EU member states and the European Parliament have reached a provisional deal to update rules on producing, labelling, certifying and trading organic products.
The agreement was struck between the Irish presidency of the Council of the EU and MEPs, and includes changes intended to make the existing framework clearer and easier to apply, the Council said in a release on Tuesday.
One change raises the thresholds for small operators who can be exempt from certification when selling unpackaged organic produce directly to consumers.
The annual turnover threshold would increase from €20,000 to €40,000, calculated as an annual average over the previous five years, while the annual sales volume threshold would rise from 5,000 kg to 10,000 kg.
The exemption would also be extended — under certain conditions — to small online retailers selling pre-packed organic products.
The deal also sets out clearer rules for imports from non-EU countries whose organic production standards are recognised as equivalent to the EU’s.
Products from those countries could continue to be marketed using terms such as “organic” and could use the organic logo of their country of origin.
Import labels and the EU logo
Imported products would only be able to use the EU organic logo if they meet additional production and monitoring requirements beyond those covered by equivalence — including rules relating to living soil, animal welfare and processing methods — the Council of the EU said.
Recognition of organic rules in 11 non-EU countries, including Argentina, Canada, New Zealand and the United States, is currently due to expire on 31 December 2026, but the agreement would extend it until 31 December 2036.
The Council and the Parliament also agreed to drop a European Commission proposal that would have allowed the EU organic label to be used on products containing less than 5% of ingredients from non-EU countries that do not meet additional criteria.
The deal includes temporary flexibility allowing the use of non-organic protein feed for poultry and pigs, and for aquaculture juveniles, with the derogations to be phased out gradually.
Products already labelled under the current rules could continue to be sold until stocks are exhausted, under measures designed to smooth the transition.
The provisional agreement still needs formal endorsement by both the Council and the European Parliament, followed by a legal and linguistic review.
