30/01/2025

January 2025 Newsletter – Multilingual Edition

Read this special Newsletter in BG, CZ, DA, DE, ES, EN, FI, FR, HR, HU, IT, NL, NO, PL, PT, UA

Dear reader, 

In this special edition of our newsletter (available in 16 different languages), I want to share my outlook on what policies have in store for organic in 2025. 

As IFOAM Organics Europe we represent and are the voice of organic to the European institutions. Every day, our members and Brussels office work on EU policies to ensure they make the work of organic producers, processors, traders, certifiers, as well as organic market expansion possible. 

2024 was a year marked by European and many national elections, political turmoil, farmers protests, setbacks for much-needed pesticides reduction and conflicts over the future of European agriculture. It is in the wake of this that we have been working tirelessly conveying to policymakers that: 

  • Organic farmers demonstrate, day in and day out, that nature protection and a decent income for farmers and food operators go hand in hand, and 
  • Organic agriculture is a central policy tool to transform agriculture and better protect our biodiversity, soils and water resources. 

To this end, our President Jan Plagge played an active and constructive role in Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s Strategic Dialogue on the future of agriculture. On 4 September 2024, after seven months of intense negotiations, 29 stakeholders representing the food chain and civil society delivered a coherent package of recommendations to bring our food system in line with planetary boundaries, with an explicit recognition of organic as the only legally defined sustainability standard. 

These recommendations will be the basis for a European vision on the future of agriculture and food, that will serve as a roadmap for the next five years of EU policymaking. The Commission committed to present this vision in the first 100 days of its mandate, so, without further ado, let’s dive into our outlook for 2025, what’s in it for organic

Don’t panic, the future is organic! 

Eduardo Cuoco – Director of IFOAM Organics Europe 

You are also welcome to engage with us and join our community!

The work of IFOAM Organics Europe on this topic is co-financed by the LIFE programme of the European Union, under the Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). This page only reflects the views of the authors and its sole responsibility lies with IFOAM Organics Europe. The CINEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information provided.

Research projects IFOAM Organics Europe takes part to are funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or REA. Neither the European Union nor the granting can be held responsible for them.

 
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