Organic Farming in Spain

The Iberian Peninsula covers 505,988 sq km and has a population of 44.1 million inhabitants. Spanish territory also encompasses the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, as well as the city enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in Northern Africa. Organic crops are distributed according to the different landscapes and the varying regional climates of Spain. For example, olive trees (picture) grow throughout the Mediterranean coastal region, as well as in parts of the Meseta Central (Central Plateau). Meanwhle, the relatively humid climate in the North and the North West favours cattle rearing and especially the dairy sector.

There is a particular feature of the Mediterranean agro-ecosystem in Spain called ‘dehesa’. This is a savannah-like grassland, with spaced trees, usually cork oaks or holm oaks, where native breeds of livestock graze freely and feed on acorns. In some parts of the ‘dehesa’, cereals and legumes are cultivated, rotating with grassland. Currently, many hectares of ‘dehesa’ and other traditional agro-ecosystems are certified organic. Most of organic fruit and vegetables exported from Spain are produced in the regions of Valencia, Andalusia and Murcia, although there are other regions like Aragón or Navarra that export a wide range of raw or processed organic products too. Spain even grows some organic tropical fruit, mainly in the Canary Islands and in some small areas on the Andalusian coast. The two most typical organic processed products from Spain are olive oil and wine, which are produced in almost all regions. This is true especially in the case of wine, with many different regional or local grape varieties and wine types.

Other data:

Major languages: Spanish (Castilian), Catalonian, Gallego (Galician), Euskera (Basque Country)
Major religion: Catholic
Life expectancy: 76 years (men), 83 years (women)
Monetary unit: Euro
Main exports: Transport equipment, agricultural products
GNI per capita: US $21,210 (World Bank, 2005)

The economy is heavily dominated by the service sector, in particular tourism, finance and banking, transport and telecommunications. Spain also has highly developed industrial and manufacturing sectors. While the agricultural sector accounts for only a small percentage of the country's GDP, it still has political and social importance. Fishing also remains a primary industry, with the Spanish fishing fleet being amongst the largest in the world.

Spanish Consumer Habits

According to the INE (National Institute of Statistics), in the second third of 2005, the average Spanish household expenditure was 19 % of the total expenditure on food and non- alcoholic beverages. The total volume of food consumption in Spain increased by almost 5 % over the same period in 2004. Regarding the social habits of the Spaniards relating to food shopping, another study carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture concluded that 70 % of Spanish consumers prefer to walk to where they buy their food. The most frequently used means of transport is the private car (19 %), followed by public transport (9 %). The same study established that Spanish consumers spend 3.3 hours per week on shopping and one quarter of the population buys food during the weekends, from Friday afternoon onwards.

The traditions associated with purchasing and consuming food are beginning to change within Spain. Most Spanish consumers follow the so-called "Mediterranean diet", which consists of seafood, vegetables, fruits, olive oil, wine and salads. There is evidence, however, that the Mediterranean diet is slowly being replaced by North American eating habits, and that a tendency exists to consume more greasy and pre-prepared foods, which is giving rise to an increasing problem of obesity among children and teenagers. At the same time, the consumption of diet products, low fat, low cholesterol and natural products is growing as well.

Regarding organic food, around 72 % of Spanish consumers say they have tasted organic food at some time, but the evidence suggests that most consumers do not buy organic products regularly and that the overall consumption of organic food is still low. According to the latest edition of the annual consumer survey carried out by the Eroski Foundation – part of the group that owns the supermarkets of the same name – the high quality and safety image associated with organic food has not been enough to generate a major increase in sales.

Organic farming in Spain began at the end of the 1970's, on the initiative of a few small producers and pioneer organisations. Nowadays, Spain is Europe’s fourth-largest organic food producer, with 16,013 registered organic farmers and organically managed land totalling 733,182 ha.

ORGANIC FARMING BY REGION (2004)

Source: Ministry of Agriculture

Evolution of Organic Production / Processing / Marketing

The upward trend in organic production in Spain seemed to stop in 2003, since in 2004 there was a decrease in total production compared with 2003. The main reason for this is, on the one hand, that the export of organic products, with the current marketing structures, seems to have reached its peak and, on the other hand, that domestic organic consumption in Spain has not made any significant progress despite growing slowly - in some regions more than in others. Other important reasons are that in some regions the regional governments have not paid the subsidies for conversion over the last few years or are limiting these subsidies to the producers who sell their crops within the organic sector.

These data indicate that the spectacularly high numbers of operators registered as organic in some regions of Spain were quite artificial and were a response more to temporary subsidies than to any real emergence of an organised organic sector. Last year the number of ha in the country still rose, although in some regions there was a significant reduction. However, the number of operators decreased for the first time since statistics on organic production have been available.

The statistics for 2005 are not ready as yet, but another decrease in the number of producers and also in the harvest can be anticipated, due, apart from the reasons given above, to the extreme weather conditions that the country suffered in 2005: a very cold winter, even in areas normally mild, followed by a severe drought in the summer (this has been the driest year since 1947).

However, these figures are not evidence that the organic sector in Spain is static or seriously threatened. The reduction in the number of producers may mean an adjustment to the real demand and to the real interest in organic production on the part of farmers, as well as a more efficient use of subsidies. At the same time, the number of processors and traders is increasing.

