The winners of the first EU Organic Awards, who showcase the potential to transform food and farming, have been announced today (Friday, September 23), according to IFOAM Organics Europe.

The inaugural EU organic awards took place in Brussels as one of a range of events to mark EU Organic Day, where the winners were able to explain their project to a broader public.

IFOAM Organics Europe’s director, Eduardo Cuoco said an organic approach to food and farming is a way forward to make food systems more independent from external inputs, less input-intensive and more resilient. He added:

“I hope many practitioners get inspired to switch to organic and be part of the solution to many crises we are facing, including food security and the biodiversity and climate crises.”

The EU organic awards, hosted by the European Commission, comprise eight awards across seven different categories, which acknowledge innovative and sustainable actors along the organic value chain.

Best organic farmer

Nazaret Mateos Álvarez from Spain, who runs an organic mushroom production site without support from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), was announced the best female organic farmer.

She has developed a unique cultivation method maximising product quality, while minimising inputs and drastically cutting water consumption, according to the European Commission.

The best male organic farmer has been named David Pejic, who runs the oldest organic farm in Croatia, growing over 60 different crops on 22ha. He operates the region’s largest no-dig/no-till bio-intensive garden while focusing on energy self-sufficiency and water retention.

Best organic region and city

The region of Occitanie in France took the prize for best organic region, as it has crafted the region’s green deal and organic plan to make organic food and farming a priority for its development.

Currently, 19% of all farm land is under organic farming, involving 608,285ha and 13,265 farms; 33% of regional aid for agriculture goes to organic farming; 8% of all food in high schools is organic; and 6% is both organic and local.

Gemeinde Seeham am Obertrumer See in Salzburg, Austria has been crowned the best organic city, involving 33 organic farms, organic local suppliers, organic producers and an organic dairy.

All local schools and kindergartens serve organic lunches and 100% of the food in the city’s public canteens is organic and 70% is local.

Best organic bio-district and SME

A bio-district is a geographical area where farmers, citizens and public authorities come together to sustainably manage local resources, based on organic practices, according to the commission.

The Cilento bio-district in Italy supports the development of short supply chains, local markets and green public procurement, increasing the consumption of locally produced food.

The Goodvenience.bio GmbH in Germany has been announced the best organic small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), where 10 employees produce handcrafted and organic broths, soups, sauces, spices and oils.

The SME puts strong emphasis on sustainable, circular and innovative production, including energy-efficiency; carbon neutrality; waste minimisation; short supply chains; and the promotion of healthy diets.

Best organic food retailer and restaurant

La ferme à l’arbre de Liège in Belgium is a small-scale supermarket on a farm selling organic products such as meat and flour, as well as produce from organic farmers across the region since 1978.

The best organic food retailer focuses on sustainable and circular production, and uses animals feed that comes from the farm and from the organic waste produced.

Lilla Bjers is an organic farm and restaurant operating under the ‘seed-to-plate’ concept. The farm is free from fossil fuels and grows 300 different crops, which help preserve biodiversity.

The Swedish restaurant collaborates with local farms, and uses energy produced by wind and biogas, while packaging and food waste are avoided.

The EU Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production, which was adopted in March last year, includes the launch of annual awards recognising excellence in the organic value chain.

Representatives of the European Parliament; the Council of the EU; the European Commission; the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC); the European Committee of the Regions (CoR); IFOAM Organics Europe; and Copa-Cogeca were part of an independent jury.