The European Court of Auditors (ECA) is set to examine whether EU supports for organic farming are “effective and appropriate”.
The audit, which will take around a year to complete, will explore if measures set up and implemented by the EU Commission and member states have contributed to the sustainable development of organic farming.
The auditors have also selected Italy, Austria, Poland and Romania “for a closer look”.
Between 2014-2022, the EU spent €9.1 billion under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to help farmers convert to or maintain organic farming practices.
“We have started working on an audit to find out whether the EU’s support for organic farming has been well designed and implemented,” the ECA said.
Auditors
According to Eurostat, the share of EU agricultural land under organic farming rose from 5.9% in 2012 to 9.9% in 2020.
In 2020, the EU organic food and drink market was worth €45 billion in sales, ranking second in the world in terms of consumption of organic food.
The ECA noted that organic farming is considered a key part of the EU meeting its climate and environmental targets.
The EU Commission has set a target of 25% of the EU’s agricultural land to be under organic farming by the end of the decade.
“The EU faces the challenge of ensuring our food security while greening the agricultural sector and reducing pollution and the burden on the environment.
“Organic farming is one way to make agriculture more sustainable, and the EU has ambitious aims in this area.
“To reap the benefits of organic practices, they must be properly supported, in terms both of funding and of the overall political framework.
“Our audit will examine whether this is the case and what could be done better to make sure taxpayers’ money is well spent,” Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, the ECA member responsible for the audit, said.