European Organic Day, Ismea: consumption on the rise in Italia, but land and operators on the decline

“At last, it seems that organic produce is beginning to make its mark on our consumers’ consciousness, although it is clear that there is still a long way to go, and the certification label is essential because, today, if we have a problem, it is precisely that people cannot tell the difference between an organic product and a non-organic one,” said the president of Ismea, Livio Proietti. “There isn’t even any awareness of the rigour of the checks carried out to certify organic products, and this will certainly go a long way towards making consumers more aware of what they are actually eating. On the production side, there is certainly room for improvement, and the uncertainty surrounding the new CAP is not helping, because, naturally, the CAP we are leaving behind – as of next year – provided a direct incentive for organic farming, and this rightly led to an increase in the area under cultivation: there is a standstill precisely because farmers, our farmers, are waiting to see what will happen to those incentives that were once planned’.

“The uncertainty surrounding the regulatory framework regarding the future of the CAP certainly plays a part,” emphasises Maria Grazia Mammuccini, president of FederBio – but there are also clear signs that should prompt us to tackle head-on the issue of the difficulties faced by small and medium-sized organic farms. These farms, like the entire agricultural sector, are being penalised by the worsening geopolitical conflicts and the climate crisis, with significant repercussions on production costs, whilst on the market – including in the organic sector – the prices paid to producers have fallen in many cases. Although the organic sector is more resilient, it is nonetheless affected by the growing challenges that are putting the entire agricultural sector under severe strain. Added to this pressure is the significant burden of bureaucratic and administrative requirements, as well as certification costs.”

“Organic farming,” comments Confagricoltura in a statement, “therefore strengthens the relationship of trust between farmers and consumers; however, many farms in the sector, unable to cope with the increasingly pressing difficulties, have recently been forced to abandon the certified production system.”
The fact that consumption of organic products is rising whilst the area of land dedicated to them is falling is indicative, explains Confagri, of the fact that ‘it is becoming increasingly difficult for businesses in the sector to make ends meet, given the adverse weather conditions seriously affecting crops, rising production costs, the burden of administrative obligations and an increasingly uncertain international environment’.

According to Gian Maria Cunial, president of Confagricoltura’s National Federation of Organic Farming, ‘we must ensure fair competition, including equal standards for imports, and promote Italian organic produce wherever possible. In this regard, the new national organic label is a sign that, as a country, we are seeking to safeguard our local agricultural excellence and raise consumer awareness of it through a dedicated logo’.

According to a recent survey carried out by Copa Cogeca amongst EU farmers, the priority is, in fact, the economic sustainability of farms: “To strengthen the sector,” says Emilio Fidora, president of the Copa Cogeca Organic Farming Group, “we need to promote consumption, invest in information and education for the younger generations, and raise public awareness of the value of organic produce and the significance of the European label. “With a view to the next CAP,” he adds, “we are calling for specific measures across the entire supply chain, from production to marketing, accompanied by the establishment of a specific CMO that will provide concrete support for the work of agricultural businesses in the sector.”

“The Italian Organic Label is an important development that we have been awaiting and which we have supported ever since the Organic Farming Act was passed. It means finally giving genuinely Italian organic produce a recognisable identity, promoting the work of our businesses and offering the public the chance to distinguish them from products from abroad,” says Maria Letizia Gardoni, president of Coldiretti Bio.

According to Coldiretti, the figures on cultivated areas should nevertheless be viewed within the context of a long-term trend that remains positive: ‘Over the last decade, the number of hectares cultivated organically has increased by 32.4 per cent, representing an additional 580,000 hectares, whilst the annual change must also take into account the possible effect of the statistical discontinuity that has occurred in the data collection.’ What is particularly worrying, however, is the slowdown in new conversions: “Compared with 2024,” reads a statement, “the area already converted remains essentially stable (-0.5 per cent), whilst the area currently undergoing conversion has plummeted by 24.4 per cent. Of the approximately 137,000 hectares lost in total, a significant proportion relates to permanent grassland and forage areas, in addition to land still undergoing conversion.”

The decline in grassland and forage crops also highlights the difficulties facing organic livestock farming, which is grappling with rising production costs and prices paid to farmers that do not always guarantee an adequate income. “Rather than a general decline in the current production capacity of the Italian organic sector, therefore, the figures highlight above all a slowdown in new conversions and difficulties in certain production sectors,” continues Coldiretti, which concludes: “Among the critical issues requiring action is, first and foremost, the growing pressure from imports. Imports of organic produce have risen by 25 per cent, with low-cost products capturing a share of demand without driving growth in national production areas or output. It is precisely in this regard that the Italian Organic Label can serve as an important tool for ensuring the traceability of origin and promoting the products of Italian farms in the market.”