New RDPs policy also proceeds to propose different opportunities to join organic farming aid with other RDP measures, like farm funding, diversification, advisory services, information and promotion activities, and producer groups.
Definite assistance for organic farming is now more apparent in a number of measures. The organic farmers now receive financial support for a 20 % higher rate in comparison to the previous situations, which improve farm sustainability and performance of processing, marketing and farm product development.
Also, the organic sector can also be helped by EU dissemination activities. But the new CAP Regulations have to be maintained by the Member States’ farm advisory systems. Other initiatives are also convenient to strength organic sector such as: planning of non-agricultural activities; assistance in the formation of producer groups; support for measures related to the environment and climate change; short supply chains and innovation performance.
Organic farming is substantially mentioned or prioritized through measures under RDPs for 2007-2013 in some Member States. Besides, a substantial variation in supply under these measures between different countries and within EU states occurs. Many authorities do not succeed to overpass the classical payments model in agri-environmental area and to implement a more holistic model, combining organic support payments with other RDP measures. Meanwhile, the substantial visibility of organic farming regarding other RDP measures, like investments and advisory services, gives new opportunities for prevailing of organic farming in RDPs. boosting agro-ecological innovation in the new European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI).
The prevailing of the organic farming in rural development, pointed out by the EU leaders is of great importance and concerns the need for agri-ecological innovation to change European agriculture in more sustainable way. The priority in the next programme period will be innovation, established by the newly build up structure EIP-AGRI. This new EU policy instrument is also a main subject of Horizon 2020, as well as in the rural development policy until 2020.
The goal of EIP-AGRI is to build up a link between research and farming practice by enforcing stakeholders from different areas of the agri-food system. It aims to boost farmers, businesses, researchers and advisers to divide concept and trials, to implement innovative decisions, and to put the results of research projects into practice. Within the frame of the Rural Development Regulation, the EIP-AGRI claims the necessity for step ahead in the evolution of agri-ecological production systems, focusing on the crucial role of organic farmers at the core of innovation activities supported by the new RDPs.
It is considered that EIP-AGRI proposes considerable resources to foster the development of agri-ecological technology using the strengths of organic farming and accounting weaknesses, thus grasping new opportunities for innovation
The EIP-AGRI work provided will be performed by specific operational groups. It is intended these groups to set up the link between different stakeholders in order to reveal practical problems, which will be accounted as a voluntary measure in the Rural Development Regulation. In such way, the national and regional authorities instead EU officials will determine the objectives and the content of the EIP-AGRI in the Member States. For this reason, these authorities have to support the operational groups that will be responsible for solving organic and agri-ecological problems in the new initiative. It is important that EIP-AGRI will also act as a tool to facilitate the exchange of information, knowledge and expertise between projects, sectors and borders. It will connect farmers, advisors, agri-businesses, researchers as well as and civil society to create a network - the EIP Network, facilitated by the EIP-AGRI service.
Recently, a 20-member focus group on optimising organic arable yields, headed by the European Commission, is working in this area. The group is cooperating various different stakeholders, and is looking for the ways to improve yields on less productive organic farms, in a way to match better production levels of other farms having similar farming systems.
Thus, the focus group gathers existing knowledge (from scientific reports and projects, as well as practical experience) launching innovative solutions. Also, it indicatse specific areas needed for innovative research and marks the topics and criteria for work of future operational groups, as well as the approach for knowledge sharing.
The 2014-2020 programming period introduces opportunities to facilitate priorities and visibility performance of organic farming, both - under RDPs and different EU policy frameworks. It is a consequence of the fact that they are linked to a new EU instrument called the Common Strategic Framework (CSF). In it, clear investment priorities are determined in respect to the financial planning period 2014-2020 in the Member States and their regions.
Thus, an effort is being made to link rural development with the Cohesion Fund and other EU structural funds. As a result of this effort, the combination of funds with other opportunities to boost EU economic growth and jobs till 2020 together with national priorities will be achieved. The CSF will be also joined to other EU policy instruments such as CAP direct payments, Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020.
Meanwhile, partnership agreements between the European Commission and the national and regional authorities for the next seven year period are provided. With such institutional recognition of the social, economic and environmental benefits of organic food and farming, the establishment of these agreements gives opportunities to prevail organic farming across the new RDPs and other EU policy frameworks.
Agricultural policy is the only sector that is totally funded by the EU, with the funds exhausted on annual direct payments and market measures (100 % financed by the EU). The recall is released to multi-year rural development measures, which are also co-financed through national and regional budgets.
For more of a decade, Pillar 2 measures have stated the CAP for the perspective competitiveness and sustainability of farming enterprises and for greater economic variegation and quality of life in rural areas.
At the same time, Member States have also been liable to embed their disposable finance for rural development through the so-called modulation - moving funds from Pillars 1 to 2.
Regardless the pattern for provision of considerable help for rural development during the last ten years, Pillar 2 use up is still just a part of Pillar 1. In the seven years period: 2014-2020, rural development will report for just 9 % of the total EU budget, in parallel to the 29 % given for direct payments and market measures.
A simile of forms for 2013 and 2020, for example would have a decrease of -18 % for rural development (from EUR 13.9 billion to EUR 11.4 billion) in comparison to -13 % for direct payments and market measures (from EUR 43.2 billion to EUR 37.6 billion).
If free will cadence is engaged, the decrease for 2020 would rise to -19.7 %. Now Member States have opportunity to exchange 15 % of their direct payments and rural development funds from Pillar 1 to 2, but also in the vice versa - from Pillar 2 to Pillar 1. Through this reverse modulation, some Member States can even move up to 25 %. Eight Member States also have opportunity to tune the percentage for specific years during the programming period.
Member states of 9 are still not clear how will solve to employ this choice, with some likely to make full use of the possible cadence alternative, while others will choose modulation to close the gap in Pillar 2 spending, which results from budget cuts.
Until the new CAP have a serious accent on public goods provision between Pillars 1 and 2, the low level of purpose with respect to greening, coupled with the threats of reverse modulation and cuts to the Pillar 2 budget, could seriously undermine support for organic farming. However, other measures could potentially contribute to the development of more sustainable food and farming in Europe.
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsi-ble for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.