Time right to advance organic sector

THE time is right for an EU initiative on the organic sector, Agriculture and Food Minister Joe Walsh said in Brussels yesterday.

As the Farm Council president, he was formally opening a Commission-organised hearing in advance of preparing an action plan for the development of the sector.

Minister Walsh said the conclusion of the mid-term review of the CAP and the movement to a single payment system establishes a new policy framework in which farmers will have the freedom to farm in response to market demands.

In this market-oriented scenario, considerable scope arises for the progression of organic production. EU enlargement with the accession of ten new member states is also a timely opportunity for renewed effort in the promotion of the sector.

EU Farm Commissioner Franz Fischler said he was glad the Irish presidency will give the issue an important boost. “Organic agriculture appears to be growing. At the same time, I often hear that organic farmers cannot market their products as organic. This illustrates that supply and demand are not always in balance.”

Dr Fischler said another important observation is that the uptake of organic products in mainstream retailing, particularly in supermarkets, could be the most important factor in making them available to a wider and concerned public. Both supply and demand have expanded in recent years. Despite this growth, average market share for organic products is small, about 2% in the EU, with some notable exceptions such as the share of organic vegetables at 5%-10%.