Impacts of the New EU Organic Regulation on Smallholder Value Chains
IFOAM – Organics International and the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) invite you to a series of insightful events exploring the latest changes in the EU organic regulation and their impact on producers and supply chains. Join us at BIOFACH in February or online in March to stay informed, engage with experts, and navigate these developments with confidence.
The new EU organic regulation N° 2018/848 brings substantive changes for organic production in third countries. With the EU’s organic import system’s change to compliance with the EU Regulation on 1 January 2025, smallholders face significant new demands to continue supplying the European market. Around 2000 producer groups currently certified for the EU market need to adapt or risk giving up or losing organic certification during their first control of the new rules in 2025, which would disrupt supply of many organic products.
IFOAM works on smallholder market access since decades and lead the development of guidance on group certification under the new EU regulation and supported collection of data in an International Survey on the impacts.
The results of the study on the Impact of the new EU Organic regulation on smallholder supply chains and the effects on the EU organic market has now been published by FiBL.
According to the study, while organic producer groups that can adapt to the new requirements may enjoy the potential for enhanced market access and stronger consumer trust in the organic label, many stakeholders, including 40% of surveyed third-country producers and traders, view this regulatory clarity as an opportunity to fortify organic practices and maintain quality.
FiBL and COLEAD also published recently a detailed case study on the impacts of the new EU Regulation in the Dominical Republic, with focus on banana and cacao production.
To take a closer look at the impacts of the new EU regulation and provide support for smallholders towards compliance, we are organising several events on this topic:
In this session, FiBL and COLEAD will share their findings from the studies on the implication of the new regulation and ongoing work to providing training and support adaption for smallholder supply chains in parallel to supporting adaptation to the EU Deforestation regulation. Fairtrade International will share latest insights on the status of the adaptation in organic fair trade small-scale producer organisations and efforts to support adaptation.
Moderator
- Joelle Andrighetto, Senior Manager Policy & Guarantee, IFOAM-Organics International
Speakers
- Florentine Meinshausen, Senior expert group certification, FiBL
- Andreas Kratz, Standards and Policy Director, Fairtrade International
- Morag Webb, Head of Science & Policy, COLEAD
This webinar seeks to take a closer look at the opportunities and challenges of the new import regime through different angles:
Florentine Meinshausen (FiBL) will share the result of FiBL’s impact studies and update insights on adaptation and implementation challenges.
Andreas Kratz (Fairtrade International) will present new data on the effects on Fairtrade-Organic Small-scale Producer Organisations in key organic commodities like coffee, cocoa, banana, rice, sugar, etc.
Federicia Varini (Naturland International) will share insights from the adaptation of international Naturland producer organisations.
The EU’s new regulation strengthens the credibility of organic standards, but its effects on global smallholder communities need careful consideration. Proactive steps are essential to ensure that producers in developing markets can still access the European organic market.