Brussels opens a public consultation with a view to simplifying the regulations on organic farming

The European Commission opened a consultation on October 21 (and until November 18) with a view to simplifying the EU regulations on organic farming, on which it plans to present a proposal before the end of the year. As announced by the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, the first step will be to clarify the legislation concerning imports. A recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the EU questions the framework of the equivalence regime and considers that an organic product imported into the EU can only bear the European organic logo if it meets all EU requirements and not just equivalent standards. To avoid possible disruptions in the trade of organic products with eleven equivalent third countries, whose recognition expires on December 31, 2026, this deadline should also be extended. However, Brussels wants to take this opportunity to "make EU organic production more competitive" by eliminating "certain unnecessary complexities of the current regulatory ...