Further development of organic farming policy in europe, with particular emphasis on eu enlargerment

Organic farming policy is at a crossroads. Direct financial support for organic farming has stimulated production across Europe, but in many regions growth rates are slowing. In some cases, markets have not kept pace with growth in supply, and producer prices have come under pressure.
The project aims to assess the impacts of current policies for organic farming and the coming changes in the policy environment in order to make recommendations for improved organic farming policies. Particularly, the focusses on how organic farming policies are shaped in Europe and on which factors organic farming policies are influenced through policy decision-making processes. The project covers 26 European countries. The objectives of the project are:

• Document and compare the policies implemented to support and regulate organic farming in the current and new member states of the European Union and Switzerland
• to assess the impacts of policies on the growth of organic farming at a regional level in western Europe and on the markets for organic food in Eastern Europe
• to assess organic farmers likely responses to the CAP reform agreement changes and to EU enlargement and the impacts on farm incomes
• to investigate policy formation processes and networks at national and European levels
• to facilitate the identification and evaluation of new policy options in consultation with policy makers and stakeholders at national and European level.
• to determine which policy instruments are likely to be most effective in terms both of growth and development of the organic sector and meeting broader policy goals including environmental protection, animal welfare and rural development.

• European Union: 5th Research Framework Programme

• University of Aberystwyth, UK
• University of Hohenheim, Germany
• Polytechnic University of Marche, Italy
• Thünen Institute of Farm Economics, Germany
• Institute of Agricultural Economics, Czech Republic
• Warsaw Agricultural University, Poland
• Institute for Sustainable Development, Slovenia

• Stolze Mathias (Support unit of the Executive Committee)

• Moschitz Heidrun (Department of Food System Sciences)
• Schmid Otto (Department of Food System Sciences)

Scientific Co-ordinator

http://cordis.europa.eu/projects/rcn/67459_en.html

• Agri-Food Systems (Department of Food System Sciences, FiBL Switzerland)