Brussels, Belgium
March 27, 2006
International Organic Movement
Expresses Concern at March 27 Conference in EU Parliament
Today, the European Commission’s
proposal on the Revision of the Organic Regulation(1) will be
discussed in the European Parliament at a stakeholder conference
entitled ’Organic farming: Ready for the next Decade?’(2). The
IFOAM EU Group, which
organized the conference together with the responsible
rapporteurs from the European Parliament,(3) considers the
public discussion to be an important step in addressing the
sector’s major concerns. The decision on the new Regulation will
have a crucial impact on the future development of organic
farming, as it will define its new legal framework.
Francis Blake, President of the IFOAM EU Group, stated that “it
was agreed upon in the European Action Plan for Organic Food and
Farming to amend the current regulation. However, we are taken
aback by the Commission’s proposal of a total revision of the
current regulation, which potentially changes the character of
Organic Agriculture altogether.”
The timeline for deciding upon the proposed regulation is
extremely tight, and the practical and legal implications of the
proposal for the new Regulation largely remain unclear.
Therefore, the IFOAM EU Group urges the European Council and the
European Parliament to now take sufficient time for meaningful
consultation to clarify the legal impact of the proposal and to
consider the sector’s major concerns.
It is in the interest of the European Community and the organic
movement to ensure the institution of a regulation that allows
organic farming to continue its positive and dynamic
development. “Quality prevails over speed”, noted Marco
Schlueter, coordinator of the group.
On the occasion of today’s conference, the IFOAM EU Group will
come up with a list of key questions that need clarification
before an assessment of the full impact of the proposal can be
undertaken.(4) Additionally, the appraisal of the revision
proposal will be presented from the point of view of the organic
movement, expressing that ‘Several proposed changes
fundamentally threaten the core of organic agriculture as a
production and processing system originating in, and still
developing as a result of, private and ‘grass roots’, local and
national initiatives.’
Major concerns of the organic movement are:(5)
• Proper and formal stakeholder involvement is not addressed
• The new inspection & certification framework (under 882/2004)
alters the inspection system for organic farming
• The new decision making structure transfers power away from
member states and towards the Commission without any means of
balancing this with greater democratic or stakeholder
involvement
• The contribution and potential to strengthen the
self-responsibility of the organic sector at all the levels at
which it works (from local to international) is at best ignored,
and at worst actively diminished and discriminated against.
From the perspective of the international organic movement, one
of the concerns is the lack of stakeholder involvement. IFOAM
prides itself upon the clear and transparent procedures for
providing input to the organic standard setting process, a
hallmark of the integrity of the IFOAM Organic Guarantee System,
which is built upon trust and consumer confidence. In addition,
IFOAM is concerned about the Commission’s exclusion of thorough
and well-developed mechanisms and private sector tools to aid in
the evaluation and recognition of third world certification
bodies and thus the approval of imports into the EU. Angela B.
Caudle, IFOAM’s Executive Director emphasized that “the proposed
EU regulation has impacts beyond the EU. The IFOAM Accreditation
System already guarantees conformity with the EU rules, and in
fact is a far more stringent and credible system than any
government regulation in existence. Recognition and integration
of IFOAM’s system in the EU regulation as a mechanism for import
approval would not only be a wise use of limited resources, but
would also bolster the credibility and effectiveness of the
regulation. The role of the private sector as the engine of
development in the organic sector must be recognized, not
hampered.”
References:
(1) The European Commission published on December 21, 2005 its
“Proposal for a Council Regulation on organic production and
labelling of organic products (21/12/2005)”
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/LexUriServ/site/en/com/2005/com2005_0671en01.pdf
(2) Conference Program:
http://www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/around_world/eu_group/pdfs/
Microsoft_Word__06_03_27_Conference_OrganicRegulation2.pdf
(3) Rapporteurs of the European Parliament
Marie-Hélène Aubert – MEP, rapporteur on the revision of the EU
regulation on organic agriculture
F.W. Graefe zu Baringdorf – MEP, rapporteur on labelling and
control of organic products
(4)
http://www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/around_world/eu_group/pdfs/
VIEW_Microsoft_Word__Proposed_questions_for_EU_Reg_revision_27.3.2006_final.pdf
(5) Position paper of the IFOAM EU Group:
http://www.ifoam.org/about_ifoam/around_world/eu_group/pdfs/IFOAMEU_Revision_positionpaper_27.02.2006.pdf |