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Organic Agriculture in France 2001
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An
overview
of the organic situation in France is available in French at the
internet site of the French Ministry of agriculture.
Legislation
on organic agriculture was passed in 1981. The state logo for organic
products, the AB-Logo (Agriculture Biologique), was launched in 1985.
This high level of state recognition led to the wide acceptance of organic
agriculture in France and across its borders and at the time France
was the most important European supplier for organic products, and 40
per cent of the European organic land was located in France.
The
"Observatoire national de l'agriculture biologique", based
at the |
Year |
Hectares |
% |
Farms |
% |
Processors |
|
1995 |
118.394 |
|
3.565 |
|
|
|
1996 |
137.083 |
|
3.854 |
|
|
|
1997 |
165.406 |
|
4.784 |
|
|
|
1998 |
218.793 |
|
6.139 |
|
|
|
1999 |
315.770 |
|
8.140 |
|
|
|
2000 |
371.000 |
1,3 |
9.283 |
1,4 |
5.500 |
Graph (ppt): Development of organic
farming in France 1995-2000
Source: Observatoire national de l'agriculture biologique 2001 / Ecocert
Table (pdf) : Development of
Area under Organic Management and Land Use in French Organic Agriculture
1995-1999 (Hectares)
Source: Observatoire national de l'agriculture biologique 2000
Table (pdf): Regional
Distribution and Developmenof Organic Farms in France 1995-1999
Source: Observatoire national de l'agriculture biologique 2000
Table (Excel): Land use
in organic farming by regions per 31.12.2000
Source: Observatoire national de l'agriculture biologique 2001
3 Action Plan for Organic Agriculture
In 1993 the budget provided by the French government for conversion aids was still very modest in comparison with other EU-countries. In the year 1998, however, the French Ministry of Agriculture had allocated 60 million Francs (approximately 9 million Euro). These monies are distributed by the regions.
In December 1997, because of the growing domestic demand (20 percent annual increase), the former agricultural minister, Louis Le Pensec, announced an action plan - Plan Pluriannuel de Développement et la Promotion de l’Agriculture Biologique - to support organic production.
The plan involves subsidies totalling 80 million Francs (12,3 million Euro) to stimulate and improve organic production, distribution and sales. The goal requires converting one million hectares of farmland and increasing the number of organic producers to 25,000 by the year 2005.
In order to achieve this goal, financial support for farm conversion was increased, and support was extended to marketing initiatives as well as to training and research.
4 Regional Distribution of Farms and Land Use
More than 60 percent of the organic land is located in the six regions of Basse Normandie, Bretagne, Pays de la Loire, Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrénées and Rhône-Alpes, which account for less than 40 percent of the French agricultural area.
Map: Organic and In-conversion
Land in the Regions 2000 (Power Point-Transparency)
Source: Observatoire national de l'agriculture biologique
Table (pdf): Regional
Distribution and Development of Organic Farms in France 1995-1999
Source: Observatoire national de l'agriculture biologique
Table (Excel): Land use
in organic farming by regions per 31.12.2000
Source: Observatoire national de l'agriculture biologique 2001
The majority of converted land is grassland, and within organic animal-production a big increase can be recorded.
Until 2000 organic arable land had been growing at a slower rate than grassland. Because of the discrepancy between the development of the animal and plant sectors and the growing demand for organic products on the part of the consumers, the import of organic products from other countries rose by 40 percent in 1998 over the previous year.
In 2000, however, this picture changed: Growth of organic animal prodcution slowed down and the arable land increased faster than the grassland. This change is due to increased payments for for cereals and oil seeds.
Table (pdf) : Development of
Area under Organic Management and Land Use in French Organic Agriculture
1995-1999 (Hectares)
Source: Observatoire national de l'agriculture biologique
Table (pdf): Animal
Husbandry in Organic Agriculture in France 1995-1999
Source: Observatoire national de l'agriculture biologique
Link: LA
FILIERE DES PRODUITS CARNES BIOLOGIQUES: Organic Beef Production
in France (September 2000)
5 Organic Agriculture Organisations
The logos of the producer associations are not used for labelling organic products.
The organic agricultural organisations represent the organic sector on a political level.
FNAB
- Fédération National de l’Agriculture Biologique - is
the Federation of the regional producer organisations and represents
the organic sector at the administrations and the trade unions.
