Protected cropping is likely to move onto the agenda of the Standing Committee of Organic Farming in its quest to fill in the gaps of the new EU Regulations.
It is not an easy matter to deal with given that the Regulations (new and old) are oriented on open field agricultural production but significant progress has been made by Iceland. A number of EU member states have chosen to interpret the EU Regulation in a way that allows the productino of glasshouse crops in what are in effect 'organic' grow bags. Alarmingly it has been suggested that the Commission does not have aproblem with this approach. It is likely that a challenge will be mounted to this view.
When the new EU Regulations (834/2007 & 899/2008) came into force on January 1st 2009 it was generally recognised that they were incomplete and that work would need to continue to fill in the gaps. Aquaculture implementing rules are being discussed by the Standing Committee on Organic Farming (SCOF) as this piece is being written and work will begin almost immediately on organic grapa wine production. The next area on the Commission 'shopping list' is likely to include protected cropping as part of a general tightening of rules applying to organic horticulture.
The Organic Advisory Service (part of ORC) has been working closely with the Icelandic Certification body Vottunarstofan Tún to produce detailed standards for organic protected cropping. These have now been adopted and among other requirements they clearly state that production of protected crops (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, etc.) must be soil based. These standards have been informing discussions on a UK position on this matter.
At least one Scandinavian Member State has taken a rather different view for several years and has allowed the
production of such crops in what are effectively grow bags albeit made with materials from 'sustainable' and sometime organic sources. There is mounting concern within the UK production sector that at least one other Member State (also Scandinavian) has taken a similar view and is allowing the production of certified organic glasshouse crops using isolated media. Other countries may also be considering the short cutting of the conversion process (no conversion period is deemed necessary) and effectively changing the definition of 'organic'.
The European Commission is aware of what could be a mounting controversy and it has been suggested that their view is that the Regulation does not specifically prohibit such systems. This is not an official view at this point in time but it could become one if the Commission are pressed on this matter. Moves are afoot for protected cropping standards to be discussed in both the Advisory Committee on Organic Standards (ACOS) Technical Committee and in the Soil Association Horticultural Standards Committee. The whole issue of protected cropping may be discussed at the June meeting of the SCOF.
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