The European Environment Agency (EEA) Calls For Strategic and Targeted Action in Favour of Organic Production

The area of organic farming in the European Union continues to increase, but the pace of growth is too slow to meet the 25% target set by the European Green Deal for 2030 

The European Environment Agency notes that the share of organic land in the EU has increased from 5.9% in 2012 to 10.8% in 2023, covering approximately 17.4 million hectares. 

Among the member states, Austria is the only one to have already exceeded the 25% target, rising from 18.6% to 27% over the same period. It is followed by Estonia (from 14.9% to 22.8%), Portugal (from 5.5% to 22.5%) and Italy (from 9.3% to 18.8%). At the opposite end of the scale are Malta (from 0.3% to 0.8%), Bulgaria (from 0.8% to 3%), Ireland (from 1.2% to 4.3%) and Poland, which recorded a decline from 4.5% to 4.3%, although showing signs of recovery after 2020.  

Norway, a non-EU country that adopts the regulation, also saw a reduction in its share, from 5.6% to 4.6%. 

According to the agency, the expansion of organic farming is linked both to increased demand for sustainable products and political support (primarily CAP subsidies), but these factors are no longer sufficient: in 2023, ten Member States recorded a decline compared to the previous year, the highest number since 2012. 
 
The EEA warns that, in order to comply with the Green Deal strategies, growth will need to more than double in the coming years: the average annual rate from 2012 to 2023 was 5.7%, but an increase of 12.7% per annum would be needed between 2023 and 2030, equivalent to the conversion of approximately 3.26 million hectares per year (22.8 million in total). 

In conclusion, the agency considers it “highly likely” that the 25% target will not be achieved, as demand for organic products has become more unstable since 2022 and current support policies do not seem sufficient to ensure the necessary acceleration. 

According to the Agency, “organic farming offers significant benefits for biodiversity, soil health and water quality, contributing to a more inclusive ‘green transition’ in the agricultural sector and promoting generational renewal”. In 2020, around 21% of organic farms in the European Union had a manager under the age of 40, compared to just 12% of conventional farms. 

In addition to the Green Deal initiatives – in particular the “Farm to Fork” and “EU Biodiversity for 2030” strategies and the “Vision for Agriculture and Food” – the agency reiterates the importance of continued support for organic farming. 

However, in 2024, the European Court of Auditors also highlighted certain shortcomings in both European and national policies dedicated to the sector. 

For this reason, the EEA stresses that more strategic and targeted action is needed to achieve the targets set for 2030: it is necessary to accelerate the development and implementation of clearer and more ambitious policies capable of promoting a profound transformation in food production and consumption patterns. 

Read more:

EEA- Agricultural area used for organic

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