EU, Colombia increase the trade in organic products

The Government of Colombia and the European Commission announced last week on the 11th of February the start of negotiations towards a bilateral agreement on trade in organic products between the European Union and Colombia, reports The Poultry Site. Both sides confirmed their interest to swiftly conclude, at the end of the negotiations, an agreement that would allow a larger market for organic farmers and more organic products to be available to consumers.

EU Commissioner Phil Hogan visited Colombia from the 7th to the 9th of February 2016, accompanied by a delegation of 35 European businesses representing a wide range of the European Union's agri-food sector. In the framework of Commissioner's Hogan visit, a high level event on organics took place at Bogota, where long established and recognized EU organic companies were able to exchange views on the development of the sector in Colombia.

The agreement on trade in organic products between the EU and Colombia will be based on the mutual recognition of each other's production rules and controls system as equivalent. It will reduce administrative burden for producers and operators. It will also aim at fostering technical dialogue and cooperation between the parties to the benefit of producers and consumers of organic products.

The organic sector in the European Union has been rapidly developing in recent years with a total area of 10.3 million hectares cultivated as organic in 2014 compared to 6.4 million hectares in 2005. This means an average yearly growth of 5.5 per cent over a 10-year period.

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