracts on promising alternatives to fertilisers suitable for organic farming. Struvite as…
Getting food on the climate agenda - FoodSHIFT2030 webinar - 15 June 2021, online
Climate change policy debates fail to consider the interconnected nature of food systems and involve a wide range of actors.…
09/06/2021
GMOs
European retailers take a strong stand against deregulating new GMOs
On 26 May 2021, European retailers took a strong stand against deregulating new GMOs in a joint resolution. One of…
07/06/2021
Knowledge for organic
Are you involved in agriculture or forestry multi-actor projects? Take part in EUREKA’s impact assessment survey!
The EUREKA project launched a survey to collect information on how multi-actor projects (MAPs) perform impact assessments and evaluation. The…
Replacing antibiotics in organic - Handbook on Animal Health and Welfare Protocol (AHWP)
Do you know mastitis (inflammation of the udder) is one of the main reasons for antibiotic treatments on European organic…
Vitamin B2 supplementation and copper reduction in organic farming - New RELACS practice abstracts
The RELACS project recently published three new practice abstracts (practical guidelines) on: Vitamin B2 supplementation for laying and parent hens…
19/05/2021
GMOs
New GMOs in Europe? Slow Food Europe podcast with our Policy Coordinator
Slow Food Europe just launched a podcast series dedicated to European food and farming policies, gathering experts to discuss hot…
Welcome note May 2021 newsletter
Dear readers, It is spring, a period I associate with birth and budding blossoms, the energetic execution of gardening plans…
05/05/2021
GMOs
Political hotspot May 2021 newsletter
On Thursday, 29 April, the Commission released their long-awaited in-house study on the ‘status of new genomic techniques under Union…
03/05/2021
Seeds
EU Commission presents options to review the common seed legislation
Following a request from Member States in 2019, the Commission has published a study on the options to update the…
29/04/2021
GMOs
Organic movement raises red flag on assumed benefits deregulating new genomic techniques
BRUSSELS, 29 APRIL 2021 – The organic food and farming movement criticises the Commission’s plan to work on a new…
28/04/2021
Knowledge for organic
Stimulating digital innovations through SmartAgriHubs’ open calls – PREPARE, RESTART & EXPAND
In July 2020, SmartAgriHubs opened the RESTART and EXPAND open calls, assigning up to €5,000,000 funding for Digital Innovation Hubs that are supporting diverse stakeholders in the agri-food economy. On 18 March 2021, SmartAgriHubs announced…
26/04/2021
Knowledge for organic
Organic-farmknowledge.org: New information available for organic farmers & advisors
The Organic Farm Knowledge platform provides organic farmers and advisors with practical information. Initially, the platform was set up covering…
On virtual demo events, learning by doing and more – NEFERTITI annual meeting - 13-14 April 2021, online
The fourth NEFERTITI Annual Meeting was all about collective reflection: from demonstration and facilitation to network sustainability, communication, dissemination and…
RELACS and Organic-PLUS collaborate to find alternatives to contentious inputs
On 8 April 2021, more than 50 participants joined RELACS and Organic-PLUS’ webinar to discuss both projects’ activities on reducing…
13/04/2021
Knowledge for organic
Promising alternatives to inputs for plant protection: Mineral oil & copper
The RELACS project recently published two new scientific publications on promising plant protection tools and strategies to further reduce the…
12/04/2021
Knowledge for organic
Aquaculture keeps growing – FutureEUAqua’s progress on organic & innovative fish diets
As European aquaculture production is growing, certain challenges need to be faced, one of them being the availability of sustainable…
LIVESEED webinar for Members of the European Parliament & their staff - 30 March, online
On 30 March, LIVESEED invited Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and their staff to present them the outcomes of…
30/03/2021
GMOs
Civil society, farmers and business organizations: Vice-President Timmermans, don't deregulate GM crops & animals
BRUSSELS, 30 MARCH 2021 – Today, a large coalition of 162 civil society, farmers and business organisations calls on Vice…
Welcome note March 2021 newsletter
Dear readers, On behalf of the European organic movement, I would like to welcome the new European Organic Action Plan…
[Exclusive for members] Let's discuss organic hot topics
As a follow-up of the thematic sessions hosted during BIOFACH, we are bringing our members live sessions during which they…
ReMIX final Conference “Intercropping to boost agroecology in European Agriculture” - 23 March 2021, online
As the Horizon 2020 multi-actor project ReMIX draws to a close, its final conference “Intercropping to boost agroecology in European…
23/03/2021
Seeds
Secondary legislation on ‘Organic Heterogenous Material’ finalized
The secondary legislation on Organic Heterogenous Material (OHM) is in the process of being finalized and soon to be published…
New router database connects Member States’ organic seed databases
A long-awaited solution for seed suppliers, European organic farmers, and national authorities arrived. The new router database will increase the…
Organic agriculture as a living lab and front runner in applying digital technologies adapted to farmers' needs – Internet of Food & Farm 2020 final event - 16-18 March 2021, online
On 16-18 March, the final event of the Internet of Food and Farm 2020 (IoF2020) project took place online. More…
19/03/2021
Knowledge for organic
New Open Call and Extended Deadlines! Stimulating digital innovations through SmartAgriHubs Open Calls
Since July 2020, SmartAgriHubs opened the RESTART and EXPAND open calls, assigning up to €5,000,000 funding for Digital Innovation Hubs…
OK-Net EcoFeed ration planning tool training, meeting organic farmers’ needs - 18 March 2021, online
On 18 March, ITAB organised a training on the ration planning tool developed within the OK-Net EcoFeed project, in cooperation…
EUCARPIA-LIVESEED Conference - Breeding and seed sector innovations for organic food systems - 8-10 March 2021, online
A conference organised by Latvian LIVESEED partner AREI to present recent scientific results in organic plant breeding took place on…
03/03/2021
Knowledge for organic
Take part in ÖMKi’s survey on “Policy tools and initiatives for the reduction of contentious inputs in organic farming” in the framework of the RELACS project before 19 March
Are you an organic farmer, plant protection or animal welfare expert? Or are you working for an organisation focusing on…
Watch RELACS’ new project video on copper replacement in Hungarian organic vineyard
RELACS just released a new project video on replacing copper in plant protection products in organic viticulture. In the organic…
EURAKNOS Final Conference: From EURAKNOS to the EUREKA of European knowledge exchange - 25-26 February 2021, online
The EURAKNOS final consortium meeting took place on 25 February, the Final Conference on 26 February. As more sustainable practices…
Interested in organic contaminants in recycled fertilizers? Register to RELACS webinar series! 3 March 2021 - 22 April 2021, online
The area under organic production is growing, leading to an increased demand for nutrient sources suitable for organic agriculture. FiBL…