Every 10th German farm produces organically

Germany: Organic sales hit €10 billion mark

"In 2017, an average of five farmers converted an agricultural area of around 500 football fields to organic every day." This is how Peter R?hrig, Managing Director of the Federal Organic Food Association (B?LW), described the strong interest of German farmers for organic farming on the occasion of the balance sheet press conference of the organic sector at the start of BIOFACH.

"Bio offers more and more farmers an important perspective in order to give their farm a future," says R?hrig on the strong transition dynamics in 2017. According to current B?LW estimates, the domestic eco-area in 2017 increased by 124,647 ha (10%) to a total of 1,375,967 ha. Some 8.2% of the total agricultural area is used by Germany's organic farmers. More than every 10th farm (10.9%) produces organically. A total of 29,174 Germans, or 2,042 more farms than in the previous year, manage their farm ecologically. At the same time, too many companies in Germany had to close their doors forever - in 2017 alone, the number of farms fell by around 7,600 to 267,800.

"For the first time, more than €10 billion was transacted through Bio in 2017," says R?hrig, commenting on the strong sales growth of the German organic market. "More and more customers are buying more and more organic. For more and more people want to support local farmers, climate and biodiversity, animal welfare and the health of their families and the environment."

According to the calculation of the ‘Work Group Organic Market’ organic foodstuffs and beverages increased revenues by 5.9%, reaching a total market volume of € 10.04 billion (2016: € 9.48 billion).

The organic food trade increased its sales by 2.2%, generated € 2.91 billion (including non-food: € 3.29 billion) and in 2017 accounted for 29% of the organic market.

Sales in the food retail sector (LEH) increased at an above-average rate of 8.8% to an organic turnover of € 5.93 billion. The LEH thus achieved a share of the organic market of 59% in 2017. The discounters, who recently significantly broadened their organic product ranges, caught up with many products.

B?LW chairman Felix Prinz zu L?wenstein appealed to the Federal Government to use the great potential for organic farming from field to plate for a sustainable transformation of nutrition and agriculture: "The positive organic development shows that the political support in the federal and state governments works in many states. Because in recent years, more farmers have switched to organic. This benefits farmers, the environment and customers. For the coming months, it is important that the federal government, the federal states and the EU make meaningful use of the new organic law structure. It is also important to provide more money for research and development, to ensure reliable reimbursement of environmental services and thus to promote the sales development of domestic organic products.

In order to succeed with this transformation, the entire federal government has to get involved. Because many departments are jointly determining how agriculture, trade and nutrition will be shaped in the future." Through the 'Future Strategy Organic Farming' (Z?L), the Federal Government could, with consistent implementation, set important initial impulses in motion. It is also good that in the governmental coalition agreement, the year 2030 was set as a concrete date for reaching the 20% mark regarding organic acreage.

It is important to use Bio for a better and healthier diet in the out-of-home catering, in the way Copenhagen is showing us. Targets set in the coalition agreement, to invest more in German schools. must be used to provide better nutritional education through school kitchens and gardens in each school."

L?wenstein continued: "The common European Agricultural Policy must be geared towards using taxpayers' money to support farmers who protect the environment, animals, water, biodiversity and the climate. Organic farmers have been showing in Germany and around the world for many years how organic farming is not only economically, but also ecologically successful."

The Federal Government is also required to introduce a compulsory livestock identification system for meat, analogous to egg labeling. All in all, politicians must ensure coherent rules for the agri-food sector that are tailored to the most sustainable farms - instead of penalizing organic farms, as is currently the case with fertilizer laws - thus stimulating those farms that contribute to problem-solving."

Source: B?LW
Publication date: 2/16/2018

Reference : Fresh Plaza http://www.freshplaza.com/article/189657/Germany-Organic-sales-hit-%E2%82%AC10-billion-mark