21 December 2023, EU: The new EU organic regulation re-defines the rules for international organic production destined for the EU and Swiss market. FiBL Switzerland is currently conducting an international survey on the impact of the new regulation on smallholder supply chains from developing and newly industrialising countries. All key stakeholders are invited to participate in the survey until 6 January 2024.
The new EU organic regulation N° 2018/848 brings significant changes for all organic operations in third countries wishing to export organic products to the EU from 2025 onwards, but in particular for smallholder producer groups in developing and emerging countries.
The EU Import system changes from an “equivalence” based system to “compliance” with all detailed EU rules, meaning that companies in third countries also need to fulfil all the detailed requirements of the EU organic regulation. The new regulation is already in force within the EU, but controls in third countries will only start in 2024. From 01 January 2025 onwards, only certificates confirming compliance with regulation 2018/848 will be valid for organic imports from most third countries into the EU and Switzerland. For imports from recognised third countries (e.g. India, Tunisia and Chile), there is a transitional period until 31 December 2026 to regulate recognition in a trade agreement.
The regulation defines new rules for certification of smallholder farmers as a “group of operators” with the goal of improving the quality of this form of certification. This has direct consequences for all farmer groups organised by export/processing companies, but also for many organic farmers associations, who may need to set up new group entities or adapt their certification set-up to meet the new group certification requirements for the EU market.
FiBL survey
In the framework of a worldwide study, FiBL evaluates the impacts of the new EU organic regulation on smallholder supply chains from developing and emerging countries and the organic market of the EU and Switzerland. The study is conducted with financial support from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
FiBL invites all key stakeholders to participate in the survey until 6 January 2024 (see links below). The survey differentiates between processing and import companies from the EU and Switzerland, producer groups and traders in third countries and other stakeholders such as organic consultants, NGOs, organic associations, organic control staff, authorities, etc.
Thank you for participating in the survey and/or forwarding it to relevant stakeholders in third countries.
