View in your browser
March 2022 Newsletter

Dear readers, 

These are troubling times for Europe and the world. On top of climate and biodiversity crises we now have a war in Europe. It is heartening to see and hear how many in the European organic movement are extending their help – from organic farmers hosting refugees to our colleagues coordinating the collection and driving emergency goods, and from organisations rallying their networks for support to organisations giving their employees extra time to process these events.
Read

Political hotspot

As Russia’s war against Ukraine continues to rage, the EU Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies, key parts of the European Green Deal, have been challenged by some national governments and intensive agriculture lobbies. According to these voices, food security, which is already at risk following trade implications of the war, would be further threatened by the implementation of these strategies.
 
Read
News
Policy
Organic Regulations
Guidelines to help interpret EU Organic Regulation now online
 

After a 10-year long process, the new EU Organic Regulation has started to apply on 1 January 2022. The basic Regulation (EU) 2018/848 was published in June 2018, while the secondary legislation was developed in the following 2.5 years, with the last secondary regulations published on the EU Official Journal on 29 December 2021.
 
Read
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
Common Agricultural Policy and Common Market Organisation reforms: State of play and what is at stake?
 

These days are national organic movement’s last opportunities to advocate for better support for organic farming in the Common Agricultural Policy national Strategic Plans (CAP SPs) and reach the EU Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy’s targets.
 
Read
 
GMO & Seed
No risk assessment and labelling for eggs and hens of genetically modified origin?

Following an EU Commission statement, it can be concluded that eggs and laying hens that originate from genetically engineered hens may be marketed in the EU without risk assessment and labelling. 
Read
 
Seeds
New rules vegetative plant reproductive material for organic production

While the new EU Organic Regulation officially entered into force on 1 January of this year, not all details were clarified at that point. This included rules of production of seedlings and other vegetative material for organic production.
Read
Climate Change
Latest IPCC report: Agroecological practices support food security

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has published its latest report Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.
Read
Public consultation on the certification of carbon removals open until 02 May

The European Commission has opened a public consultation and call for evidence for the planned proposal on the certification of carbon removals.
Read
Plant Health Care
Organic’s approach to plant health: Read our leaflet for an overview
 


Commission delays proposal for Regulation on the sustainable use of pesticides

On 23 March, the European Commission was supposed to publish a proposal for a Regulation on the Sustainable Use of pesticides (SUR). 
Read
Expert on recycled fertilisers? Join our Task Force on Recycled Fertilisers

IFOAM Organics Europe’s Board created a Task Force on Recycled Fertilisers. This decision comes in the context of the “Integrated Nutrient Management Action Plan” (INMAP)
Read
Biodiversity, soil and water
Soil Health Law: Organic movement’s contribution to public consultation
 

60-70% of soils in the EU are not healthy and the EU still lacks a comprehensive soil protection policy. In the Soil Strategy, presented last November, the European Commission announced a proposal for a Soil Health Law by 2023. Soil health is a corner stone of organic farming and common organic farming practices contribute actively to improved soil quality. As IFOAM Organics Europe, we welcome the initiative to develop a legal framework for soil protection and restoration.
 
Read
Food policy 
7 policy recommendations on sustainable food public procurement

The Food Policy Coalition’s policy recommendations on food procurement support procurement as a tool that contributes to the systemic transformation of our food system. 
Read
Buy Better Food campaign wants to put sustainable food on all public plates

The time has come to make public food procurement a mainstream issue at European level. To this end, we participate in an advocacy campaign on public food procurement Buy Better Food in Europe launched on 14 March.
Read
Applications for European Organic Awards now open (until 8 June)
 

In concomitance with the first-year anniversary of the European Organic Action Plan, the submission period of the European Organic Awards officially opened 25 March 2022.

 
Read
Knowledge for organic
New! Playlists in multiple languages on Organic Farm Knowledge’s YouTube

The Organic Farm Knowledge platform attaches great importance to making its content accessible in several languages and is working on this a lot. Recently, the platform’s YouTube Channel has been launched and is constantly being improved.
Read
New project wants to make school meals part of transition to sustainable diet

The EU-funded “SchoolFood4Change” (SF4C) project aims to shift school meals and schools into a new paradigm of systemic change towards sustainable diets. 
Read
Register to RELACS trial results webinar: Reducing Anthelmintic control
 

Are you interested in reducing anthelmintic use in your flock? Would you like to learn about natural alternatives to them? The RELACS project – Replacement of Contentious Inputs in Organic Farming Systems – has explored how heather and fungi could support these goals!
 
