IFOAM Organics Europe says it welcomes the positive recognition that organic farming is “green by definition” in the CAP simplification proposal published this week by the European Commission. 

By describing organic farming in these terms, the Commission is signalling a clear acknowledgment that organic practices inherently contribute to environmental sustainability.

According to Jan Plagge, president of IFOAM Organics Europe: “Simplifying the CAP is welcome, it helps both farmers and national authorities, but it should go hand in hand with stronger incentives for farmers to engage in sustainable production methods, such as organic farming. Simplification should support – not dilute – the transition of the EU agri-food system towards sustainability. It is now crucial that Member States implement this package swiftly and effectively, as the real impact will be measured by what happens on the ground.”

Plagge continued: “The recognition of organic farmers as “green by definition” for some conditionality requirements is a step in the right direction, since it provides additional incentives for farmers to invest in ambitious sustainable farming systems. This recognition is essential as organic farmers deliver many public goods that are currently not remunerated adequately by neither the market, nor the CAP.”

IFOAM says the one is is also a recognition that the organic certification system, backed by an ambitious EU Regulation on organic agriculture, “is an efficient simplification tool to ensure farm sustainability, both for farmers and for national authorities (and that) organic agriculture should logically play a more important role in a streamlined future CAP that is expected to focus on incentives”.

The organic group is calling on the European Parliament and Council to not use this simplification process to lower the environmental ambitions of the CAP. “It is crucial to maintain a clear direction for the transition to sustainable agri-food systems in the EU, and to uphold the environmental performance of the Common Agricultural Policy as a priority to be achieved by better incentivizing and supporting farmers to engage in an ambitious environmental re-design of their farms, that will make them resilient to future social and environmental crises”.

Image: Courtesy Being Organic in the EU