Area under organic farming

Spain has increased its organic farming surface area in recent years. The increase in surface area has also been accompanied by the diversification of organic crops. In addition to traditional crops such as olive groves (9.23%), vineyards (5.27%) and cereals (8.54%), there has been an increase in the production of nuts (10.20%), fruit and vegetables using organic techniques. According to the latest data from 2022, a very large part of the organic farming area is occupied by meadows and natural pastures (51.33%), leaving an organic arable area of 1.38 million ha.

Organic farming represents 10.83% of the total utilised agricultural area in Spain, a higher percentage than in the EU-27 (10.49%). Spain has the second largest organic farming surface area in Europe, only 80 000 ha less than the largest (France). In 2022, organic livestock farming consisted of a total of 9 393 farms (1.61% more than in 2021), where 2.58 million head of livestock were raised, of which 1.06 million were sheep, cattle, goats and pigs, and another 1.53 million were poultry. The organic production network in Spain was made up of 55 851 producers in 2022, 5.65% more than in 2021 and 61.09% more than in 2015. Of these, the vast majority (almost 50 000) were farmers only and a further 3 692 combined farming with livestock farming (to which some 2 325 producers were exclusively dedicated).

Despite these figures, a greater increase in the organic surface area is necessary to meet the targets set by the European Commission.