By 2005, Lampkin expects 10 percent of all agricultural land in western Europe will be organic, farming that uses only animal or vegetable fertilizers and does without chemical pesticides, growth hormones and the like. Bastin made the switch to organic in 1994. I'd had enough of chemical fertilizers. Bastin, who sells his milk to a nearby organic cheese maker, says there are 15 organic dairy farmers in the Ardennes region of high plateau and wooded valleys close to the German border in eastern Belgium, and 50 more are in the process of converting their land to organic production. Lampkin says the rapid development of organic production was facilitated by EU legislation in the early 1990s that set common standards across the 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 people fear the original farmers' dedication to organic 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.