Bioconvergence
and Syndicat Europèen des
Transformateurs de Produits de l’agriculture Biologique (SETRAB)
represent the processors.
All three organisations are competent partners of the Ministry of Agriculture in questions relating to standards, inspection and certification.
The
trademark for bio-dynamic products is the Demeter logo (Biodynamie).
6 Inspection and Certification
Six inspection bodies are accredited according to EN 45011 by the Ministry of Agriculture.
These are:
Ecocert
SARL ( http://www.ecocert.fr)
- Qualité France
- Ulase
- Agrocert
- Certipaq
- Aclave
These five organisations are authorised to certify organic plant and animal products. The Ministry of Agriculture as well as the Ministry of Economic Affairs function as competent authorities according to Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2092/91.
France
has a national logo for organic products - the AB-Logo (AB = Agriculture
biologique) -, which is owned by the French state.
Organic products can be labelled with this logo when they contain more than 95 percent organic components, were produced or processed within the EU, and were certified by one of the inspection bodies accredited according to EN 45011.
7 State Support
In France, organic farms are supported financially only while converting. Existing organic farms do not get any special subsidies for this kind of agriculture.
They payments altogether have an upper limit of 500,000 French francs (75,770 Euro) per farm during the conversion period.
Table: Payments for the conversion to organic farming in France
|
Type of Production |
Payments (EURO) per hectare and year (Total five years) |
|
|
Seeds, vegetables, aromatic and annual + bi-annual medicinal plants |
Year 1 and 2 Year 3 and 4 Year 5 |
511 255 170 |
|
Orchards |
Year 1 and 2 Year 3 and 4 Year 5 |
511 255 170 |
|
Other annual crops |
Year 1 and 2 Year 3 and 4 Year 5 |
409 205 136 |
|
Grassland |
Year 1 and 2 Year 3 and 4 Year 5 |
180 90 60 |
|
Specialised olive groves
|
Year 1-3 Year 4 Year 5 |
640 385 255 |
|
Other permanent crops |
Year 1-3 Year 4 Year 5 |
980 588 392 |
Source: Observatoire national de l'agriculture biologique, Resultats 2000
8 Marketing
-
The Market
"Organic" is still a niche market in France in terms of value, representing only 0.5 percent of total retail food sales in comparison with other European Union (EU) countries such as Denmark, where the share is three percent. However, the market has been growing at a rate of twelve percent per year, and that rate is expected to reach 20 percent per year in the future. In 1998, sales of organic food products in France were estimated at 700 million Euro. Current French production cannot meet demand (Piason 1999).
Growing demand, coupled with the government action plan which aims at stimulating domestic production and improve distribution, is expected to boost organic food sales to about 2.6 billion Euro by the year 2003 (Piason 1999).
Product Range
The range of organic foods available in France is still relatively limited. Major domestically produced organic products include grains, prepared cereals, dairy products, fresh and processed fruit and vegetables, baby foods, meat, and poultry (Piason 1999).
In 2000 of the new products appearing on the shelves two thirds were of plant origin (baby food, juices, soups). The new products of animal origin were mainly milk products and sausages (Source: Observatoire national de l'agriculture biologique, Resultats 2000).
Consumers
Consumers of organic products fall into three main categories: the politically or ideologically motivated who are concerned about the environment and animal rights; the health conscious; and the switchers, who are easily swayed by the media and influenced by price and availability. About half of consumers of organic foods are managers or self-employed professionals between the ages of 25 and 49 (Piason 1999).
Imports
In 1998, organic imports into France were valued at 50 million Euro. The main organic imports from non-EU countries included exotic fruits (avocado, mango, bananas), coffee, tea, citrus fruits and cereals from African, South American and Asian countries as well as from North America.
From countries within the EU fruit juices, dried fruit, cereal bars, muesli and other processed, new-to-market products such as ready-to-eat frozen foods and vegetarian meals are imported. Within the last few years, milk and meat came from Germany as the home production still was not high enough. Besides Germany, the Scandinavian countries were the predominant country sources, although 40 percent of the imports came from non-European countries. Total imports accounted for about ten percent of the organic food market (Piason 1999).
