BRUSSELS, 20 JULY 2022 – Today, the finalists for the first annual EU organic awards have been announced. 24 are shortlisted for 8 awards in 7 categories, such as best organic farmer male / female, best organic SME, retailer, restaurant, bio-district, region, city (see below), coming from 11 different Member States. The finalists were chosen from a pool of over 200 submissions from 26 Member States. Jan Plagge, IFOAM Organics Europe’s President, said: “The finalists to the EU Organic Awards showcase the innovative potential of the European organic movement and show inspirational and replicable examples of how the sector contributes to the EU Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies’ goals. The current climate crisis we experience with more extreme heat and rainfall across Europe shows the EU should seek to speed up its work towards an agroecological and social farming model which is more resilient, fairer, healthier, more knowledge-intensive and based on shorter supply chains. If anything, the combined crises we are facing expose the fragilities of the agro-industrial model, highly dependent on global imports and exports, fossil-fuels, and non-circular inputs. The EU Farm to Fork Strategy sets the right mid- and long- term objectives to ensure food security in an uncertain and volatile world.” Eric Gall, IFOAM Organics Europe’s Deputy Director, adds that “These awards are a source of inspiration to all those making our food and farming system more sustainable, using organic’s potential and example. The awards’ criteria are based on the holistic principles of organic – care, health, ecology & fairness. Organic’s system approach should lead a re-think our food system, making it more independent from external inputs, less input-intensive and more resilient. The finalists’ inspiring achievements can serve as an example for many practitioners to switch to organic and be part of the solution.” The winners of the eight awards will be announced at the official awards ceremony in Brussels on 23 September, as one of a range of events and activities to mark the new annual EU organic day. Are you organising something on EU Organic Day? Share it with us and we might take it up on our website and in our online communication |