Put simply, organic farming is an agricultural system that seeks to provide you, the consumer, with fresh, tasty and authentic food while respecting natural life-cycle systems. To achieve this, organic farming relies on a number of objectives and principles, as well as common practices designed to minimize the human impact on the environment, while ensuring the agricultural system operates as naturally as possible.

Typical organic farming practices include:

Wide crop rotation as a prerequisite for an efficient use of on-site resources

Very strict limits on chemical synthetic pesticide and synthetic fertiliser use, livestock antibiotics, food additives and processing aids and other inputs

Absolute prohibition of the use of genetically modified organisms

Taking advantage of on-site resources, such as livestock manure for fertiliser or feed produced on the farm

Choosing plant and animal species that are resistant to disease and adapted to local conditions

Raising livestock in free-range, open-air systems and providing them with organic feed

Using animal husbandry practices appropriate to different livestock species

But organic farming is also part of a larger supply chain, which encompasses food processing, distribution and retailing sectors and, ultimately, you. So every time you buy an organic apple from your local supermarket,

or choose an organic wine from the menu at your favorite restaurant, you can be sure they were produced according to strict rules aimed at respecting the environment and animals. For organic farmers a fertile soil and respect for the environment are of crucial importance for humans and animals.

The logo and the labelling rules are an important part of the organic regulations. With this regulatory framework the European Union provides conditions under which the organic sector can progress in the line with production and market developments, thus improving and reinforcing the EU organic farming standards and import and inspection requirements. The main objective of the European logo is to make organic products easier to be identified by the consumers. Furthermore it gives a visual identity to the organic farming sector and thus contributes to ensure overall coherence and a proper functioning of the internal market in this field.