From now on, the European Union will celebrate the "Organic Agriculture Day" every September 23, a day that aims to raise awareness among citizens about the importance of opting for food produced in a more sustainable way and without pesticides.

The European Commission presented this new day yesterday, which is part of a plan to help European farmers and ranchers to make the leap to organic production.

Brussels defends that this type of production is the future and has set the objective of achieving that by 2030 at least 25% of the European agricultural area is organic.

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, said in statements to the press that the new European day "is an opportunity to raise awareness about (organic) production and promote the key role it plays in the transition to more sustainable food systems."

The three institutions (European Commission, Council and European Parliament) signed a declaration yesterday to establish the official launch of the "Day of Organic Agriculture".

Differences between countries

The area dedicated to organic crops in the EU has been growing in recent years.

In 2019 there were about 13,79 million hectares dedicated to this type of production (8,5% of the total agricultural area), compared to 12,98 million hectares in 2018 and 12 million in 2017.

However, not all member states are equally committed to organic production.

According to data from the Community Executive, the countries of the European Union with the highest percentage of crops dedicated to "bio" agriculture are Austria (25,3% of all cultivated land), Estonia (22,3%), Sweden (20,4 .15%), Italy and the Czech Republic (XNUMX% both countries).

In the case of Spain, 9,7% of the crops are agricultural.

The support of this type of products is also given among consumers, stressed the commissioner.

Promoting more sustainable production is one of the objectives of the "From Farm to Fork" strategy, which aims to reduce the use of fertilizers, pesticides and antibiotics in animals.

In addition, the EC plan for the development of Organic Agriculture includes actions aimed at informing and communicating about organic production. promote animal welfare and promote the consumption of organic products.

Brussels recalled, on the other hand, that the CAP will continue to be a tool to facilitate the conversion to agricultural environmentalism.

The Commission plans to dedicate at least 30% of the budget for research and innovation in agriculture, forestry and rural areas to specific or relevant topics for the organic sector.