News

 

22/03/2023
GMOs

EU environmental ministers give clear signal to Commission to maintain precautionary principle & risk assessment for NGTs

On 16 March, the Council meeting of environmental ministers sent a decisive message to the European Commission as a large…
08/03/2023
GMOs

We want to be able to choose! Ensure GMO-free food production.

Update 23.03.2023: Junges Bioland initiated an online petition on this topic, addressed to Olaf Scholz, Germany’s Prime Minister, and to…

Scientific study shows synthetic pesticides significantly more dangerous than natural ones 

More organic farming means less pesticide use and risk  BRUSSELS, VIENNA, 23 FEBRUARY 2023 – The European Green Deal’s targets of…

February 2023 Newsletter - Multilingual Edition

Read this Special Newsletter edition in CZ, DE, ES, FR, HU, IT, LT, NL, PL, PT, RO Welcome note  Dear reader,  Welcome to a very special edition of our newsletter. At…

Online press conference: Conventional and organic pesticides compared, 23 February

“Organic farming is not what it claims to be. Organic farmers also spray poisons – and not too sparingly.” “Organic…
13/02/2023
GMOs

European Court of Justice decision on ‘in vitro’ mutagenesis strengthens 2018 ruling subjecting gene editing to EU GMO Directive

The recent ruling by the European Court of Justice, published on 7 February, closes a 2015 case brought forward by…
08/02/2023
Events GMOs

Successful GMO petition handover to the Commission

On February 7, environmental, agricultural, and consumer rights organizations gathered in front of the European Parliament in Brussels to officially…
06/02/2023
GMOs

New year, old narratives – Why genetic engineering is (still) not the solution to food security

The European Commission kicked off 2023 by publishing a report on the drivers of food security, recognising the value of…

Innovative solutions in organic fruit production – BIOFRUITNET project's final conference - 2 March 2023, 9:15-13.30 (CET), online 

Organic farming relies on knowledge and information flow and has a biodiversity-based approach to plant health. Sharing the available best…

Organic movement's recommendations on EU pesticides regulation (SUR)

IFOAM Organics Europe’s position paper gathering our recommendations on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Regulation (SUR) is out.   As our…

Save the bees and farmers hearing at the European Parliament  

The official hearing of the European Citizens (ECI) Initiative Save the Bees and Farmers, which we are part of, take…

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…

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!…

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…

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…

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…
18/11/2022
Events GMOs

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…

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…

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…

Farmers at the centre of research, innovation & knowledge exchange in TP Organics new study 

Organic living labs and lighthouse farms in Europe is a brand new study by TP Organics, the European technology platform…
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…
13/10/2022
Events GMOs

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…

Preview of events

This year’s edition of the Organic Innovation Days, the only EU event on organic and agroecological research and innovation, will…
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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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
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…

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…

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…
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)…
 
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