EU Projects to Redefine Organic Standards
Two Horizon Europe projects have joined forces to redefine organic farming in the EU. The initiative aims to eliminate contentious inputs and will likely drive stricter sustainability and certification requirements for all exporters selling into the bloc.
The two Horizon Europe projects are named BIO² and SCALE-it. They specifically aim to find and scale up alternatives to contentious inputs like copper fungicides, antibiotics, synthetic vitamins, and non-degradable plastic mulches currently permitted in organic farming. This initiative is a key part of the EU's broader "Farm-to-Fork" and "Biodiversity" strategies, which have set an ambitious target of having 25% of the bloc's agricultural land under organic farming by 2030. The European market for organic rice is expanding rapidly, with demand projected to increase by 12% annually within an organic food sector already growing at 9.5% each year. Health-conscious consumers in Germany, France, and Scandinavia are driving demand for certified specialty varieties like jasmine and basmati rice. Exporters must comply with Regulation (EU) 2018/848, which mandates that products labeled "organic" contain at least 95% organic ingredients and requires rigorous farm-to-fork traceability. This traceability is a cornerstone of EU food safety law, requiring clear documentation for every stage of production and distribution. Beyond the mandatory EU organic certification, premium buyers often require proof of food safety management systems recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), such as FSSC 22000. Adopting standards from the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) can also help
