Burgenland, Vienna and Idanha-a-Nova (Portugal) honoured by EU Organic Awards 2023

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The European Commission has today unveiled the winners of the second edition of the EU Organic Awards, promoting excellence along the organic agriculture value chain. A jury involving representatives of the EU's executive and of the European Committee of the Regions, has selected Burgenland as Europe's best organic region, Vienna as the best organic city, and the Portuguese municipality of Idanha-a-Nova as best organic district.

The awards are jointly organised by the European Commission, the European Committee of the Regions , the European Economic and Social Committee, COPA-COGECA and IFOAM Organics Europe , with the support of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. One region, one city and one bio-district were honoured with an EU Organic Award:

• Best organic region to the Burgenland region in Austria. Burgenland has become a role model for regions seeking to convert agricultural land from conventional to organic farming thanks to its innovative and science-based "Bioland Burgenland" strategy. The strategy aims not only to increase the share of agricultural land farmed organically to 50% by 2030, but also to enhance the complete organic supply chain, including for regional canteens, buffets and schools.

• Best organic city to Vienna in Austria. The Austrian capital produces organic agricultural products for its inhabitants from its 44,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land in its far-reaching organic 'farm to fork' concept. Thanks to this initiative, the local economy is strengthened via the development of a regional value chain, which provides support to sustainable agriculture and diets.

• Best organic bio-district to Idanha-a-Nova in Portugal. The eco-region is the largest area of agricultural land under organic farming in Portugal, supporting projects that reinforce short supply chains and increase the offer of organic products.

Isilda Maria Prazeres Gomes (PT/PES), president of the CoR Commission for Natural Resources (NAT), said: " A bio-districts approach is a promising concept for rural development in the framework of the Long-term Vision for the EU's Rural Areas. I believe that bio-districts are a great opportunity for local and regional authorities to support the development of sustainable food systems, relying on collaboration between farmers, citizens/consumers, local public administrations, associations and commercial, tourist and cultural enterprises acting according to the principles and methods of organic production and consumption. I hope that the bio-district award handed to Idanha-a-Nova will support the development of these innovative and promising collaborations. "

Kirstine Bille (DA/Greens), member and representative of the CoR in the Organic Awards jury, stated: " The increase in the prices of many consumer goods have led some consumers to reduce spending on organic products in some Member States. Today, even more than yesterday, the role of local authorities is essential to offer sales opportunities over the medium to long-term to organic farmers. The winners of the 2023 Organic Awards show us the best practices to follow to reach our goal of 25% of EU agricultural land under organic farming by 2030 and to build a more resilient and sustainable food system in Europe."

EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski , hosted the awarding ceremony and said: " I would like to congratulate all winners. In cultivating our land with the principles of organic farming, they not only nourish our soil, but also provide healthy and quality products. Today's EU Organic Awards winners are the prime examples of how the production and availability of more organic food can bring benefits to farmers, consumers, and society at large."

Background:

Organic farming is one of the success stories of EU farming. It represents an attractive sector for EU farmers, bringing environmental, economic and social benefits. As such, the promotion of organic production is also an important feature of the European Green Deal, which includes the Farm to Fork strategy and the Biodiversity strategy . Following the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production in the EU, adopted in 2021, the European Commission has been working to further promote the benefits of organic production. The share of EU agricultural land under organic farming has increased by more than 50% between 2012 and 2020, with an annual increase of 5.7%. Unfortunately, this positive trend has eroded in recent years, in part reflecting a drop in consumption. In the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), all 28 CAP Strategic Plans include funding to support organic farming. At the EU level, it is expected that about 10% of agricultural area will be receiving CAP support for organic farming by 2027, twice the percentage in 2020. However, on current trends, the EU will not meet its objective of 25% of agricultural land being under organic farming by 2030. Local and regional authorities are therefore being encouraged to invest even more in this sector, by sharing best practices at the EU level.

The EU Organic Awards scheme comprises 7 categories and 8 individual awards. They recognise excellent, innovative, sustainable and inspiring projects that are producing real-added value for organic production and consumption.

Five other awards were presented:

• Best organic farmer (female) to Clara Benito Pacheco in Spain. Ms Benito Pacheco runs an extensive organic goat farm fed exclusively on native grass. Her freely grazing ecological herd contributes to biodiversity. Thanks to virtual fence technologies, and the use of GPS collars, adult animals can graze freely as physical fences are no longer needed, contributing towards carbon sequestration in grassland.

• Best organic farmer (male) to Thomas Moschos in Greece. Together with his brother, Mr Moschos runs the Moschos family farm in Kastoria, an organic livestock farm specialised in raising sheep and producing dairy products. He uses new farming methods, improving soil and circularity, reusing and recycling resources. This has led to higher yields and soil organic matter.

• Best organic food processing SME to the Merry Mill in Ireland. The family-run organic farm produces gluten-free foods in a closed-loop system, building Ireland's first organic gluten-free oat mill to manage the entire process.

• Best organic retailer to Gut Wulksfelde in Germany. The company operates a 600 m² farm shop selling products from its own organic farm, a size 450 hectares of land with over 50 varieties of vegetables. Besides selling more than 8,000 organic food products, the shop also features a bakery and a green Michelin star awarded restaurant.

• Best organic restaurant/food service to Luftburg-Kolarik im Prater in Austria. Luftburg - Kolarik im Prater is the largest fully certified organic restaurant in the world, with ecological and social sustainability at the heart of its philosophy. A winner of several Austrian prizes, it uses renewable energy and aims to minimise its environmental footprint in every way it can.

Contact:
Hélène Dressen

Tel. +32 471502795

[email protected] ​​