According to the statistics agency Eurostat, the proportions of organic agricultural land in these countries were at the lower end in 2019:

• Malta: 0.5%

• Ireland: 1.6%

• Bulgaria: 2.3%

Germany was in the lower midfield with 7.7%. At that time, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture put the proportion of organic cultivation area at 9.7% at the end of 2019. Measured in terms of area, the proportion of organic agriculture was even a bit higher in 2020 – namely at 10.3%.

What does that mean in numbers? At the end of 2019 there were officially 34,110 organic farms with a total cultivation area of 1,613,834 hectares. This corresponds not only to 9.7% of the cultivated area, but also to 12.9% of the farms. The total agricultural area was 16,665,800 hectares and there were 263,950 farms in this branch.

But countries like Austria have shown that there is another way. With our neighbors, the proportion of organic farming was 26%. According to Minister Elisabeth Köstinger, the target was exceeded.

And viewed regionally?

The importance of organic farming varies from state to state. While Hessen has a share of 18%, in Lower Saxony it is only 5% relative organic cultivation area. When it comes to the production of organic food, these federal states are one step ahead:

• Bavaria: 370,366 hectares

• Baden-Württemberg: 186,905 hectares

• Brandenburg: 174,253 hectares

• Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: 169,033 hectares

These four federal states account for more than half of the organic cultivation area in Germany. In Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony in particular, the relative growth in area was particularly high at 12% each.

How did organic acreage and organic farms develop?

Over the years it has been recognized that organic farming also pays off economically. The information portal www.oekolandbau.de provides two tables. On the one hand, the developments in the numbers of cultivated areas from 1996 to 2020 can be observed:

year

Organic acreage

Relative proportion of the total area

1996

354,171 hectares

2,1 %

2010

990,702 hectares

5,9 %

2020

1,702,240 hectares

10,3 %

The other table shows the numbers of ecological areas with their relative percentages:

year

Number of establishments

Relative share of the total holdings

1996

7,353 establishments

1,3 %

2010

21,942 establishments

7,3 %

2020

35,396 establishments

13,5 %

What do the conclusions foresee?

The future is organic. For this reason, around a quarter of all cultivation areas are to be used for organic agriculture by 2030. The agriculture ministries of the EU countries have agreed on this.

In the spring of this year, the EU Commission proposed a corresponding action plan that focuses on this goal. The federal states have now officially welcomed it.

The meeting showed: For the Federal Republic there are additional impulses for a national plan. This is the statement made by State Secretary Beate Kasch, who represented Julia Klöckner at the meeting. The goal of the federal government: 20% organic agriculture by 2030.

What is the potential of organic farming?

Kasch sees great potential in day-care centers, schools and hospitals, for example. The reason? More organic products can be used there. From an early age, children can be given a healthy and wholesome diet.

Are there any other aspects of the meeting of the EU agriculture ministries?

In addition to increasing the proportion of cultivated land for organic products, the Ministries for Agriculture and Agriculture have concentrated on initiatives for better animal welfare. More precisely, it was about cage farming, turkey fattening and the so-called chick shredding.

You can find information on the latter topic in our blog post “ Poultry industry fears competitive disadvantages “.

Ehlert – your competence leader in organic matters

For us, organic is more than just a school subject. In our online shop you will find a whole range of spices that meet the organic standard. Let yourself be tempted by grains, fruits and vegetables. The full power of nature is in the cans, sacks and boxes.