Implementation dialogue on the EU organic policy

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The Implementation dialogue on the Organic Policy was held in Brussels on 10 November 2025 with the participation of stakeholders implementing and affected by the rules on organic production and labelling.

Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Mr Christophe Hansen, chaired the meeting. The dialogue focused on experience with the rules on organic production and labelling of organic products and explored the potential for targeted simplification in the implementation of the policy. Equally, participants shared their experience with and views on the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production in the wider context of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and its support schemes.

The participants underlined the success of the organic policy and the need to maintain it as the “gold standard” of European agriculture, both in the EU as well as internationally. They also stressed the importance of policy stability and a long-term perspective for farmers, including the need to safeguard the competitiveness of EU organic production in global markets. At the same time, they expressed concerns about the potential lapsing of the system of equivalence for importation and the urgent need to postpone the date of expiry of the existing equivalence arrangements with eleven third countries. Moreover, participants suggested rendering the rules on groups of operators easier and more attractive in order to maintain the participation of small farmers in these groups, particularly in third countries. Participants also called for more pragmatism in the provisions on cleaning and disinfection, on the withdrawal period after use of some veterinary medicines, the rules that affect the size of poultry farms and the derogation for the use of 5% non-organic protein feed. Moreover, stakeholders encouraged the Commission to explore options to further harmonise the implementation of the policy around the presence of non-authorised substances. There was broad agreement on the importance of continued communication and consumer education about the organic policy and organic logo. Stakeholders called for further simplification and harmonisation of procedures, clearer guidance, and greater use of digital solutions to reduce burdens and ensure consistent application of rules across the Union.

As regards the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production, stakeholders were generally positive on its results so far. Whilst acknowledging that more needs to be done, they would welcome a successor to the action plan, pursuing and building on the good achievements to date (e.g. research) and called for developing indicators which would allow assessing achievements. Suggestions were made to adapt the Action Plan to the context of the future CAP, linking the organic policy with other tools, such as agricultural promotion but also research and innovation. Several stakeholders called for a focus on increasing demand for organic products and suggested looking at public procurement rules, for instance to channel organic products through school canteens and hospitals, and possibilities to reduce the VAT rate applicable to organic products. In this context, they also highlighted the importance of consumer trust in the organic claim and logo, as well as potentially including a health dimension in the Organic Action Plan. Finally, participants suggested aligning the substance and implementation of the organic action plan with that of other EU strategies and sustainability initiatives, such as the EU Strategy on generational renewal in agriculture, and exploring possibilities of using more digital tools in the management and certification of the organic supply chain.

Commissioner Hansen concluded the exchange by expressing his thanks to all participants for sharing their experiences and ideas; ideas that will be carefully assessed and potentially feed into future simplification initiatives, such as in the scheduled legislative proposal with targeted amendments of the organic basic act or at the level of secondary legislation for the organic sector. Commissioner Hansen concluded broad support among the stakeholders in the room for maintaining the EU organic “gold” standard.