Political hotspot February 2021 newsletter

Promoting our organic future: funds available for promotion campaigns

To help realise the European Green Deal’s shift to more sustainable food systems, the European Commission earmarked an unprecedented share of 2021’s EU promotion policy budget to support the goals of the Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy and develop the organic market.

86 million EUR for campaigns about organic farming

Almost 50% of the promotion funds are reserved to increase the awareness and recognition of sustainable production methods, including organic production. 86 million EUR is allocated for campaigns about organic farming, sustainable agriculture and the agri-food sector ‘s role in terms of climate action and the environment. 

Of these 86 million EUR, 49 million EUR are explicitly targeted towards promoting organic production and products.  This is good news for the organic sector, as promotion policies are an important tool to increase the demand for organic products.

It is important that the organic sector puts extra efforts into making the most of this opportunity.

Using the opportunity the promotion policies offer is crucial

During the promotion policy info days, Christina Gerstgrasser, Head of Unit for Communication and Promotion policy at the European Commission, highlighted that the foreseen budget allocation will be changed if funding streams do not receive enough high quality proposals.

By deciding on whether or not to apply for promotion policy funds, the organic movement will play a role in shaping the budget allocation for promotion policies in the following years.  Have a look at the calls for proposals by the Commission.

In the Commissions’ press release, Agricultural Commissioner Wojciechowski stated that agriculture needs to put a stronger emphasis on sustainability and that promotion policies will be a “crucial tool” to bring change along the food chain and encourage consumers to play their part in the transition towards sustainable food systems. The Commission foresees to keep a high level of support for sustainable practices in the coming years, if it is taken up by stakeholders.

Additional information for IFOAM Organics Europe members

The Annual Work Programme (AWP) for 2021 in the framework of promotion policies is available on the Commission’s website. On our member extranet, IFOAM Organics Europe Members have access to:

• IFOAM Organics Europe’s important Q&A’s on eligibility, available programmes etc.; and
• A summary of the Promotion Policy Info Days

Are you an IFOAM Organics Europe member who does not have access to our member extranet yet? Are you interested in accessing this information? Contact [email protected].

What are promotion policies?

Promotion policies were implemented in 2008 to:

• Enhance the competitiveness of the EU agricultural sector;
• Raise awareness among consumers of EU agricultural products and their methods of production; and
• Increase market opportunities for EU companies.

These campaigns are either run directly by the European Commission, e.g., to develop trade relations or by proposing organisations such as European trade or inter-trade associations or producers’ organisations. There is a budget of 182.9 million EUR for 2021.

Do not hesitate to contact [email protected] with any questions you may have. Please do note that we prioritise our members’ requests.