Preview of events
How does organic & non-organic food and farming avoid contamination with GMOs? Why is it so relevant for food production that GMOs are regulated? Which disruptions can be expected from gene editing and new genetic engineering in general?
These are the questions and topics we will discuss on 10 February from 10:00-12:15 CEST. Register on time to secure your spot!
Discussing new genetic engineering techniques: Politically timely
With the study of the European Commission on practical aspects surrounding the application of the European Court of Justice ruling on ‘New Genomic Techniques’ expected for spring 2021, the topic is again high on the agenda of EU policymakers. At our event, we will showcase the benefits and necessity of the EU GMO Regulation for food & farming, including organic.
Upcoming genetic engineering techniques such as gene editing, require Europe to combine old and new strategies to protect its environment and biodiversity and enable organic and conventional non-GMO farming as well as consumer freedom of choice.
This event will present practical strategies of the organic sector to ensure maintenance of its high standards in every part of the food chain. It will also give an outlook on how the EU can continue to maintain transparency in certified organic and non-organic farming and food production and how regulation plays an essential role in this.
The discussions in the event are particularly relevant for organic and non-organic farmers, processors, retailers as well as stakeholders affected by EU agriculture biotechnology policy & regulation. Registration is open now and for everyone.
What will we talk about
Our event consists of two sessions – one on smart practices and a panel discussion.
Part 1 – Smart Practices 10h-10h35
* Presentation of practical strategies of the organic and conventional sectors and how Regulation has played and will play an essential role in this.
* Steven Jacobs (OF&G Organic): contamination guidelines, market implications and the role of good regulation in preventing contaminations.
* Yves Bertheau, PhD: Feasibility of detection strategies for products from new genetic engineering techniques.
Part 2 – Panel discussion 10h45-12h15
– Discussion on the status quo of the EU GMO Regulation, future scenarios of its implementation in the light of novel products and its relevance to trade, retail and different production systems, including organic farming.
– In addition to the speakers from the smart practices session, we will welcome in the panel:
* Benoit Biteau MEP (Greens/EFA)
* Alexander Hissting (Verband Lebensmittel ohne Gentechnik, VLOG)
* Gunnar Kofoed (CopaCogeca)
* Daniel Evain (Fédération Nationale d’Agriculture Biologique, FNAB)
* Sirkku Heinimaa (EU Commission, DG SANTE)
These are the questions and topics we will discuss on 10 February from 10:00-12:15 CET. Register on time to secure your spot! Interpretation in English and French will be available.
This event is co-financed by the LIFE programme of the European Union, under the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME). The sole responsibility for this event lies with IFOAM Organics Europe. EASME is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information provided.
BIOFACH 2021 is just around the corner! The yearly event gathering the organic movement will take place from 17-19 February 2021, in a new digital format due to Covid-19 developments.
IFOAM Organics Europe at BIOFACH
Once again, IFOAM Organics Europe joins BIOFACH/Vivaness as exhibitor and takes part in BIOFACH’s Congress programme.
17 February, 11:00-12:45 marks our main event: Policy Day – 25% European land in organic by 2030. In 2020, the European Commission launched the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies to present a new vision for sustainable food and farming systems. They placed organic at its heart and proposing an ambitious but achievable objective to reach 25% of organic land in Europe by 2030. With its high-level panel involving policy-makers and key stakeholders, Policy Day will discuss how the new EU Organic Action Plan, the Organic Regulation (EU) 2018/848 and the CAP need to be adapted to upscale organics.
IFOAM Organics Europe will be organising the following events:
– 17 February, 12:00-13:00 CET: New Plant breeding Techniques and Organic Farming: scientific, regulatory and consumer issues (LIVESEED project event)
– 18 February, 16:00-17:30 CET: EU Regulatory changes and its effect on International Trade
– 19 February, 14:00-14:45 CET: Innovations on organic seed and plant breeding and presentation of new European organic seed router database (LIVESEED project event)
– 19 February, 15:00-15:45 CET: The future of certification in organics
For all details on our events at BIOFACH, visit our website and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and stay tuned!
If you enjoy our BIOFACH sessions, remember to check out TP Organics’ Science Day, an event dedicated to research in organics, on 19 February from 11:00-12:45 CEST. It will bring together organic operators, researchers, European Commission representatives and national government funding organic research to discuss organic food processing during an interactive session. Also have a look at the sessions organised by IFOAM Organics International, featuring the Food Policy Forum for Change, the World of Organic Agriculture and more.
