EU new organic legislation will enter into force on 1 January 2022

EU new organic legislation will enter into force on 1 January 2022, following the postponement of its implementation for a year. The main improvement is the harmonization of the rules, covering the whole EU organic sector. This single set of rules is going to apply also to non-EU farmers who export their organic products to the EU. The rules will reflect the changing nature of this rapidly growing sector. The new regulation is designed to ensure fair competition for farmers whilst preventing fraud and maintaining consumer trust. 

The new Regulation brings also simplification for farmers. For example, small farmers now will be able to choose group certification which will reduce their certification costs and make it easier for them to join the organic scheme.

In March 2021, the Commission launched an organic action plan for the European Union. The action plan sets out to achieve the European Green Deal target of 25% of agricultural land under organic farming by 2030.

Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said:  "This is a very important tool that will allow more and more small farmers to adhere to the scheme and to contribute to the target of 25%."