IFOAM Organics Europe

IFOAM Organics Europe welcomes the European Commissions initiative to accelerate circularity in the European Union (EU) through the Circular Economy Act. We support a systemic transition towards a resilient and fair circular economy, one that operates within planetary boundaries and strengthens rural communities.

IFOAM Organics Europe, the European umbrella organisation for organic food and farming, welcomes the Commissions intention to adopt a strategy on the right to stay and its efforts to invest in concepts that work against the demographic decline and decrease in economic opportunities in Europe's rural areas and territories.

IFOAM Organics Europe reiterates its support for the European Commissions targeted amendment of Regulation (EU) 2018/848, stressing the urgent need for its rapid adoption to avoid severe disruption to international organic trade.

IFOAM Organics Europe is the European umbrella organisation for organic food and farming. With almost 200 members in 34 European countries, our work spans the entire organic food chain and beyond: from farmers and processors organisations, retailers, certifiers, consultants, traders, and researchers to environmental and consumer advocacy bodies.

Brussels, 30 June 2023 IFOAM Organics Europe feedback to the Commission’s proposal on green claims IFOAM Organics Europe is grateful for the opportunity to provide feedback to the Commission’s proposal on green claims. First of all, we would like to thank the Commission for this proposal, as it aims to inter alia address greenwashing, a practice that can be deleterious to truly sustainable businesses and products.

Opening of the attached position paper · the full paper is on the Commission’s record (source link above)

IFOAM Organics Europe (IFOAM OE) welcomes the Commission's initiative on the "Environmental performance of products & businesses – substantiating claims", as it aims to increase trustworthiness of environmental claims. Similarly, IFOAM OE welcomes that the Farm to Fork strategy stipulates that “the Commission will (…) examine ways to harmonise voluntary green claims”.

The organic movement welcomes the opportunity to give input to the Biotech Act. The maintenance of a system of identification and traceability for genetically modified products in agriculture is essential so that organic and conventional operators have the right and freedom to continue producing GM-free throughout the entire supply chain. Please find the full feedback attached.

The accelerating climate crisis is one of the biggest threats to agriculture and food systems. Rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns and increasing frequency of extreme weather events are already disrupting European farming with cascading risks for the whole food supply chain. To ensure resilient and sustainable food production on the medium and long term a transformational change is inevitable.

IFOAM Organics Europe welcomes the revision of the UTP Directive, as the current framework does not adequately protect farmers and other weaker supply chain actors, as also identified by the evaluation report of the European Commission.

IFOAM Organics Europe thanks the Commission for the publication of the EU strategy for sustainable textiles. We would like to make two points: (1) the current fast fashion production of textiles has important environmental & social impacts, and (2) organic textiles production has much fewer environmental & social impacts, but current EU rules allow for greenwashing as the term organic is not protected for textiles.

IFOAM Organics Europe supported the establishment of the Fertilising Products Regulation (FPR) as a central point of the European Commission's Circular Economy Action Plan. Its intention to harmonise rules among EU countries for all fertilizers products (mineral fertilisers but also organic, waste-based fertilisers and biostimulants) was welcome.

IFOAM Organics Europe is the umbrella organization for organic food and farming, representing over 200 members all over Europe, all along the organic value chain, from producers to processors, certification bodies, distributors and research centers.

The Regulation laying down good manufacturing practice for veterinary medicinal products in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/6 of the European Parliament and of the Council and all connected Annexes should consider in particular the special conditions in the production of herbal veterinary medicinal products, traditional herbal veterinary medicinal products and homeopathic veterinary medicinal products.

IFOAM Organics Europe is the European umbrella organisation for organic food and farming. With almost 200 members in 34 European countries, our work spans the entire organic food chain and is based on the principles of organic agriculture: health, ecology, fairness and care.