The European Commission launched an organic action plan in March 2021, aiming to achieve the European target of 25% of farmland under organic farming by 2030, in order to stimulate demand and ensure consumer trust; stimulate conversion and reinforce the entire value chain; and improve the contribution of organic farming to environmental sustainability. 

To this end, one of the actions that was implemented was the employment of a new EU regulation, designed to ensure fair competition for farmers whilst preventing fraud and maintaining consumer trust through the following: 

• production rules are simplified through the phasing out of a number of exceptions and opt outs;
• the control system is strengthened thanks to tighter precautionary measures and robust checks along the entire supply chain;
• producers in third countries will have to comply with the same set of rules as those producing in the EU;
• organic rules cover a wider list of products (e.g. salts, cork, beeswax, wool, etc) and have additional production rules (e.g. deer, rabbits and poultry);
• certification will be easier for small farmers thanks to a new system of group certification;
• there will be a more uniform approach to reducing the risk of accidental contamination from pesticides.

The new EU regulation has been put into force the 1st of January 2022, however, between 2012 and 2013 the European Commission held a wide ranging consultation, in order to have the opinion both from stakeholders and the general public to assess their views about the proposal.

The regulation is available in 24 different languages here.

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