After 20 months of discussions, the European Union has released new legislation on organic agriculture (or organic farming, as it is called in Europe), reports the “Agência Brasil”. The new rules not only implement stricter controls, but also establish preventive measures against product contamination. Organic ones that are imported from other countries, such as Brazil, will have to respect EU standards.
European consumers are increasingly interested in acquiring products produced from natural substances and processes. Organic is no longer a niche market, although it still represents a rather low percentage of agricultural production as a whole. Among the main organic products that Brazil exports to the EU are sugar, coffee, nuts and fruits such as mango and melon.
Although Brazil is the largest exporter of coffee in the world, not all Brazilian beans exported are organic. To get an idea, according to Embrapa, the area of coffee cultivation that is in production this year of 2018 is 1.88 million hectares. According to the Association of Organic and Sustainable Coffees of Brazil (Acob), the current estimate is that the area planted with organic coffee is from 5 thousand to 6 thousand hectares, only.
Rules
Organic or organic production is based on a sustainable agricultural system which respects the environment and animal welfare, including all other stages of the supply chain (preparation, storage, transport and distribution). In different countries the rules that define whether a product is organic vary. According to the European Parliament, there are currently more than 64 different regulatory standards around the world.
In the European Union, the requirements for a product to be considered organic are good environmental practices, high biodiversity, the preservation of natural resources and the application of strict animal welfare standards.
Practically, the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers is prohibited; the use of antibiotic drugs in animals is severely restricted; crop rotation (switching plant species to avoid soil exhaustion) is essential, and GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are not used.
Marketplace
The European organic market is expanding, accounting for around € 30.7 billion per year, according to the European Statistical Office (Eurostat). But although organic farming has grown in recent years, it accounts for only 7% of the total agricultural area, about 12 million hectares. The gap between demand and supply is covered by the growth of imports from countries outside the EU.
In the EU, only four countries account for 54.4% of the total area devoted to organic farming. They are Spain (16.9%), Italy (15.1%), France (12.9%) and Germany (9.5%). Among the types of crops, 45.1% are pastures, mainly for the biological rearing of livestock, and 44% are cereals, vegetables and green fodder. Only 10.9% are from fruit trees and berries, olive groves and vineyards.
The new rules were approved by MEPs in April this year. However, the new regulation will enter into force only on January 1, 2021. Until then, the community institutions will define the rules for the implementation of the new law.
Negative points
For Jaime Ferreira, president of Agrobio – Portuguese Association of Organic Agriculture, although the new legislation is satisfactory in several aspects, it also has negative points. He fears that the possibility for different member states to set minimum levels of contamination may be approved. This does not mean authorization to use pesticides, but acceptance of contamination of an external nature, for example in the air or in the process of transporting the products.
“That is, each member state admits that there are external environmental factors and that there may be contamination even in biological products – and that this can be accepted as long as it does not exceed a certain level of contamination. that these products should be out of the market and can never be marketed, “said Jaime.
Another concern of Agrobio is the reduction of mandatory controls. According to the European Parliament, the annual controls carried out in all production processes will be maintained. However, the inspection interval may be extended to up to 24 months if no irregularity or infringement has occurred in the last three years. For Jaime, the interval of two years between one inspection and another is very long and does not bring benefits. “In two years much can happen!”
For Portuguese, Brazil is a country that always generates great interest for its organic products. “Especially the ones we do not produce. We appreciate the quality of products from Brazil, which always have the door open, provided they obviously comply with European rules.”
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.