C 465/30
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
6.12.2022
Tuesday 3 May 2022
51.
Calls for eco-schemes to be accessible for both conventional and organic farmers and to be designed in a manner that renders them compatible with and complementary to agri-environment-climate measures (AECMs); recalls the importance of supporting organic farmers beyond the conversion phase; calls on the Member States to support generational renewal in organic farming through the relevant public policies, to promote farming entrepreneurship among women and to support the development of viable small and medium-sized organic farms;
52.
Regrets the decline in the CAP budget over the past two decades at the same time as the requirements imposed on the agricultural sector have grown; notes that under the current CAP, only 1,8 % of the budget is being spent on measures to support organic farming and welcomes the fact that the new CAP, in particular through eco-schemes and rural development measures, allows the Member States more flexibility to increase the amounts devoted to the organic sector;
53.
Notes the potential of short, local and seasonal, and smart food supply chains and direct marketing opportunities, including farmers’ markets, for organic producers and rural economies to deliver environmental and animal welfare benefits, while also securing incomes, preserving and creating employment, ensuring the vitality of rural areas and bridging the gap between EU producers and consumers; points out that market development is essential for the sustainable development of the organic sector;
54.
Calls on the Member States to allocate sufficient resources to investments easing the development of short food chains, such as through increasing the number of mobile slaughterhouses or on-farm processing facilities; considers that the use of local supply chains should be promoted in public procurement procedures; emphasises that the focus on local production and short chains should not lead to additional barriers in the EU internal market;
55.
Calls on the Commission and the Member States to play an active role in improving the structure of organic supply chains and building the capacity of organic producers’ organisations; urges the Member States to use ‘sectoral interventions’ and all available measures to improve the organisation of organic producers in all relevant sectors and to assist them in the event of temporary overproduction;
56.
Points out that organic farms, whose production is smaller in terms of volume and thus more costly, may have less bargaining power in commercial contracts and may therefore be particularly vulnerable to unfair commercial practices, especially in the form of delayed payments for perishable goods, last-minute cancellations or forcing suppliers to pay for unsold and wasted products; underlines the need for clear contractual conditions and fair recognition of the work of organic agricultural producers and believes that tools such as supply chain contracts should be promoted;
57.
Welcomes the Commission’s support for the development of bio-districts, also referred to as eco-regions, within Member States, as they are multifunctional in nature, promote short supply chains and create synergies, inter alia, between farmers, consumers, processing companies, retailers, the hospitality industry and catering, and cultural enterprises; calls on the Commission to provide the Member States with information on the instruments they could use to promote the development of bio-districts, paying special attention to urbanised areas; notes that their success depends on strong regional integration and the involvement of local and regional authorities;
58.
Stresses the fundamental importance of expanding the structured exchange of knowledge and best practices on organic farming among Member States and farmers; highlights the benefits of intensifying collaboration between scientists, agricultural science universities and the wider education sector, advisory services or consultants, farmers and their associations and organisations, and society; highlights the important role to be played in the development of organic production by the independent farm advisory services that Member States must include in their CAP Strategic Plans and emphasises the need to allocate sufficient financial resources to them;