Platform for the organic farming sector in Spain

The whole organic sector in Spain has joined to defend their interest for a sustainable production system and to promote a common policy with the Governments and private organisations, as stated in the 10 point declaration signed by organic researchers, producers, processors and consumers organisations at national level. The Spanish Society for Organic Farming (SEAE), Intereco (Association of Regional Public Control Authorities), the “Andalusian Committe for Organic Farming (CAAE), the Spanish Federation of Processors and Marketers for Organic Farmers (Fepeco), the Seeds Network, the Association Vida Sana and the Andalusian Federation of Organic Consumer Organisations (FACPE) have signed a document with 10 points/reasons to support organic food and farming in Spain.

The first of these 10 points asks for organic action plans at regional level, coordinated at national level, to develop the organic sector at national level with sufficient public funds. These organisations state in this declaration that organic action plans and any other related policies for the organic sector should be a governmental harmonised policy, considering agro-environmental compensations as a strategical tool for developing the organic sector. Organic farming should be the main priority in rural development plans and they ask to put organic farming as a basic element in the future rural development national law in Spain.

Organic farming production should receive a favourable treatment in the tax systems in Spain as a compensatory measure, an incentive for activity beneficial for the environment, as it is applied in other production sectors. In addition, it is fundamental to support and promote organic agrofood companies, as they are the heart of organic production.

The 10-point document to promote organic food and organic farming was presented Saturday, the 24th of November, at the BioCultura Fair in Madrid, and the new National Platform for Defending Organic Farming (Mesa Estatal de Defensa de la Agricultura Ecológica, MEDAE). was also presented to the public.

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