This indicator shows the share of the utilised agricultural area (UAA) under organic farming in the EU-27 and in non-EU EEA member countries and EEA cooperating countries for which data are available. According to the EU definition, the ‘total organic area’ includes both the ‘certified organic farming area’ and the ‘area under conversion to organic farming’, with farms undergoing a conversion process that typically takes 2-3 years, depending on the crop, before being certified as organic.
Organic farming is an integrated agricultural production system. It combines environment- and climate-friendly practices with benefits for biodiversity, the sustainable use of natural resources and the adoption of high animal welfare standards. This is in line with the demand of a growing number of consumers for products produced using natural substances and processes. Organic production thus plays multiple societal roles. It provides for a specific market, responding to consumer demand for organic products, and it delivers publicly available goods that contribute to benefits for environmental and human health, animal welfare and rural development.
The legal framework for organic farming in the EU is defined by Council Regulation 2018/848, which came into force on 1 January 2022. Organic agriculture is defined by regulated standards (production rules), certification procedures (compulsory inspection schemes) and a specific labelling scheme in the EU.
Definition of terms
Utilised agricultural area (UAA): the total area taken up by arable land, permanent grassland, permanent crops and kitchen gardens, regardless of the type of tenure or whether or not it is used as a part of common land. It excludes land used for mushroom cultivation; unutilised agricultural land (NUAA); woodland (WA); other land occupied by, for example, buildings, farmyards, tracks or ponds; UAA that is the property of the owner but is leased or rented to someone else; and common land that is not used (NUAA).
Arable land: land worked (ploughed or tilled) regularly, generally under a system of crop rotation.
See: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Glossary:Arable_land
Permanent grassland: land used permanently (for several consecutive years, normally 5 years or more) to grow herbaceous fodder, forage or energy crops, through cultivation (sown) or naturally (self-seeded), and which is not included in crop rotations. Grassland must include plant species of fodder interest.
See: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Glossary:Permanent_grassland
Permanent crops: all fruit trees, citrus fruit trees, nut trees, berry plantations, vineyards, olive trees and all other permanent crops used for human consumption (e.g. tea, coffee or carobs) and for other purposes (e.g. nurseries, Christmas trees or plants for plaiting and weaving such as rattan or bamboo).
See: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Glossary:Permanent_crops
Conversion: when the entire holding or parts of the holding are intended to produce organic products, they should be subject to a conversion period during which they are managed under organic production rules but cannot sell organic products. Products should be allowed to be placed on the market as organic products only once the conversion period has elapsed.
The total organic agricultural area is reported by countries in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/848. The data from non-EU EEA member countries and cooperating countries are transmitted annually to Eurostat on a voluntary basis, based on the European Statistical System Agreement.
The EU’s total organic agricultural area is calculated by Eurostat as the sum of the areas reported by the EU Member States. The total organic agricultural area as a share of the UAA is calculated as a percentage by Eurostat. The data set is updated annually by Eurostat, as soon as the underlying data become available and have been validated by Eurostat.
Switzerland provides the percentage of the organic area calculated from the national UAA excluding summer pastures and from the national data on the organic farming area.
Methodology for gap filling
EU aggregates were calculated from available national data except in a few cases for which national data were not yet available and the data reported for the previous year by a country were taken into account in the calculation of the EU aggregate.
Methodology references
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/metadata/en/org_esms.htm
This indicator is a headline indicator for monitoring progress towards achieving objectives of the Eighth Environment Action Programme (8th EAP). It mainly contributes to monitoring food system aspects of the 8th EAP priority objective under Article 2(f), to be met by 2030: ‘promoting environmental aspects of sustainability and significantly reducing key environmental and climate pressures related to the Union’s production and consumption, in particular in the areas of energy, industry, buildings and infrastructure, mobility, tourism, international trade and the food system.’
The indicator is also used for several monitoring frameworks such as for EU monitoring related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
A sustainable food system is at the heart of the European Green Deal. Under the European Green Deal’s farm to fork strategy, the European Commission has set the following target: ‘at least 25% of the EU’s agricultural land under organic farming by 2030’. To achieve this target and to help the organic farming sector reach its full potential, a comprehensive action plan for organic production in the EU was set out. It includes 23 actions, some of which follow on from the actions successfully undertaken in the period 2014-2020 and some of which are new, complementing existing actions and mobilising different sources of funding.
The three interlinked axes of the action plan reflect the structure of the food supply chain and the European Green Deal's sustainability objectives.
· Axis 1: stimulate demand and ensure consumer trust
· Axis 2: stimulate conversion and reinforce the entire value chain
· Axis 3: organics leading by example — increase the contribution of organic farming to environmental sustainability.
As part of the action plan, the regulation laying down the rules related to organic production in the EU has been revised. Since 1 January 2022, Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 has been the applicable legislative act, also known as the ‘basic act’. It lays down rules on organic production and the labelling of organic products, and repeals and replaces Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 of 28 June 2007. It aims, among other things, to:
· strengthen the control system to build increased trust in EU organic certification
· make the organic conversion easier for smaller-scale farmers
· ensure the same standards for imported organic products as for EU organic products
· increase the range of products that can be marketed as organic.
Related policy documents
· Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007.
· Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on an action plan for the development of organic production. COM/2021/141 final.
· Commisson Staff Working Document Stakeholder Consultation — Synopsis report accompanying the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on an action plan for the development of organic production. SWD/2021/65 final.
Rationale
Organic farming is a farming system that has been explicitly developed to be environmentally sustainable. It is governed by clear, verifiable rules. In the EU, farming is considered organic only if it complies with Regulation (EU) No 2018/848 (Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 of 28 June 2007 before Regulation (EU) No 2018/848 entered into force). In line with this legislation, organic farming is differentiated from other approaches to agricultural production by the application of regulated standards (production rules), certification procedures (compulsory inspection schemes) and a specific labelling scheme. It is thus more suited to identifying environmentally friendly farming practices than other types of farming that also consider environmental aspects.
The accuracy of the data varies in the reporting countries. In most countries, a large share of the data comes from the responsible national control body. There are only provisional or estimated values for a few countries for 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Data sets uncertainty
Geographical and time coverage at the EU level:
· Data are presented for all EU Member States (plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, and North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye).
· The time series (including EU aggregates) presented range from 2012 to 2020.
· Data from before 2012 are not used for the indicator assessment, as these data are not comparable with data series from 2012-2020 because of methodological changes in data collection and reporting procedures.
Representativeness of data at the national level:
· The level of representativeness is high.
Comparability:
· The level of comparability is high. An EU-harmonised questionnaire is available for collecting data on organic farming, which guarantees geographical comparability. The actual comparability depends on national practices, left to subsidiarity.
· Length of comparable time series without methodological break is longer than four data points.
Rationale uncertainty
No uncertainty has been specified.
