Austria has already passed 10 percent. Switzerland and Sweden are not far behind. Bastin made the switch to organic in 1994. Bastin, who sells his milk to a nearby organic cheese maker, says there are 15 organic dairy farmers in this region of high plateau and wooded valleys close to the German border in eastern Belgium, and another 50 are in the process of converting their land to organic production. Lampkin says the phenomenal development of organic production was facilitated by EU legislation in the early 1990s which set common standards across 15-nation bloc and allowed for government subsidies to help farmers break their dependence on artificial fertilizers and pesticides.
Farmers can also get higher prices for organic goods.
Delhaize is among a burgeoning number of European supermarkets that are taking organic retailing out of the hands of the small farm stores that have long pioneered bio-products. As big business muscles into the organic sector, some fears the original organic farmers' dedication to clean production will be undermined as the sector expands to take on those motivated more by profits than ecological ideals. Europe's organic watchdogs disagree. Although Ecocert's inspectors are increasingly overworked by the bio-food boom, Geels says farmers can still expect up to 10 unannounced inspections a year to ensure standards are respected. Organic farming pioneers view the expansion with mixed feelings.