National CAP Strategic Plans: On the road to achieving the 25% organic target
The Horizon Europe project OrganicTargets4EU supports the achievement of the targets set by the EU’s Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategy, namely at least 25% organic farmland and a significant increase of organic aquaculture by 2030.
Within the project, Nic Lampkin from the Thünen Institute recently finalised the first analysis of the CAP Strategic Plans for all EU Member States until 2022. Even though reaching the 25% target by 2030 remains a challenge, results are promising as for the first time all Member States will provide financial support for organic conversion and maintenance.
The analysis shows that, compared to figures from 2018, Member States are aiming to almost double the area supported by 2027, and they set targets for organic land, either in their CAP Strategic Plans, or in their national organic action plans (OAPs). With the current plans, the EU could reach 15% of organic farmland by 2027, while further efforts would be needed to reach the 25% target by 2030. Nevertheless, the commitment of the EU Commission to deliver on its objective and of the Member States to implement national OAPs is acknowledged.
In the coming months, OrganicTargets4EU will further investigate how the OAPs have adapted to the current challenges, and it will also include an analysis of plans for organic aquaculture. The full report will be available in July 2023.
Read the full article on the OrganicTargets4EU website.
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