Exports
Exports represent about 17 percent of all French organic products and consist mainly of added value grain products. The major French organic product exports are bulk cereals to Germany and Scandinavian countries. Most exports of dairy products, meat and poultry, and fruit and vegetables go to EU neighbouring countries (GAIN-Report # FR 9070/ Piason 1999)).
Marketing Channels
Sales via small specialised natural food and health food shops were important up until the nineteen-nineties. Today, however, supermarkets are gaining more and more importance for the marketing of organic products. Furthermore, the Superettes, small specialised bio-supermarkets with self-service and a surface of 200 to 500 square meters, partially replace, but also supplement the small specialised shops. Many of them and other sales persons are members of the association Biocoop which organises the distribution of organic produce in France. It has 170 selling points in the whole country and gave itself special standards. Biocoop is the successor-organisation of Food-Coop since 1987.
Today nearly half of the organic food is sold through supermarket chains, whereas the rest is sold through health food stores, direct sales, and open-air organic food markets (table 5). Retail prices for organic products are on average 25 to 35 percent higher than conventional foods.
Most of the supermarket chains have their own organic food label, carrying an array of products from dry foods to dairy products to meat and fresh products.
Table 5: Estimated Shares of Major Channels of Retail Organic Foods
Distribution in France 1998 (in percent)
|
Percentage |
|
|
Supermarkets |
45 |
|
Health food stores and open air markets |
35 |
|
Other grocery outlets |
10 |
|
Direct sales |
10 |
Source: GAIN-Report # FR 9070/ Piason 1999
Processing
The organic food-processing sector traditionally consists of small and medium-sized artisanal enterprises, which produce one to two speciality products and sell them locally.
Large agri-food companies are investing in organic foods and using their names to launch brands available nation-wide. There are around 700 organic food processors most of which process milk or grains. Grain processors include millers, bakers, breakfast cereal producers and cookie manufacturers. The organic food-processing sector is growing at an average annual growth rate of 17.5 percent.
The increase in the number of processors is shown in the table below, and today 5500 companies processing organic foods are registered.(Source: Observatoire national de l'agriculture biologique 2000)
9 Training
On national level, training is co-ordinated by FORMABIO – Réseau des établissements de formation à l’agriculture biologique (http://www.educagri.fr), a network which was founded in the late 80’s.
At several institutions for education of adults it is possible to make a so called "Brevet Professionnel", a diploma, which takes 1200 hours of courses with a possible concentration on organic agriculture at some schools or with some organic modules at some others. The diploma includes a practical training as well. Some technical high schools offer modules on organic farming.
10 Advisory Service
Organic advice is offered both by state bodies and by the organic organisations. The chambers of Agriculture support organic agriculture with ca. 40 advisors. FNAB and the federation of those advisors, who are employed by the farmers directly - Fédération Nationale des Centres d'Initiatives pour Valoriser l'Agriculture et le Milieu rural, FNCIVAM (http://www.civam.org) - employ advisors specifically for organic agriculture. Altogether, there are ca. 100 advisors supporting organic farmers.
The Assemblée Permanente des chambres d’Agriculture, APCA, is a national working-group, in which the state advisors for organic agriculture meet regularly to discuss current questions.
11 Research
In order to develop organic agriculture in France, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries together with the National Association of Agricultural Development and the Institut Technique de l’agriculture Biologique ITAB (Technical Institute of Organic Agriculture), decided in 1998 to transform a former regional resource centre (Centre de Resource de Brioude-Bonnefont) into a national centre for organic farming. The responsible committee of the Centre National de Ressources en Agriculture Biologiques, CNRAB (http://www.agribio.com) met for the first time on the 7th of July 1999.
Members of this committee are members of the three supporting organisations as well as several national institutions in charge of the development of agriculture. Its aims are the collection, documentation and dissemination of technical information suitable for organic agriculture.
Further
research is done by the Institut
Technique de l’agriculture Biologique, ITAB, which does practical
research together with the producer associations, and by the Groupe
de Recherche en Agriculture Biologique (GRAB; http://perso.wanadoo.fr/grab/grab/).
GRAB
has existed for more than 20 years and conducts experimental work in
organic cultivation techniques particularly in organic vegetable and
tree growing. These results are then translated into agricultural practise.
GRAB concentrates on scientific and technical publications, and expert
reports at a national level.
