Policy brief on the organic approach to inputs – Plant protection products, fertilisers, veterinary drugs and feed additives explained

A new policy brief offers a clearer picture on the principles and regulations governing the use of different inputs in organic farming. It describes strategies to reduce the use of inputs and obstacles that natural substances face in the current regulatory system.

The policy brief identifies different strategies and obstacles for each type of input, as well as some general problems the sector is facing.  The first finding is that the horizontal EU legislations are designed for the evaluation of synthetic substances. More complex natural inputs often behave differently and face difficulties in the authorisation process. The second finding is that the time lag between the recognition of new inputs for organic farming into horizontal legislation and the organic regulation is often too high. Products may be authorised for use in conventional farming for several years until they are allowed to the organic regulation even though they meet the organic standards. This leads to a disadvantage for organic farmers.

The policy brief is published in the frame of the RELACS project and is available on the RELACS project’s website. Follow other developments of the RELACS project on Twitter and Facebook. 
RELACS seeks to promote the development and adoption of environmentally safe and economically viable tools and technologies to reduce the use of external inputs in organic farming systems.