The land under organic management in Germany grew by 2.3 per cent in 2011, according to BÖLW, the German organic sector body. The rise means organic crops are grown on over 1 million hectares in the EU’s number two producer.  

In 2011, the sale of organic goods in Germany increased by an even greater amount; BÖLW recorded a nine per cent rise in organic sales compared to the previous year, increasing from €6.02 billion in 2010 to €6.59 billion last year.

In 2010, the area under organic management in Germany was 990,702 hectares, which rose to 1,013,540 ha in 2011. However, German organic producers have said there needs to be more investment in the sector if domestic production is to keep up with the growing demand for organic produce in the country.

Under new reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy, organic producers will be exempted from certain ‘greening measures’ in recognition of the agri-environmental benefits the approach provides.

In the UK, the organic food sector has contracted in recent years, after having reached a peak in 2008. However, most of the decline has been from supermarket sales; sales in small shops and veg boxes grew in 2011 and a wider range of organic products including textiles also performed well.

Analysts have blamed the overall decline on the ‘elitist’ associations organic produce has in the UK and organic growers have said that the sector needs to do away with its wealthy paragons such as Prince Charles and Sting if they are to widen the appeal of organic.

Last year, the Soil Association, the UK’s largest organic certification body, launched its Good food for All scheme to increase the uptake of organic food in institutional settings in a bid to promote organic food to a wider range of people, as making the food affordable is central to the ethos of many pioneers of agroecological methods.

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