Traditionally the region with most processors and traders has been Catalonia. Their numbers continue to grow in this region, but other regions, like Murcia, the Balearic Islands and Andalusia, have experienced an important increase in the number of processors, including manufacturers who produce multi-ingredient products, sometimes using imported ingredients. The number of registered importers has always been very low but is now rising slightly.

Organic Certification: Private Control Bodies Are Developing

Organic production in Spain has been regulated by the Government since 1989. After the implementation of EEC Regulation 2092/91, the Central Government transferred the responsibility for regulating organic farming and decisions on the regulatory system to be implemented to the regional governments, or governments in the Autonomous Communities, as the regions are called in Spain. Currently the Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA) assumes responsibility for the control of imports from third countries and represents Spain in the EU commission. It also functions as co-coordinator at the central government level of the 18 responsible authorities from the autonomous communities. MAPA also coordinates the functioning of the state-owned regulatory bodies CRAE and the advisory board that represents all the regulatory bodies from the regions, public administration and representatives of every sector involved in organic production and consumption.

A peculiarity of the Spanish public regulatory system is the close control that the public inspection authorities typically exert on labelling. The control system in respect of processors and sellers of manufactured products works through individually numbered labels, which the inspection authorities give to the processors. It allows them to monitor the quantity marketed, and therefore they know the sum that the processor has to pay for the use of the organic label. The regulatory system in Spain was state-organised until some years ago. Currently some regions have opened their doors to private certification bodies, although most regions continue with their own system of a single public regulatory body that works at a regional level only. In the three regions where private certifiers can offer their services, two possible systems are found: private certification only (in Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha) and a mixed system of public and private certification (in Aragón).

Currently there are 10 private certification bodies in Spain. One of them is a former public body which became private; two are Spanish companies linked to international organic certification agencies; another two are certifiers from another EU country which applied directly and got approval to work in one of the regions, and the rest are Spanish certifiers, working at regional or national level and specialising in inspection/ certification of the agriculture and agri-food sectors, which have added certification, in keeping with the EU Regulation, to their list of services. When a private certifier wishes to apply for permission to work in Spain, he must apply region by region, and only in the regions where the option exists, since approval would in any case mean permission to work only at the regional level and not at the national level.

Private Certification Bodies in Spain

ACERTA i+d, S.A.
AGROCOLOR, S.L.
ASOCIACIÓN “COMITÉ ANDALUZ DE AGRICULTURA ECOLÓGICA”
BCS Ökö-Garantie GmbH.
CERES – CERTIFICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS GmbH
ECOAGROCONTROL, S.L.
ENTIDAD CERTIFICADORA DE ALIMENTOS DE ESPAÑA. S. A. (ECAL- APPLUS)

INSTITUTO DE ECOMERCADO (IMO)

SERVICIOS DE INSPECCIÓN Y CERTIFICACIÓN S.L.
SOHISCERT S.A.

Promotion of Organic Farming

There are different organisations, universities and research centres that are working to promote the organic sector. Vida Sana (an NGO located in Barcelona), which is the best known, and SEAE (Spanish Society for Ecological Agriculture) promote the development of organic farming through training, project development, programmes, national and international workshops, publications, etc.

The annual fair Biocultura in Madrid and Barcelona, the Ecocultura fair in Zamora (Castilla y Leon), as well as many other fairs and events organised mainly at regional or local level, play a relevant role in increasing consumer awareness of organic production. Publications like “La Fertilidad de la Tierra” (Fertility of the Soil), Boletin Seae, Boletín Vida Sana, and others that are mainly distributed at regional level, contribute to the promotion of organic farming.

Recent Spanish consumer awareness of the relationship between food and health, together with environmental concerns, have led to an increased demand for organically produced foods, but at the same time nearly 90 % of organic production is still being exported.

Bibliography

Alonso, N. How the country’s organic regulatory framework and the organic movement have grown together in Spain. The Organic Standard. Issue 14, June 2002.

Eroski Foundation. http://www.fundacioneroski.es/

Gonzálvez, V. Organic Farming in Spain 2002. http://www.organic-europe.net

INE – Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas. Gasto de consumo de los hogares. 2º trimestre 2005

Joensen, M. Organic food in Spain. Faroe Islands, August 2003

Ministerio de Agricultura Pesca y Alimentación (MAPA) EVOLUCIÓN DE LA AGRICULTURA ECOLÓGICA (1991-2004)

Ministerio de Agricultura Pesca y Alimentación (MAPA) DATOS DE CONSUMO POR COMUNIDADES AUTÓNOMAS (Hogares). PANEL DE CONSUMO 2004

Ministerio de Agricultura Pesca y Alimentación: Estadísticas 2004 de la Agricultura Ecológica en España y estudio sobre el conocimiento, hábitos de compra, y consumo en España de los productos provenientes de la agricultura ecológica. Biofach, febrero 24, 2005.

Ministerio de Agricultura Pesca y Alimentación: Estadísticas 2002. Agricultura Ecológica. España

Data obtained from the consultancy office Iberian Bio Solutions (run by Nuria Alonso and the author, Jesús Concepción Cabrera). Iberian Bio Solutions is a consultancy privated company that provides advisory services in organic and sustainable agriculture and realted issues. Acknowledgements: I would like to thank Nuria Alonso for checking and suggestions and for her constant support and encouragement during the time of planning and writing this series.