EU Organic Day aims to Improve Resilience in Farming
Organic production comes with a number of benefits including increased biodiversity, better quality of life for animals and higher incomes for farmers and agricultural businesses. It also improves the resilience of the agricultural sector.
In this context, the European Commission has launched an annual EU organic day.
This initiative is part of the EU Green Deal and highlights that farmers play an essential role in tackling climate change and preserving biodiversity. It emphasises that organic farming is key to managing the transition towards a sustainable food system and that organic farmers are the pioneers of innovative techniques.
At the launch, agricultural Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said: “Today we celebrate organic production, a sustainable type of agriculture where food production is done in harmony with nature, biodiversity and animal welfare. I am glad that together with the European Parliament, the Council, and key actors of this sector we get to launch this annual EU organic day, a great opportunity to raise awareness of organic production and promote the key role it plays in the transition to sustainable food systems.”
To be more sustainable, the organic sector needs the right tools to develop. The overall aim of the Action Plan is to boost the production and consumption of organic products to contribute to the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies' targets, such as reducing the use of fertilisers and pesticides.
In addition to this plan, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) continues to be a key tool for organic farmers and aims to:
- Support farmers and improve agricultural productivity, ensuring a stable supply of affordable food
- Enable EU farmers to make a good living
- Help tackle climate change
- Maintain rural areas and landscapes across the EU
- Keep the rural economy alive by promoting jobs in farming, agri-food industries and associated sectors.
It will be complemented by information, events and networking to share best practices.
To continue to improve the sustainability of organic farming, the Commission will dedicate at least 30% of its budget for research and innovation in rural areas to topics relevant to the organic sector.
To find out more about how the EU is supporting organic farming, find the Action Plan attached at the bottom of this page.