BIOFACH 2021 goes digital
Participants will have the opportunity to discuss important topics, learn from each other, share their passionate interest in organic food, and pass on knowledge at the trade fair. Visiting professionals will be able to meet organic producers from the organic market and be inspired by the sector’s latest trends, through company and product presentations, awards, presentations and lectures on various themes and product ranges, Congress events and other networking and dialogue formats.
Dedicated to the focal theme « Shaping Transformation. Stroger. Together. », this year’s Congress will focus on the transition towards more environmentally friendly business methods and nutrition and will discuss how the transformation of the food supply can be better advanced by collaboration among various transformation movements. For more information on the event, visit the BIOFACH/Vivaness website.
These sessions are co-financed by the LIFE programme of the European Union, under the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME). The sole responsibility lies with IFOAM Organics Europe. The EASME is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information provided.
Organised by IFOAM Organics Europe in collaboration with BIOFACH, the Policy Day under the title 25% European Land in Organic by 2030 will take place online on Wednesday 17 February from 11:00 to 12:45.
2020 was an important year for sustainable food and farming systems, with the publication of the European Commission’s Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies, placing organics at its heart and proposing an ambitious but achievable objective to reach 25% of organic land in Europe by 2030.
During the session, high-level policy makers and stakeholders from the organic movement will provide insights into how this target can be achieved by adapting the new EU Organic Action Plan, the Organic Regulation (EU) 2018/848 and the CAP to upscale organics.
Following the opening speech from European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janus Wojciechowski, the panel will welcome:
– Eduardo Cuoco, IFOAM Organics Europe’s Director, who will moderate the discussion.
– Wolfgang Burtscher, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, DG Agri, European Commission.
– Aina Calafat Rogers, International Project Manager, SEAE
– Thierry Stoedzel, CEO, ECOCERT France
– Jan Plagge, President, IFOAM Organics Europe
For more information on the event, visit the BIOFACH/Vivaness website.
These sessions are co-financed by the LIFE programme of the European Union, under the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME). The sole responsibility lies with IFOAM Organics Europe. The EASME is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information provided.
TP Organics’ Science Day will take place on 19 February from 11:00-12:45 at BIOFACH 2021. It invites organic operators and other interested stakeholders to discuss organic food processing in an interactive session. Those interested can buy a ticket in the BIOFACH TicketShop.
With the European Commission starting to regulate organic processing methods, many operators need to better understand the background and concepts to qualify a processing technology as compatible with the organic regulation. Horizon Europe, the EU’s next research & innovation programme, will start in 2021. Opportunities for organic companies in the first Work Programme of Horizon Europe (2021-2022, Cluster 6) and the new Partnership for Safe and Sustainable Food Systems (expected start in 2023) will be presented.
This year’s edition of Science Day will bring together researchers, European Commission representatives and national governments funding organic research. The audience will learn more about funding opportunities for the organic sector, and organic food companies in particular, and current research on organic processing at European level.
You will also get inspired by two CORE Organic research projects that contribute to improve organic food processing: SUSORGPLUS and ProOrg will share their experiences and ideas for further research.
– SusOrgPlus aims to improve the drying processes for organic products in terms of sustainability and product quality.
– ProOrg is about developing a set of strategies and tools (Code of Practice) that can help organic food processors in the selection of appropriate technologies, providing guidance for making the best choice for careful, minimal, and mild processing methods. This way it will contribute to sustainable innovation and competitiveness of the organic food industry, while guaranteeing high-quality food products with a limited number of additives and technological aids and a reduced impact on the environment.
Download the programme of Science Day on the TP Organics website. To register, buy a ticket in the TicketShop. About 2 weeks before the start of the BIOFACH / VIVANESS 2021 eSPECIAL, you will receive an invitation for ‘onboarding’, explaining registration. More information is available on the BIOFACH website and the FAQ for visitors.
This session is co-financed by the LIFE programme of the European Union, under the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME). The sole responsibility lies with IFOAM Organics Europe. The EASME is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information provided.
As the Internet of Food and Farm 2020 (IoF2020) project IoF2020 is coming to an end, it is time to celebrate its legacy. We are convinced that during these times, there is no better way to do this than with all of you. This is why we are working on a digital event on 16-18 March to meet, debate and exchange knowledge from a safe distance. Registration for the event will open soon.
