A cornerstone of European farming policy faces dismantling as EU ministers move to strip mandatory funding from organic agriculture. The quiet procedural agreement struck in Luxembourg this week threatens to push support for one of the bloc’s fastest-growing sustainable sectors into the realm of national discretion.
Leaders from all 27 member states reached a negotiating position on the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy reform that eliminates the requirement for countries to finance organic conversion and maintenance programs. The decision lands amid broader concerns about renationalizing Europe’s flagship agricultural policy, even as the agreement’s own preamble urges the Commission to protect its common character.
Italy, a continental leader in organic production, stands particularly exposed. The Mediterranean nation has pursued aggressive targets: 25 percent of farmland under organic cultivation by 2027, three years ahead of EU-wide goals. A recently launched national label, Biologico Italia, aims to distinguish domestic organic goods in crowded markets.
Yet domestic expansion has already begun stalling even as consumer appetite climbs. The new framework, slated to align with the 2028-2034 EU budget cycle, would let each country decide whether to keep funding these programs at all.
Industry groups reacted with alarm. Ifoam Organics Europe, representing sector associations, warned that removing the mandatory requirement could imperil sustainability, resilience, and competitiveness objectives across the agri-food system. FederBio echoed those concerns, stressing that farms already invested in the ecological transition require consistent, predictable aid.
Without that continuity, conversion efforts could falter. Meanwhile, disparities between EU nations would likely widen, producing uneven competitive conditions inside the single market at a moment when organic demand keeps rising.
The ministers’ position takes another contentious step: abolishing social conditionality rules that currently block CAP funds from reaching operations violating European labor, health, and safety standards. Unions had already criticized this move for undermining worker protections and enabling illegal hiring practices.
FederBio president Maria Grazia Mammuccini framed the stakes bluntly: remaining silent risks a dangerous reversal for a sector Italy has championed. The final CAP text now faces further negotiation, with the Commission and Parliament yet to weigh in.
