The Italian Ministry of Agriculture informs that at the EU Agrifish Council an agreement was reached on the proposal for the new Regulation on organic farming.
Among the most important changes to the current legislation there is a change in the import regime of organic products, an issue Italy pursued with great determination. In the future, organic products will have to be imported only in a compliance regime, following the application of the same EU production standards, or from countries sharing reciprocal agreements with EU. European producers will so be more guaranteed on the international markets and more transparency will be ensured to consumers .
Another novelty is the introduction of group certification in order to allow easier access of small farms to the organic sector.
Inspection rules are included within the organic farming Regulation for better simplification and clarity. The annual inspection to the organic farms remains a fundamental requirement of the sector, and the Member States may postpone the physical inspection only in case of farms with proved low risk and up to a maximum of thirty months.
On the subject of residues of not permitted substances found on organic products – a subject absent in the current legislation - the proposal introduces a new article which nevertheless does not fully achieve the aim of harmonizing the procedures applied in the different Member States. For this reason, Italy filed in deeds, supported by Spain, a declaration with a request to the incoming Presidency of the Council and to the Commission to commit themselves to further improve the text during the negotiations with the European Parliament. All this in order to make more stringent control procedures in the event of contamination from substances not allowed in organic productions and to increase consumers’ protection.
"The agreement - said Italian Minister of Agriculture Maurizio Martina - is also the result of the work we did during the Italian Presidency. We can still improve the Regulation's text in the near future. In Italy, in the next few years , we will invest 1.5 billion euro in the organic sector, just to boost a sector where we are the leader in Europe with more than 52,000 operators".
"Today's agreement - added the Deputy Minister Andrea Olivero - is a step forward for the sector. Among its positive aspects there is an improved protection for European producers vis-à-vis of the international competition, while at the same time consumers will rely on transparent rules and coherent control activities. I wish to highlight that the group certification will be an operational tool to ensure that small farmers, especially in marginal areas, can access the organic system, with obvious beneficial effects on their territories environmental protection” .
Source: Mipaaf press office