The
French Institut National de Recherche Agronomique INRA (http.//www.inra.fr)
has made a start to co-ordinate its organic farming research in 1999.
In January 2000 an analysis of the French organic agriculture situation
and a research programme was published by INRA (http://www.inra.fr/Internet/Directions/DIC
/ACTUALITES/Agribio/Agribio.htm).
12 Outlook
While the previous French agricultural policy was almost exclusively production oriented and geared towards the increase of exports, the emphasis is now placed on how to produce "better".
So-called territorial contracts with the farmers (Contrats Territeaux d´Eploitations, CTE) make it possible to reimburse social and ecological performance of agriculture (Agri-environment prorammes). The settlement of young farmers will be promoted systematically. Obstacles such as high social security payments for small farms and lack of production support will be removed. It is hoped in this manner to motivate in particular the young to become active in agriculture.
It is also good news that during the June 1999 world economy-summit in Cologne the French president Jaques Chirac rejected the increased use of genetic engineering in food production. In March 1999 at the FNAB-general assembly the minister of agriculture, Jean Glavany, had already emphasised that the French government would like to let maximum caution prevail. The new planned agricultural law (La Loi d'Orientation d'Ágricole, LOA) anticipates a detailed exploration of the risks to humans and the environment. According to Glavany, the Ministry of Agriculture supports sectors working without GMO.
13 References, Information Ressources and Links
References
- Assemble
Permanente des Chambres d' Agriculture / Observatoire national
de l'agriculture biologique: Premier résultats 2000. Agriculture
biologique: Une Annee de Transition. Paris, APCA, 2001
- Piason, Frank J.: France – Organic Food report 1999. GAIN Report
FR 9070. Date 18.10.1999, at http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/199910/25545926.pdf
- Reynaud, Michel: Die Situation und das Entwicklungspotential der
ökologischen Landwirtschaft in Frankreich. In: Willer, Helga
(Ed.): Ökologischer Landbau in Europa. Bad Dürkheim, 1998
- Schmidt, Wanda: Frischer Wind in Frankreich. In: Ökologie & Landbau, No. 4/1999
Information Resources and Links
- Address list of the most relevant bodies for French organic Agriculture
including Logos at http://www.agribio.com/Carnet/Frame/Frame.cfm
- Annuaire Bio: Events and addresses of organic organisations, producers, distributers, shops and restaurants in France
- Database of French organic organisations at the internet site of Ecocert France (http://www.ecocert.fr) at http://www.ecocert.fr/dyn/?MIval=PageAccueil&lg=fr
14 Authors
- Michel Reynaud, Ecocert International- Ecocontrol GmbH, Förster Straße 87, D-37520 Osterrode, Tel. +49-5522-951161, Fax +49-5522-951164, e-mail info@ecocert.de, internet http://www.ecocert.de
- Dr. Wanda Schmidt, Stiftung Ökologie & Landbau, Weinstrasse
Süd 51, D-67098 Bad Dürkheim, Tel. +49-6322-98970-229, Fax
-989701, e-mail
gschmidt@kyxar.fr, internet http://www.soel.de
Update August 2001 by
- Nathalie Rison, SETRAB, 40, avenue des Terroirs de France, F-75611 Paris Cedex 12, Tel. +33-1-44745356, Fax +33-1-44745276
© By Forschungsinstitut für biologischen
Landbau (FiBL) and Stiftung Oekologie & Landbau (SOEL) , 2002/2001/2000.
All rights reserved
URL http://www.organic-europe.net
Last modified
28.07.2006
Comments to helga.willer@fibl.ch
·
The setting up of this internet site was co-funded by the
European Commission, Agriculture Directorate-General
Stiftung Oekologie & Landbau (SOEL)
Weinstrasse Sued 51, D-67098 Bad Duerkheim
Tel. +49-(0)-6322-98970-229, Fax +49-(0)-6322-989701
E-Mail: info@soel.de Internet:
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Forschungsinstitut
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Agriculture
Ackerstrasse, CH-5070 Frick
Tel: +41-62-865 72 72 Fax:+41-62-865 72 73
Internet http://www.fibl.ch
contents
4 Regional Distribution of Farms and Land Use
6 Inspection and Certification
13 References and Information Ressources