Organic Ag Growing in EU-Latest Statistics

From: <www.organicts.com>
8/16/01

EUROPE: ORGANIC FARMING GROWING ALL OVER EUROPE - SÖL SUBMITS LATEST
NUMBERS
10 August, SÖL press release
Bad Dürkheim.

`e according to
latest statistics provided by Stiftung Ökologie & Landbau (SÖL) submitted on
10 August.

At the end of 2000 in the EU more than 3.7 million hectares were managed
organically by 130,000 entreprises. This represents 2.9 per cent of the
effective agricultural area and 1.9 per cent of total agricultural
enterprises.

About a third of the enterprises and more than one quarter of the land are
in Italy. Austria has the highest share with eight per cent of the land area
and seven per cent of enterprises. Germany has 3.2 per cent land area and
just three per cent of enterprises, just about the EU average.

According to Dr. Nicolas Lampkin of the Organic Centre Wales the organic
area in the EU has increased about 25 per cent on average annually since
1995. But the growth has slowed down between 1999 and 2000. However, for
2001 SÖL forecasts a higher growth rate again based on higher interest in
organic farming as a result of the BSE crisis and reinforced political
efforts on the part of EU governments.

The International Trade Centre (ITC) have also presented their assessment of
current retial sales figures for organic products worldwide. The ITC data
shows global turnover for 2000 at approximately 20 billion Euros which has
doubled since 1997.

"We very much welcome the positive developments in European organic farming²
says Dr. Helga Willer of SÖL. "We see the organic action plan produced for
the EU commission as an extremely important step to strengthen organic
farming. And the federal program planned by Minister Künast should also
substantially contribute to further growth."
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UK: ORGANIC BABY FOOD IN DEMAND
11 August
More than a third of baby food sold in the UK is now organic, according to
The Soil Association, the group which certifies organic produce. And it's
more than half in some of the better off parts of the country.
This compares with the adult rate of consumption of just two per cent so it
is clear that parents have different priorities when feeding infants. The
figures show parents are not convinced by government attempts to play down
the difference between organic and other products.
"The figure would have been practically zero five or six years ago. It is a
budding market," said Mike Collins of the association. More than half of
mothers have given their babies organic products, according to market
research.