Dear reader,

As IFOAM Organic Europe’s President, it is my pleasure to present our 2023 annual report. In its pages, you will discover the endeavours of IFOAM Organics Europe in transforming European food and farming throughout 2023. As the leading umbrella organization for the European organic sector representing nearly 200 members across 34 countries, we are committed to creating a healthy, resilient, and biodiverse food system in Europe.

In 2023, IFOAM Organics Europe navigated a shifting European and global landscape beset by changing political priorities, concerns for weaker consumer demand, rising inflation, and weaker initiatives from the EU governments. In addition, 2023 witnessed some worrying political developments that risk negatively impacting consumers’ choices and the health of citizens, besides undermining the environmental goals of the EU’s Farm to Fork and New Green Deal Strategies. Given these challenges, expanding, developing, and innovating organic practices in Europe has become more vital than ever to ensure healthier food choices for consumers and sustainability in food production systems.

Worryingly enough, some have used the Farm to Fork and New Green Deal as scapegoats for current concerns with food security in Europe and are leveraging these concerns to call for a rollback of the EU’s environmental goal. However, IFOAM Organics Europe remains committed to these crucial policies as they are key tools for the agroecological transition in the EU. Now more than ever, we need a clearer vision that takes into account long-term effects and holistic approaches rather than a short-sighted focus on increasing outputs and technological quick fixes. In this respect, IFOAM Organics Europe remains resolute in its goal to ensure the role of organic in the EU as a leading model to transform food and farming.

This new political context will also be instrumental in setting the direction of our newly elected board, which started its mandate in 2023. Our board and interest group will have to focus their efforts on revising our strategy to better adapt to the changes and forge a stronger path for organic in Europe.

On the policy level, 2023 was a busy year for IFOAM Organics Europe as we were deeply engaged in advocacy work, addressing critical issues in European food and farming. An example of this is our advocacy effort to maintain the regulation of genetically modified organisms in the EU. Ensuring regulation and labelling of GMO-derived plants is paramount for IFOAM Organics Europe, as it is instrumental to preserving consumers’ right to choose GMO-free foods. Furthermore, with a focus on ensuring healthier diets, we pursued our dedicated effort to promote sustainable and organic food in public procurement through measures such as minimum mandatory criteria in public institutions.

Our environmental concerns were equally at the forefront of our activities in 2023. Through, our advocacy initiatives, we focused on ensuring the upcoming EU environmental legislation would recognise the environmental benefits of organic and take into account its potential for easing the climate, soil, and biodiversity crisis.

Our efforts also extended to the fight against “greenwashing”, since another key area of our work in 2023 related to the Green Claims Directive on environmental labelling. In this regard, IFOAM Organic Europe is actively working to ensure consumers’ rights to free and transparent food choices, and we reject any attempts to misguide European citizens interested in greener diets.

But while 203 was quite a hectic year, there is still a lot more to do in view of the upcoming EU elections and the many EU policy files that remain open such as NGTs, Green Claims, and the Sustainable Food Systems (SFS).

I would also like to mention the other important aspect of IFOAM’s work – its research and innovation activities, which are instrumental to developing a more resilient organic sector. A key partner in this is TP Organics, the European technology platform for organic food and farming which has taken a leading role in several EU-funded research initiatives on organic. Throughout 2023, we continued our involvement in numerous EU-funded projects aiming to find innovative solutions capable of achieving the highest potential of organic production in Europe. From developing integrated pest management strategies to exploring the benefits of intercropping and organic plant breeding, we were active in exploring venues or research for making organic more competitive and resilient.

I kindly invite you to read the 2023 for a comprehensive outlook of our initiatives throughout the year. I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all our board, council, and interest group members, as well as all the IFOAM Organics Europe’s members who are giving us their support, as well as the IFOAM Organics Europe staff for their incredible work. All of you are key components in making our 2030 Vision into reality. Together with the farmers retailers, and consumers who are making the organic choice every day, you are contributing to creating a healthier and sustainable lifestyle for everyone.

Organic regards,

Jan Plagge, IFOAM Organics Europe President