The European Commission grants an extension on the exceptional rules for organic feed and pullets.
Tom Lander, NFU Food Chain Adviser said, “The decision to extend these exceptional rules by the European Commission is really positive news for the UK organic industry. Our members and other key stakeholders have expressed concern for some time that the rules were due to be terminated at the end of this year. As such we have lobbied hard over the past few months in the UK and Europe to ensure that the sector got a pragmatic decision. The organic pig and poultry sectors now have a level of certainty for the next three years and we can continue to work with a clear focus on new organic regulatory proposals we have before us”.
Mr Lander also said that “This result has been testament to the effective and sensible collaboration between the NFU, Defra, UK organic certification bodies and other trade associations and we take this opportunity to commend the hard work done by our Defra officials in respect of this particular issue.”
Read more:
- NFU lobby Commission on organic feed and pullets
- NFU latest organic newsletter
- Latest organic statistics released by Defra
Background Information
In 2011 the European Commission extended the allowance for organic pig and poultry producers to use 5% of their feed ration from non-organic feed. The reason for this is due to an insufficiency of organic raw materials rich enough in protein to provide a welfare acceptable diet for monogastric animals, namely pigs and poultry. Conventional feedstuffs have the necessary protein content which can satisfy this deficit.
In addition to the feed rule, the Commission also extended the allowance to use non-organic pullets in an organic livestock unit provided they were not more than 18 weeks old. This was on the strict proviso that there is no availability of organic pullets in the market place to purchase.
The problem for the organic sector is that these exceptional rules were due to cease on the 31st December 2014. So in theory, come the 1st January 2015 organic poultry producers would be expected to feed their livestock 100% organic diets which would be protein deficient and thus lead to animal welfare issues. Furthermore organic egg producers would be expected to source only organic pullets. The UK pullet sector is not geared up to accommodate this move and it is unsure whether it would be a viable option on numerous fronts. Hence, the resulting factor would be a massive under supply of eggs in the market place and organic poultry meat that had been reared to significantly poorer welfare standards.
What has the NFU been doing?
As promised, the NFU Food Chain Team has been lobbying Defra, the European Commission and collaborating with industry stakeholders to get the best result for its members. Thankfully, there was broad agreement between the UK stakeholders that continuation of the exceptional rules was the only practical way forward. Moreover, the organic Defra representatives took on board our concerns and represented them well at ministerial meetings in Europe for which we are grateful.
The NFU also facilitated a trip to meet the organic unit at the European Commission in June to raise our concerns on these specific issues. A mixture of representatives including producers, certification bodies and researchers attended. During our discussions, we made it clear that the organic sector was eager to find a solution to this problem but it needed the Commission to collaborate with industry to achieve success. They appeared willing to do this, so we will keep an eye on how this develops over the next year or so.
What does the future hold?
The organic poultry sector at least has a level of certainty for the next 3 years, knowing that its production standards will remain unchanged and hopefully a viable option for existing farmers and new entrants. However, the sector should not rest on its laurels. Time goes quickly and it’s all too easy to take the “out of sight, out of mind” approach. All key stakeholders in the organic supply chain need to work together in researching and developing organic raw materials that will suitably displace the need for the 5% conventional feed. The European Commission also needs to play its part and engage with industry to find a solution.