[Editor’s note: EU farmers are skeptical of a new government initiative to make 25 percent of Europe’s farmland organic by 2030. EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski says the plan is workable and necessary.]
The target is one of several set by the EU’s flagship food policy, the Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy.
Speaking at the World Food Convention on Thursday (25 June), Wojciechowski addressed these concerns, saying he was aware that it was one of the most contentious targets in the strategy and that farmers are particularly concerned about it.
However, he stressed that the target was achievable and highlighted the example of Austria as a member state that already farms nearly 25% of its agricultural land organically and, despite this, appears not to have a problem of an excess of organic food in Austrian markets.
He also underlined the importance of promoting and developing the EU organic market, maintaining that there is a large potential for increasing public demand and promoting the market in the EU, especially in certain member states.
He used the example of his home country, Poland, which he said spent an average of only €3 euro per capita on organic food compared to €300 per capita in Denmark.
