Poland to introduce stricter rules on organic food in 2021

The new EU regulations, greenlighted by MEPs last Thursday, still require formal approval from the Council of EU ministers. But their go-ahead is just a formality as the document on new regulations was agreed upon by EU institutions during negotiations, Poland's Dziennik daily has reported.

The proposed regulations require that food imports from non-EU countries follow EU standards rather than local rules, as has been the case so far.

The changes also introduce strict on-site checks for farmers, breeders, food processing plants, retailers and importers held at least once a year. Such checks will take place once every two years if no fraud has been detected over three consecutive years.

“Fewer checks mean lower costs for the producers of certified organic food,” said Bartosz Pytlak from Poland's agriculture ministry.

The new rules would also allow for easier certification for small farmers and group certification for allied farmers.

“There has been a need for legislative changes for years, due to the dynamic growth of this type of production in the EU as well as existing barriers hampering this growth and the need for greater confidence in the system among consumers following numerous cases of fraud,” Czesław Siekierski, a Polish politician who heads the European Parliament’s agriculture and rural development committee, said.

Experts cited by the Dziennik daily said the changes may have a positive impact on the Polish organic food market, which is worth around PLN 900 million [EUR 213 mln, USD 260 mln] and growing by 20 percent annually. (aba/gs)

Source: Dziennik