GLOBAL ORGANIC MARKET ON THE RISE - WILL DEVELOPING COUNTRIES BENEFIT?

The EU has recently introduced a uniform labelling scheme for organically produced foods, and East Africa has adopted a common organic standard for the region. Meanwhile, a debate centred in the UK continues on the environmental impacts of air-freighted agricultural products, pitting those concerned about "food miles" -- the carbon footprint of air-freighted foods -- against those prioritising "fair miles," i.e. the development opportunities provided through sales of air-freighted agricultural niche products.

EU scheme to simplify market entry

The EU organic market has long contained a patchwork of different private and national schemes. On 12 June, the EU Agriculture Council adopted a new regulation on organic production and labelling that will apply both internally and to imports. The scheme brings uniformity to a rapidly expanding commercial area, while not preventing the parallel use of national or industry-wide labels -- which may be more stringent. Exporters that seek to enter the EU market must adhere to the same criteria to label their products as organic. The label also includes information on where the product is from.

Under the new rules, 95 percent of the product must be organically produced. In terms of genetically modified (GM) content, the rules allow for the presence of 0.9 percent accidental GM material. Consumers and green activists had opposed this, pushing for a zero-tolerance policy. The gold standard used in private schemes is a 0.1 percent threshold, which is the lowest GM level possible to detect.

New organic standard launched in East Africa

Meanwhile, Tanzania's Premier, Edward Lowassa launched a new organic standard for East Africa in Dar es Salaam in late May. The standard has been developed by a coalition including UN organisations and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). In addition to the EU, the region is now the second in the world to have adopted a uniform standard. The East African countries are seeking to join this globally growing valuable niche market. "We have to push for more education and sensitisation to our farmers to realise that organic farming makes good economic sense," said Lowassa, adding that "Organic agriculture is a vital business and wealth creation opportunity that contributes to poverty reduction."

Angela Caudle, IFOAM Executive Director, agreed that "East African producers are poised to take advantage of the rapidly growing organic markets worldwide," and Herve Bouagnimbeck, IFOAM Africa Office Coordinator, added that "The coalescence of public and private entities to systematically develop organic agriculture in East Africa is a sustainable model of development for the world to behold and replicate."

In addition to gaining recognition for their certified organic products through the development of a robust regional label, the East African countries hope to gain clout in international standard-setting bodies on organic issues. While many developing countries see organic standards as an opportunity, they often face difficulties in achieving conformity with such standards, especially if they are developed without developing country participation (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 11 May 2007, http://www.ictsd.org/biores/07-05-11/inbrief.htm#2).

Debate continues over food miles and organic ag

Meanwhile, a debate raging on the carbon footprint of imported foods may present problems to schemes such as the East Africa Organic Standard. The concept of "food miles," i.e. the impact of transporting food from the producer the consumer, has prompted campaigns for buying local while leaving fresh produce or cut flowers flown in from developing countries out of the shopping bag. Air freighted products have the biggest impact: carbon emissions from air freighting are between 40 and 200 times greater than those of goods shipped by sea or road.

The Soil Association, the largest organic group in the UK, is considering whether to stop certifying airlifted products as organic due to their climate impact, or to use special labels or carbon offsetting schemes for such products. Anna Bradley, chair of the Soil Association Standards Board said that "As awareness of climate change has grown, concerns have been raised about the damage caused to the environment by air freight." However, she added that "when reducing our impact on the world's climate we must carefully consider the social and economic benefits of air freight for international development and the growth of the organic market as a whole."

Bill Vorley of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in the UK has cautioned against the rejection of food imports from developing countries based on climate concerns. He has stressed that the economic and social benefits of these exports are significant to the producers -- often in countries that will be most harshly affected by climate change without having contributes to its causes -- and said developed-country consumers "should focus their behaviour change on the remaining 99.9 percent of their climate-change footprint, by reducing things such as energy use and leisure flights."

Additional resources

The new East African Organic Standard is available at http://www.ifoam.org/partners/projects/osea/pdf/EAOS%20final%20draft%2015%20Jan%202007_26th%20January.doc.

"Accidental GMO content permitted in organic food," EURACTIV.COM, 13 June 2007; "Ministers open door for GMOs in organic food," FOE, GREENPEACE, EEB RELEASE, 12 June 2007; "EU unifies rules for organic food labeling," ASSOCIATED PRESS, 12 June 2007; "Air-Freighted Produce May Lose UK Organic Status," REUTERS, 30 May 2007; "Politicians and consumers could harm poorer nations with token reactions to 'food miles' concerns," IIED RELEASE, 16 January 2007; "Are arguments about travel miles false science?" NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 14 June 2007; "Do food miles go the distance on emissions?" AP-FOODTECHNOLOGY.COM, 14 June 2007; "East Africa: Organic Products Get Standards Mark," ALLAFRICA.COM, 4 June 2007.