🔎 ZOOM ON...// European Organic Agriculture

THE EUROPEAN ORGANIC LABEL

The European organic label, also known as Eurofeuille, is required in the European Union since July 1st, 2010 on all organic products, manufactured in Europe and in compliance with the European organic regulations (EC 834/2007 and its implementing regulations).

ORIGIN

The primary objective of the EU when creating the first organic regulation in 1991 was to harmonize the rules of organic production in order to improve the European trade of organic products by creating awareness and strengthening consumer confidence around this label.

KEY FIGURES FOR ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

In the world, in 2019, there were 72.3 million hectares of organic farmland, almost 7 times more than in 1999 (11 million hectares)! The number of organic farmers has also increased sharply with 3.1 million in 2019 compared to 200,000 22 years ago! It is thanks to the improvement of the AB label, more focused on the environment, that the organic farming sector is expanding.

In Europe, the number of organic hectares continues to grow: It reached 16,5 million hectares in 2019! The ambition of the Green deal Europe confirms this trend: The European Commission wants to develop organic farming, up to 25% of cultivated land in order to achieve a climate neutral continent by 2030.

These figures are still booming today thanks to the positive reception of consumers and professionals alike for this agriculture that respects our health and our planet

Take the plunge!
Produce, process, sell and consume organically grown products

🍃 The European organic label has uncompromising environmental criteria

• Transparency towards the consumer
• Protection of the environment and the climate
• Conservation and increase of soil fertility
• Maintenance of biodiversity
• Respect for natural cycles and animal welfare
• Limitation of synthetic chemical products
• No use of GMOs

🤝 The European organic label is accessible to all actors of change

The logo must appear on the packaging of certified organic foodstuffs that:

• Contain at least 95% organic agricultural products. The remaining part (maximum 5%) is not available in organic and is expressly allowed by the organic regulation.
• Are in accordance with the rules of the official control and certification system (To know all the details of the certification process, discover the 8 answers to the most asked questions: article coming soon
• Bear the name of the producer, distributor or processor and the code of the certification body

🔎 The European organic label guarantees transparency to the consumer

Each time the Eurofeuille logo is used, it must appear:

• The code number of the certification body: For example, for Ecocert this is FR-BIO-01 for organic products in France and ISO-code of the country-BIO-154 in third countries
• The place of production of the agricultural raw materials composing the product: "EU Agriculture", "Non-EU Agriculture" or "EU/Non-EU Agriculture".
• The possible replacement of the indication "EU" or "non-EU" by the name of a country when at least 98% by weight of the agricultural raw materials come from it.
• National and private logos (optional) such as the AB logo in France.

ZOOM ON AB: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE WITH THE EUROFEUILLE?

• In France, the AB logo and the European organic logo both guarantee that the product complies with European organic regulations.
• The AB logo is optional and can be used in addition to the Eurofeuille logo which is mandatory.
• The AB mark belongs to the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food, it is also used on organic products that are not covered by the European regulation but by a French specification (eg pet food, rabbit or snail breeding products ...).

Today, 97% of French people recognize the AB brand (according to the Agence Bio/CSA 2018 barometer, which is why certified French products very often have both logos affixed.
To know all the criteria for obtaining the AB logo : (AB Article is coming)

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION BY ECOCERT

With 30 years of expertise, the certification body Ecocert has become the leader in organic certification, operating in nearly 130 countries with a network of 31 subsidiaries! You have chosen to commit yourself to the organic process?Discover the 5 steps of the certification process with Ecocert

💡 The European organic label makes regular updates!

The next European AB regulation is scheduled for January 1, 2022. There are no plans to change the organic agriculture logo.

sources: FIBL 2020, 2021 ; Europa.eu ; Novethic