IFOAM Organics Europe has called on EU institutions to seize the moment of consensus achieved by the recent Strategic Dialogue review of food and farming, as the European Commission prepares its forthcoming Vision for Agriculture and Food. 

The organic group this week published recommendations that aim to align EU policies with the Strategic Dialogue’s conclusions to accelerate progress toward a sustainable, resilient, and competitive European agri-food system. It says it fully supports the Strategic Dialogue conclusions and particularly welcomes the recognition of organic farming as the only legally regulated sustainability system.

Jan Plagge, president of IFOAM Organics Europe, said: “The strategic dialogue makes important recommendations on the CAP and the need to move away from the hectare-based system, on the need to strengthen farmers’ position in the supply chain, as well as on the potential of sustainable public procurement. By incorporating the Strategic Dialogue’s recommendations, we can move towards an agri-food system that benefits everyone.” He added: “this Vision is a unique chance for the EU to strengthen its leadership in driving environmental, social, and economic progress in the agriculture sector”.

IFOAM Organics Europe’s recommendations, in line with the Strategic Dialogue, call for targeted support for organic and other sustainable practices, fair remuneration for farmers providing ecosystem services, and developing a holistic benchmarking system based on a whole-farm approach. It argues that organic innovations and practices, leading for instance to independence from synthetic inputs, are not for the organic sector only – they can also be used by conventional farmers, to increase the number of instruments in their toolbox.