Assessment of agricultural and aquaculture policy responses to the organic F2F targets

Summary in the original language of the document

This report provides a comparison of organic farming and aquaculture support policies in the periods 2021-2027 and 2014-2020, to see how the policies have developed in the
context of the EU’s Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategy targets to reach 25% of agricultural land managed organically, and a significant increase in aquaculture, by 2030. Organic farming has been supported as a policy measure in individual countries since the 1980s and on an EU-wide basis since the early 1990s. The first regulation defining organic farming (Reg. 2092/91) came into effect in 1992, and provided a legal basis for market
development and the inclusion of organic farming as an agri-environmental policy measure from 1994 (Reg. 2078/92), accompanying the main Common Agricultural Policy
(CAP). These two regulations provided the foundation for a consistent growth in the organic sector over the last 30 years. Over time, additional rural development, public
procurement, promotion, research, CAP Pillar 1 measures, and organic action plans at regional, national and European levels, have been added to the policy mix. There has also
been a corresponding development of policy support for organic aquaculture as part of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in the 2014-2020 and 2021-2027 periods. However,
despite the significant policy support, there still seems to be a need for institutional change and capacity building. It is questionable whether enough is being done to meet the EU’s strategic targets and considering the environmental benefits that the achievement of the 25% organic share of land area and the increase in aquaculture target
could deliver.