Read
ClieNFarms project has started


Making farms climate-neutral is the aim of the ClieNFarms projects that started last January. The project will set up 20 cases studies where systemic solutions will be tested and evaluated using up-to-date modelling approaches and multicriteria assessment tools.
Read
Policy instruments & voluntary initiatives for reducing contentious inputs in organic farming

The RELACS project released a new scientific paper by Varga et al., 2022, analysing existing policy instruments and voluntary initiatives in the EU for reducing contentious inputs in organic farming. 
Read
IFOAM Organics Europe developments
The Year of organics Organics toolkit – Celebrate with us

This year, the European organic movement will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Together with IFOAM – Organics International’s 50th and IFOAM Asia’s 10th anniversary, 2022 will also mark the Year of Organics.  
Read
Celebrating women transforming our food systems!

One day isn’t enough to do justice to the incredible work carried out by women in agriculture around the world. 
Read
They make it happen! A Belgian farming collective for biodiversity and preservation

Organic farming and production work with nature to achieve the best possible results for people, animals, and the planet. 
Read
Do you have an initiative that is transforming food & farming? Share it with us, get visibility & inspire others!
 

To make the EU Green Deal a reality, we need to change the way we eat and farm. The organic movement has always been a pioneer and innovator. Several organic and other projects are already revolutionizing food and farming across Europe, moving us closer to our shared Vision 2030.
 
Read
Volunteering at IFOAM Organics Europe: Team work and discovering Belgium
 

Hello, my name is Rico and in September I started working at IFOAM Organics Europe as one of the ESC volunteers. For 11 months, I’m supporting the Projects & Fundraising team.
 
Read
 
Saying goodbye to our colleagues
Yulia Barabanova

IFOAM Organics Europe is saying goodbye to Yulia Barabanova who has left the organisation at the end of March. Yulia joined us in 2014. During all the 8 years in the organisations, Yulia has had a key role. She successfully guided IFOAM Organics Europe through two vision and strategy processes during which she intensively collaborated with the board, council, and staff. In addition, Yulia was part of the TP Organics secretariat, where among many other things she coordinated the writing of the 3rd Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda. 
Axel Géry

After 5 months spent in our FLOEE unit as a volunteer Axel Géry left us to undertake personal projects. His permanent good mood, his help in the management of the daily operational tasks and the organisation of some internal events (Christmas lunch Monthly meeting) show us his flexibility and his polyvalence. We wish him all the best for his next project.
Read
Events
Preview of events


Read
Review of past events


Read
Calendar of events

2022 
The Year of Organics Global 


10 May 2022
Let’s Discuss Organic! Revision of the Directive on the Sustainable Use of pesticides (SUD)
Exclusive online webinar for members


26-29 July 2022
BIOFACH 2022   Nuremberg, Germany


29-30 November 2022 (TBC)
Organic Innovation Days
Brussels

 

25 March 2022
EU Organic Awards
Launch of the application period


8 June 2022       
EU Organic Awards 
Deadline for the submission for applications 


31 August-2 September 2022     
IFOAM Organics Europe Youth Event
Frick, Switzerland

7 April 2022
Let’s Discuss Organic! Organic textiles
Exclusive online webinar for members.


16-17 June 2022
European Organic Congress
Bordeaux, France
#EOC2022


23 September 2022          
EU Organic Day
European Union 
Making Europe more organic
IFOAM ORGANICS EUROPE KEY SUPPORTER 2022




ORGANIC REGULATION GUIDE GOLDEN SPONSORS
 

© IFOAM Organics Europe 2004 to 2022

Please send any comments or contributions to the newsletter to communication@organicseurope.bio.

For further information contact your national board member or the office in Brussels.

Editors IFOAM Organics Europe newsletter: Eva Berckmans, Silvia Schmidt & Eric Gall. With the contribution of Arianna Bellemo.

This newsletter is co-financed by the LIFE programme of the European Union, under the under the Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). This publication only reflects the views of the authors and its sole responsibility lies with IFOAM Organics Europe. CINEA is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information provided.

IFOAM Organics Europe

Want to print this newsletter? Download it from our website.

Stay informed. Subscribe to our press releases or update your subscription preferences.