Agreement on agricultural statistics (SAIO)

On Thursday 2 June, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament reached an agreement on the new EU Regulation on statistics on agricultural inputs and outputs (SAIO). This new Regulation will improve the collection of data on agricultural production, crop products, agricultural inputs and prices at EU level.

Discussions on this technical file were highly political, as reliable data are key to monitor the implementation of EU policies and especially the progress towards the Farm to Fork Strategy’s targets on pesticides, fertilisers and antimicrobials (respectively -50%, -20% and -50% by 2030).

Key outcomes of this new Regulation are:

• Data about pesticides use will be collected and published annually (until now, only data on pesticides sales were collected). The first set of data will be collected in 2026 and disseminated in 2028. The data on pesticide use should include active substances placed on the market and used in agricultural activities by crop and area;
• The number of statistics collected from organic farmers will be increased (the detailed dataset will be established via implementing acts). In particular, the data on pesticide use will distinguish between organic and non-organic farming;
• The data on chemical inputs in agriculture will include not only pesticides and fertilisers but also veterinary products.

The final compromise text of the SAIO Regulation should be adopted by formal votes in the European Parliament and the Council of the EU in the coming months.

Please contact [email protected] for questions on pesticides and natural inputs. IFOAM Organics Europe members can find more information on the member extranet and background materials in the arguments database on the member extranet (main messages, arguments/FAQs, visuals & videos).

Do note that we prioritise our members’ requests. For information about what you can gain from being a member, read our membership page and contact [email protected].