September 23rd 2024, the European Organic Day returns
Like every year, on September 23rd, the European Organic Day is celebrated. First launched in 2021, its inception follows the adoption of the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production, signed on March 25, 2021. The plan aims to stimulate organic production and the consumption of its products within the EU.
Along with Organic Day, the European Organic Awards for the best organic producers return as well. The awards ceremony for the third edition took place on September 23rd, and this year’s winners demonstrate how the organic sector is creating innovative value chains and generating opportunities for rural areas. For example, Mrs. Reinhilde Frech-Emmelmann in Austria was awarded Best Organic Female Farmer, and Mr. Benny Schöpf in Germany received the Best Organic Male Farmer award. An Italian also made the winners’ list: the Gino Girolomoni Agricultural Cooperative, a cooperative specializing in organic pasta production in the Marche region, was awarded Best SME in organic food processing.
It is precisely on the occasion of the day established to celebrate European organics that FederBio reaffirms several strategic priorities aimed at policymakers and institutional partners of the G7 for a new, fairer, and more sustainable agriculture.
Five points have been highlighted to draw the attention of international leaders to the need and urgency to adopt sustainable policies that promote the transition to resilient agriculture based on practices that protect the environment, ensuring food security for future generations.
- Invest in the transition towards an agroecological model that focuses on environmental, economic, and social sustainability, considering the now evident negative impacts of intensive agriculture, even on farmers’ incomes.
- Support organic agriculture as the most advanced and concrete expression of agroecology and the regenerative approach to natural resources, a reference model for the sustainability and future of agriculture and food production.
- Place farmers, citizens, and local communities at the center of agri-food systems to ensure fair prices for farmers and access to good and sustainable food for everyone.
- Support research and innovation to encourage the exchange and dissemination of good agronomic practices and the training of younger generations for the future of agriculture.
- Promote local systems of production and consumption of organic products and food education initiatives, starting with school canteens, to encourage the adoption of healthy and sustainable lifestyles and diets.
The message that FederBio wants to convey to politics and institutions is that the agroecological transition is now a necessity, allowing for an effective response to environmental, economic, and social crises. Organics demonstrate how sustainability and productivity can go hand in hand, offering farmers more stable incomes, creating jobs in rural areas, and strengthening the resilience of local communities.