Press release of the EISfOM project, September 2005
Press Release: New Initiatives for Organic Market Data.
(Aberystwyth, 12.9.2005) The second seminar of the European funded project European Information System for Organic Markets (EISfOM) will take place November 10 and 11, 2005 in Brussels. It is entitled “Towards a European Framework for Organic Market Information”.
The discussions at the seminar will be based on the recommendations of the EISfOM project. These propose new initiatives for better collection and proc-essing of organic production and market data in order to meet the needs of policy-makers, regulators, farmers, processors, traders, retailers and others.
The seminar is open to all parties interested in the subject, including official and commercial agencies, certifiers and other stakeholders as well as re-searchers. Registration is possible via www. eisfom.org.
Speakers include representatives from the European Commission’s General Directorates Agriculture and Research, of Eurostat, of national statistical of-fices and agricultural ministries, of certifiers and other stakeholders. Research partners of the EISfOM Project will present and discuss project results and recommendations, covering the following areas of data collection: production data; farm financial data; prices; consumption; supply balances and interna-tional trade. The programme is available at the seminar homepage.
Nic Lampkin, the EISfOM project co-ordinator said: ‘We have examined the current state of organic market data in detail and looked in particular at inno-vative approaches in some countries. Now we are in a position to make con-crete proposals for the future which, with the support of stakeholders, should set the framework for the development of organic farming statistics as part of the European organic action plan for food and farming.’ The November seminar provides a real opportunity for stakeholders, statistical agencies and the European Commission to come together and debate the way forward.
EISfOM Seminar Organiser
Zentrale Markt- und Preisberichtstelle für Erzeugnisse der Land-, Forst- und Ernährungswirtschaft GmbH (ZMP)/ mec marketing and ethics consulting, Dr. Susanne Lux, Ahornweg 3, 53547 Kasbach-Ohlenberg, Germany, Tel. +49 2644 981 333, Fax +49 2644 981 334, e-mail: susanne.lux @ t-online.de, internet www.zmp.de
Project Contact
Dr. Nic Lampkin, Project Coordinator
Editorial notes
EISfOM is an EU-funded Concerted Action whose aim is to develop a framework for reporting valid and reliable production and market data on the European organic sector in order to meet the needs of policy-makers, farmers, processors, wholesalers and other actors involved in organic markets. It has been formed by a network of researchers from universities, research institutes and market data collection agencies in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Nether-lands, Poland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, who have been researching and publish-ing organic farming statistics for many years. The project is co-ordinated by the University of Wales in Aberystwyth and will run from 2003 to 2005. Further information on the partnership and objectives of the project can be found at the project website.
The project is financially supported by the Commission of the European Community’s Fifth Framework Research and Technological Development Programme. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission, nor do they in any way anticipate the Commission’s future policy in this area.