New rules are a good deal for consumers and farmers

The Greens/EFA group has welcomed the approval of the new organic farming regulation, steered by the European Parliament’s lead negotiation Martin Häusling.

Martin Häusling, Greens/EFA MEP and the European Parliament’s rapporteur for the new organic regulation, comments:

“This new regulation is good news for organic farmers and for consumers.

“The existing rules are seriously out of date, including many derogations dating back to the nineteen nineties. Since then, the organic sector has grown hugely, becoming a major success story. This new legislation will enable support the continued growth of the organic sector, while simplifying the rules.

"We’ve made sure that all organic imports will have to meet the same standards as in the EU. This will put European farmers on an even footing with their international competitors and give consumers increased confidence that organic products are of the best possible quality.

"We're especially pleased that seeds for organic farming will soon be accessible for farmers, alongside traditional varieties currently prohibited for sale in the EU. This will bring real biodiversity to our fields.

"The European Commission has been tasked with investigating how to avoid organic farms being contaminated by pesticides. We look forward to the results of their inquiry and hope to see strong precautionary measures to avoid contamination and to compensate organic farmers when it happens."

Additional info

The Greens/EFA group has produced a briefing, setting out the main successes of the new regulation. This can be accessed on our website: http://extranet.greens-efa-service.eu/public/media/file/1/5547

We also have a leaflet, which can be viewed here: http://extranet.greens-efa-service.eu/public/media/file/1/5558