One of the most important aspects of IoF2020 is its innovation ecosystem of agri-tech stakeholders all over Europe and beyond. This will be reflected in our program, featuring interactive sessions from all of them. On top of that, you can expect multiple workshops held by the project consortium and use case partners alongside contributions from external experts who became companions along the way.
Besides numerous networking possibilities, the event will address three main aspects, relevant for our project and the agricultural sector alike:
– State of the art technology,
– Lessons learned during the project’s research, and
– Self-sustaining ecosystems of research and innovation.
All consortium partners are delighted to invite you to celebrate the closing chapter of IoF2020. To ensure that your participation will be an enlightenment as well as a pleasure, we also dedicate some time to entertainment. This includes, among other activities, a multi-media spectacle including our IoF2020 cinema room filled with short movies about our use cases.
Make sure to mark the date in your calendar since good things come to those who wait, but better things come to the ones who innovate and think ahead.
Registration for the event will open soon. Make sure to follow @IoF2020 on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and visit the event website to stay tuned about the latest updates and program.
The Internet of Food & Farm 2020 project is a large-scale pilot under Horizon 2020 investigating and fostering large-scale implementation of the Internet of Things in European food and farming. IFOAM Organics Europe is a project partner and represents the European organic movement.
IoF2020 has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 731884. This communication only reflects the author’s view. The Research Executive Agency is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information provided
The 3rd EFSA European Conference on Xylella fastidiosa and final meeting of the XF-ACTORS project will be held online between 26-30 April 2021, under the motto: Building knowledge, protecting plant health.
The event will comprise of XF-ACTORS’ meeting, the European conference and a stakeholder session. A parallel e-poster session will be held online.
Presentations and discussions will take stock of the results from research that has taken place since X. fastidiosa was first detected in Europe in 2013. During this period, scientists have filled knowledge gaps on the distinctive elements of the outbreaks in the EU, consolidated a resilient network for monitoring and testing, and achieved results that have supported and influenced the activities of researchers, stakeholders and policy makers.
The conference programme will reflect the multidisciplinary strategy that has been pursued in research. Sessions and discussions will include the latest findings, data and knowledge on X. fastidiosa as a pathosystem, including host plants, vectors, ecosystems, possible control solutions, and its environmental and socio-economic impact.
The conference will cover the most recent results of research on:
– Pathogen biology, ecology and genetics;
– Epidemiology and modeling of X. fastidiosa diseases;
– Host plant-interactions and search for resistant/tolerant germplasm;
– Surveillance and early detection tools; Vectors biology and control;
– Endophytic microbial resources and their potential applications for X. fastidiosa control;
– Sustainable management strategies for prevention and reduction of the impact of X. fastidiosa diseases.
Registration will open in January 2021 on XF-Actors’ website.
The meeting of XF-ACTORS, the EU Horizon 2020 research project devoted to this plant pathogenic bacterium, will precede the conference organised by EFSA and the XF-ACTORS project. Major EU research initiatives tackling Xylella fastidiosa like BIOVEXO, CURE-FX, ERC MultiX, EUPHRESCO, EUROXANTH, and Life Resilience contributed to the event.
XF-ACTORS is a project under the Horizon 2020 instrument and brings together an international consortium of 29 partners. The project aims to establish a multidisciplinary research program to answer the urgent need to improve prevention, early detection, and control of Xylella fastidiosa disease.
IFOAM Organics Europe’s role is to promote the project outcomes to all relevant stakeholders in the organic sector and ensure information about the project and its result reaches all relevant actors in Europe.
XF-ACTORS has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 727987. This communication only reflects the author’s view. The Research Executive Agency is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information provided.
On 6-10 September, more than 2,500 organic stakeholders, farmers, researchers and policymakers will address questions around resilience, societal transformation, health, and food sovereignty during the Organic World Congress.
With more than 600 speakers selected from an incredible 800+ applications, six conference forums, workshops and pre-conferences, the #OWC2021 will offer a truly global and diverse space, inspiring positive change through knowledge exchange and the formulation of organic solutions. Plenaries facilitated by recognised international speakers will bring fresh insights on challenges and potential solutions, putting today’s issues into perspective.
The organisers are committed to maintaining this 20th edition of the Organic World Congress in a safe, inclusive way. To this end, the OWC2021 will be both an in-person and virtual event. We will adapt its format in line with WHO directives and French national health and safety measures.
Stay tuned for more information soon!