Agriculture in the EU is facing crises across the board: from the declining livelihoods of farmers and exodus from rural areas,

to the contributions to climate change, and from the harm to biodiversity to the degradation of soils. Meanwhile across the

EU, science and consumers are showing that organic delivers. Organic empowers farmers to design agronomic systems that

are more resilient economically and environmentally, enabling them to reduce dependence on external inputs, and

promoting the development – rather than the degradation – of the natural resources on which we depend for food

production. At the same time, year-on-year growth for organic in the EU is 6-7%, far beyond any other food & drink market

segment, and consumers regularly cite environmental reasons and bans on synthetic pesticide use as reasons for their

choice.

Continuous improvement is part of the organic mindset and the organic movement welcomes initiatives to help organic

farming and food develop. A review of the existing organic regulation had the potential to improve the legal framework; to

support farmers who want to go organic; to guarantee fair competition and improve the functioning of the single market;

to make application of the rules simpler and clearer; and to sustain the already high level of consumer confidence among

EU citizens. There were positive proposals from the EU institutions (Commission, Council and Parliament), such as the

establishment of environmental performance criteria for traders and processors, and new means to increase integrity in the

controls and in the import rules governing organic.