c UNITING THE ORGANIC WORLD 1 Working for organic food and farming in Brussels ORGANIC REGULATION and lobby work Camilla Mikkelsen Regulation Coordinator

c UNITING THE ORGANIC WORLD 2 Network of the IFOAM EU Group ––– Founded in 1990 as a Regional Group of IFOAM Focus: the common EU legislation and in particular the organic EU regulation 2092/91. In 2000 first General Assembly and formal constitution October 2003 a permanent coordination and liaison office was established in Brussels Currently about 300 IFOAM members within the EU 27/EFTA representing professional organic farming organisations

c UNITING THE ORGANIC WORLD 3 IFOAM EU Board 30 national board members + substitutes elected from each EU 27 and EFTA country National Member Organisations Organic Representing the European organic sector

c UNITING THE ORGANIC WORLD 4 -Bulgaria: Albena Simeonova -Czech Republic: Czech Republic, Karolina Dytrtova, Bioinstitut -Estonia: Merit Mikk, Estonian Organic Farming Foundation Board members Eastern European and Baltic countries -Hungary: Éva Sándorné Ács, Kishantos Rural Development Centre -Latvia: Mairita Bluma, Association of Latvian Organic Agriculture -Lithuania: Antanas Svirskis, Gaja -Poland: Dorota Metera, BIOEKSPERT Ltd. - Romania (obs.) Damian Dragomir Bio Romania -Slovakia: Zuzana Lehocka, Research Institute of Plant Production -Slovenia: Anamarija Slabe, Inst. For Sustainable Development -Turkey (obs.): Seda Orhan, Bugday Association Full list on

c UNITING THE ORGANIC WORLD Working areas and activities Organic regulation EU Policy Research Policy IFOAM EU work areas Labelling rules organic logo GMO policies, coexistence, labelling threshold Scope of organic regulation General strategy & movement ownership Influence Research Framework Programme Identify Organic research Priorities Climate policy Biodiversity strategy CAP reform 2013 Platform/ Information Technology Platform TP Organics Greenhouse, poultry rules, Nitrite Webpage, newsletter Intranet Conferences, (Rome & Madrid 2010, Hungary 2011)

c UNITING THE ORGANIC WORLD 6 EU Policy areas relevant for Organic Farming: CAP European Organic Action plan GMO Food safety Organic Regulation Rural development Research DG Agri DG ResearchDG Sanco DG Envi Biodiversity action plan Soil directive Pesticide strategy Environmental action plan Seed threshold Coexistence CAP 1st pillar Hygiene Legislation Food/Feed control Animal welfare/health 7th Framework Programme GM approval Research priorities Pesticide registration Quality Schemes

c UNITING THE ORGANIC WORLD 7 European Commission ( DG agriculture, DG Environment, DG Research, DG Climate action) Member States: SCOF Committee European Parliament National Members (IFOAM EU board members) Positions Contact to national MEP‘s Commission Advisory Groups Main targets EU Council Lobby work at EU- and national level

c UNITING THE ORGANIC WORLD 88 The organic regulation, applied January 1, 2009 EU Regulation 834/2007 EU Regulation 889/2008 Regulation for production, labelling and control (crop and animal production, processing, yeast) EU Regulation 1235/2008 Regulation for imports July 2010: Aquaculture & logo/labelling Framework Regulation Implementing rules Structure:

c UNITING THE ORGANIC WORLD 9 Examples of Regulation Activities 2010 Brussels office  Participating in Commission advisory group meetings  Developing positions and input on various regulation issues  Keeping members up to date on latest news and important developments (newsletters, s, conferences, publications…) Some examples from 2010: Letters to the European Institutions: - Reaction to EP report on animal welfare, March 15, Food information to consumers (to the EP) March 15, Revision of the technical annexes, March 29, Novel food technologies, April 29, Organic additives, July 22, Nitrates/nitrates, re-examination, September 29, Natural and organic cosmetics, November 17, Organic processing, technical annexes, November 18, % organic feed for monogastrics, November 19, 2010 Position papers -"Organic poultry production and rearing“, August 2010

c UNITING THE ORGANIC WORLD 10 IFOAM EU Group lobby work Ongoing regulation issues 2011: 100% organic feed for monogastrics Nitrate/nitrite in organic processing Greenhouse production Poultry production Scope of the organic regulation: (catering, cosmetics)

c UNITING THE ORGANIC WORLD 11 Publications: IFOAM EU dossiers on the organic regulation Aims to inform the sector on the new regulation Contains experts’ interpretations of the organic regulation Published in DE; EN; FR; EL; CZ; ES; PL Aquaculture dossier followed in February 2010 Vol. II to follow in 2011??

c UNITING THE ORGANIC WORLD 12 Because every product comes with a story… Thank you for your attention!

c UNITING THE ORGANIC WORLD Main ‘targets’: EU Commission  writes regulation proposals. Should be influenced as early as possible. The established ‘transparency procedures’ not always sufficient SCOF Committee  National level  Approach national ministries/SCOF representatives in cooperation with board members. EU parliament  in co-decision procedures the Parliament’s opinion is important. Important to identify the relevant Parliament committee(-s) and rapporteur and communicate the IFOAM EU position to them. 13 IFOAM EU Group lobby work

c UNITING THE ORGANIC WORLD 14 Lobbying for positions Example: Ecolabelling Background: 16 July 2008 the European Commission proposed to revise the EU Ecolabel scheme. The proposal included to introduce Ecolabelling for processing and transport procedures for food and aquaculture products Problem/issue: The Eco-label is in principle a positive thing but is easily mistaken for an organic label.

c UNITING THE ORGANIC WORLD Lobbying for positions: Examples - Ecolabelling INCIDENT: July, 2008: European Commission proposes to revise the EU Ecolabel scheme, incl. foods - REACTION: October 16, 2008: IFOAM EU Group letter to the European Commission on the Community scheme of ecolabelling REACTION/PROACTION: October 20, 2008: IFOAM EU meets with Ecolabelling unit, EU Commission INCIDENT: April 3, 2009 Agreement between Council and EP on revision of ecolabelling scheme. Provision for study on consequences for organic food - REACTION: April 3, 2009 – Press release: ‘IFOAM EU calls on the EU institutions to stop Inconsistent labelling attempts’Press release REACTION/PROACTION: October 29, 2009: IFOAM EU meeting with head of Ecolabelling unit, EU Commission 2010: IFOAM EU lobbying for the organic sector’s interests, FiBL contracted to do study on