“A movement building bridges” & other takeaways from the European Organic Congress 2024

Following the summer break for many, harvest time has begun. This is visible in farmers’ produce reaching our forks and in governments being formed. At EU-level, the outgoing European Commission recently presented its report of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, guiding the next European Commission’s Vision for Agriculture and Food. 

The 2024 edition of the European Organic Congress could not have been timelier. High-level representatives of the EU institutions, national ministries and Members of the European Parliament exchanged on recent political developments about the new EU political mandate to address current social, environmental and economic crises with a common vision – across the agri-food sector, civil society and the world of science. Our recap of the first day elaborates on this.

What are our main take-aways as organisers? 

1. In three words: Engagement, consciousness, and political agreement. The organic movement is a bridge-builder across generations, nations, agricultural practices & practitioners, supply chain actors, movements, researchers and policymakers at various levels. 
2. Dr. István Nagy, Hungarian Minister of Agriculture, both highlighted organic’s contributions to making the world better every day and stressed its role as leading model of sustainable farming (a thread). 
3. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) should change before it can transform agriculture. It must support and reward both farmers who want to transform their farms sustainably as well as those already delivering – at the same time ensuring the sector’s competitiveness (a thread and organic’s vision). 
4. While the EU organic market is a mixed picture across countries and consumers spent less on food overall in 2023 than before, organic consumers remain willing to buy organic products and there is value growth in many EU markets  (a thread). 
5. Opportunities for organic: Setting minimum criteria for organic in sustainable public procurement (infographics), empowering consumers (a thread) & international trade (a thread). 
6. Threats to organic and small and medium-sized businesses: New genomic techniques and patents on them reduce growers’, breeders’ and consumers’ freedom of choice (a thread and infographic). 
7. It is crucial to ensure farmers’ livelihoods and to lower the burden that rules and regulations – which should benefit them – often put on them. 
8. EU research and innovation priorities and dedicated funding (Horizon Europe) can stimulate a transformation of our food and farming system by creating networks for knowledge exchange and ‘real life’ laboratories like living labs and lighthouse farms. 
9. Many organic practitioners are working tirelessly to provide us with healthy and fair food that was produced with the environment and workers in mind. Examples of excellence along the organic supply chain is awarded annually in the EU Organic Awards and extra visible on EU Organic Day on 23 September. 

Relive the 2024 European Organic Congress:

• X with #EOC2024  
• Facebook photo album  
• Congress website with available materials and presentations 

Our next European Organic Congress will take place on 18-19 August 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark.