EU ORGANIC PRODUCTION

Organic production in the European Union is governed by a single set of rules, applicable in all Member States and covering every stage — seeds and propagating material, feed, fresh agricultural products and processed food.

The legal framework in force is Regulation (EU) 2018/848, which applies from 1 January 2022 and replaced Regulation (EC) 834/2007.

The Union’s rules for organic production exclude the use of genetically modified organisms and ionising radiation, and restrict the use of fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides.

In their place, organic farming relies on practices such as crop rotation, the use of nitrogen-fixing plants and methods of natural pest control.

Each Member State designates authorities and control bodies that inspect businesses in the sector. Producers register with the competent control body and are inspected at least once a year. Certification is granted once compliance with the rules has been established.

Products imported and marketed as organic in the Union are also subject to controls.

The European Union organic logo gives a coherent visual identity to organic products produced in the EU. This makes it easier for consumers to identify organic products and helps farmers to market them across the entire EU.

The organic logo can only be used on products that have been certified as organic by an authorised control agency or body. This means that they have fulfilled strict conditions on how they must be produced, processed, transported and stored. The logo can only be used on products when they contain at least 95% organic ingredients and additionally, respect further strict conditions for the remaining 5%.

Next to the EU organic logo on a product, a code number of the control body must be displayed as well as the place where the agricultural raw materials composing the product have been farmed, whether EU agriculture or non-EU agriculture.

The logo is reproduced here for information about the logo itself, as Regulation (EU) 2018/848 permits for information and educational purposes. It is shown in the standard green and white colour scheme, at the proportions and the minimum size set out in the organic logo user manual.

Organic crops, except those which are naturally grown in water, must be produced in living soil, or in living soil mixed or fertilised with materials and products allowed in organic production, in connection with the subsoil and bedrock. Hydroponic production — growing plants that do not naturally grow in water with their roots in a nutrient solution only, or in an inert medium to which a nutrient solution is added — is prohibited.

In organic plant production, tillage and cultivation practices must be used that maintain or increase soil organic matter, enhance soil stability and soil biodiversity, and prevent soil compaction and soil erosion. The fertility and biological activity of the soil are maintained and increased by multiannual crop rotation including mandatory leguminous crops; in the case of perennial crops other than forage, by short-term green manure crops and legumes and the use of plant diversity; and in all cases by applying livestock manure or organic matter, both preferably composted, from organic production.

The prevention of damage caused by pests and weeds must rely primarily on natural enemies, the choice of species, varieties and heterogeneous material, crop rotation, cultivation techniques such as mechanical and physical methods, and thermal processes. Where plants cannot adequately be protected by those measures, or where a threat to a crop is established, only products and substances authorised for use in organic production may be used, and only to the extent necessary; the operator must keep records proving the need for each use, with the date, the product, its active substances, the amount applied, the crop and parcels concerned and the pest or disease to be controlled.

Before plants and plant products may be considered organic, the production rules must have been applied to the parcels for a conversion period: at least two years before sowing, and — in the case of perennial crops other than forage, the category that olive and avocado trees fall into — at least three years before the first harvest of organic products.

Source: Regulation (EU) 2018/848, Annex II, Part I, points 1.1, 1.2, 1.7.1, 1.9 and 1.10.

At every stage of production, preparation and distribution, operators must put in place and maintain measures that are proportionate and appropriate to identify the risks of contamination of organic production and products with non-authorised products or substances, including systematic identification of critical procedural steps; put in place and maintain measures to avoid those risks; regularly review and adjust those measures; and comply with the other requirements of the Regulation that ensure the separation of organic, in-conversion and non-organic products.

Operators may carry out the simultaneous collection of organic, in-conversion and non-organic products only where appropriate measures have been taken to prevent any possible mixture or exchange between them and to ensure the identification of the organic and in-conversion products. The operator must keep the information relating to collection days, hours, the circuit and the date and time of reception of the products available to the control authority or control body.

Organic products and in-conversion products may be transported to other operators or units, including wholesalers and retailers, only in appropriate packaging, containers or vehicles closed in such a manner that alteration, including substitution, of the content cannot be achieved without manipulation or damage of the seal, and provided with a label stating the name and address of the operator and, where different, of the owner or seller of the product; the name of the product; the name or the code number of the control authority or control body to which the operator is subject; and, where relevant, the lot identification mark.

Source: Regulation (EU) 2018/848, Article 28 and Annex III, points 1 and 2.

Areas for the storage of products must be managed in such a way as to ensure identification of lots and to avoid any mixing or contamination with products or substances not in compliance with the organic production rules. Organic and in-conversion products must be clearly identifiable at all times.

No input products or substances other than those authorised for use in organic production may be stored in organic or in-conversion plant production units. Only cleaning and disinfection products authorised for use in organic production may be used in storage facilities for that purpose.

Where an operator handles organic, in-conversion and non-organic products in any combination and the organic or in-conversion products are stored in facilities in which other agricultural products or foodstuffs are also stored, the organic or in-conversion products must be kept separate from those other products; every measure must be taken to ensure identification of consignments and to avoid mixtures or exchanges; and suitable cleaning measures, the effectiveness of which has been checked, must have been carried out before storage, with records kept of those operations.

Source: Regulation (EU) 2018/848, Annex III, point 7.

Where a product bears terms referring to organic production, the code number of the control authority or control body to which the operator that carried out the last production or preparation operation is subject must also appear in the labelling; and in the case of prepacked food the EU organic production logo must also appear on the packaging.

Where the EU organic production logo is used on a product, an indication of the place where the agricultural raw materials of which the product is composed have been farmed must appear in the same visual field as the logo, in the form ‘EU Agriculture’, ‘non-EU Agriculture’ or ‘EU/non-EU Agriculture’ as appropriate. These indications must be marked in a conspicuous place in such a way as to be easily visible, and must be clearly legible and indelible.

Traceability rests on records kept by the operator. In plant production, operators must keep records regarding the parcels concerned and the amount of the harvest, records of any other external input used on each parcel, and records of the fertilisers, soil conditioners and plant-protection products used — each with the date of use, the name of the product, the amount applied and the crop and parcels concerned. The lot identification mark required on transport labelling is what permits the lot to be linked to those records.

Source: Regulation (EU) 2018/848, Articles 32 and 33; Annex II, Part I, points 1.9.3, 1.10.2 and 1.12; Annex III, point 2.

The declared objectives of organic farming in the Union include the responsible use of energy and natural resources, the conservation of biodiversity, the preservation of regional ecological balances, the enhancement of soil fertility, the preservation of water quality, and high standards of animal welfare.