Finalists announced for first annual EU organic awards

The list of finalists for the first ever annual EU organic awards has been announced, with a total of 24 entries from 11 different Member States shortlisted for awards. The finalists were chosen from a pool of over 200 submissions from 26 Member States that were submitted in recent months. The winners of the eight awards will be announced at the official awards ceremony in Brussels on 23 September, as one of a range of events and activities to mark the annual EU organic day.

The awards were launched as part of a commitment made in the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production with the objective of recognising excellence all along in the organic food chain, from farmer to restaurant. They will seek to reward the best and most innovative organic actors who contribute to reducing agriculture’s impact on the climate and environment, and whose actions will help realise the ambitions of the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies.

The awards are jointly organised by the Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee, the European Committee of the Regions, COPA-COGECA and IFOAM Organics Europe. The jury for the awards consists of representatives from these organisations, as well as representatives from the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.

Entries were invited from any actor or institution along the organic value chain with an excellent, innovative, sustainable and replicable project contributing to greater accessibility and affordability of organic products in the EU. The jury selects the winners in each category by judging their projects against the horizontal award criteria.

The finalists in each category are as follows:

Best organic farmer (female)

Katharina Lichtmannsperger (VLG Obervetterbachgut) – Thalgau, Salzburg, Austria

Nazaret Mateos Álvarez (Entresetas) – Paredes de Nava, Palencia, Spain

Sara Vezza (Azienda Agricola Sara Vezza) – Localitá Castelletto, Monforte d’Alba, Piemonte, Italy

Best organic farmer (male)

Gianpaolo Mancini (Il Sentiero del Riccio) – Sicignano degli Alburni, Salerno, Campania, Italy

David Pejic (Zrno eko imanje) – Dubrava, Zagreb County, Croatia

Tom Kass (Kass-Haff S.àrl) – Rollingen, Luxembourg

Best organic region

Occitanie, France

Centre-Val de Loire, France

Comunitat Valenciana, Spain

Best organic city

Gemeinde Seeham am Obertrumer See, Salzburg, Austria

Municipality of Troyan, Bulgaria

Stadt Wien, Austria

Best organic bio-district

Associazione Bio-Distretto Cilento – Campania, Italy

Association Biovallée – Eurre, France

Centro Municipal Cultura e Desenvolvimento de Ihanha-a-Nova – Centro region, Portugal

Best organic SME

Gino Girolomoni Cooperativa Agricola – Isola del Piano, Pesaro and Urbino province, Italy

Goodvenience.bio GmbH – Magdala, Thuringia, Germany

Labonca Biohof GmbH – Burgau, Styria, Austria

Best organic retailer

Ecoveritas SA – Barcelona, Spain

La ferme à l’arbre de Liège – Lantin, Liège, Belgium

Bio MERCATO, seiVital GmbH – Kempten, Bavaria, Germany

Best organic restaurant

Trattino – Lyon, France

Lilla Bjers HB – Visby, Gotland Island, Sweden

Restaurant Luftburg (Kolariks Freizeitbetriebe GesmbH) - Kolarik im Prater – Wien, Austria

 

Further information about the candidates, the selection criteria, and the awards in general can be found on the EU organic awards webpage.

Background

Increasing organic farming, aquaculture and production makes a significant contribution to reducing the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and anti-microbials. It has a positive effect on our climate, the environment, biodiversity and animal welfare. It can also contribute to fair farmer incomes and rural development. That is why organic production has been identified as playing a key role in the delivery of the objectives set out in the European Green Deal, and the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies.

For this reason, the Commission has set a target of 25% of EU agricultural land being under organic farming by 2030, in addition to a significant increase in the level of organic aquaculture. To support this, the Commission adopted the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production (known as the Organic Action Plan) in March 2021.

The plan contends that in order to stimulate organic production, consumer demand for organic products needs to grow. This requires greater public awareness of the characteristics and benefits of organic production. Out of this, the EU organic awards were conceived as a means to increase public awareness of organics.