The Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment together with the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Office for Agriculture, Food Safety and Fisheries, recently published data that shows a growth of in organic agriculture areas of about 6,650 hectares in 2016.
At the end of 2016, 1,099 farms were certified according to the EU-Eco-regulation. About 843 agricultural enterprises farm approximately 132,200 hectares of farmland organically, - almost one in five farms. “So the share of land used for organic agriculture is 9.85%. This is an excellent result, especially when compared to the federal average of approximately 7.0% in 2016. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern takes a leading role, in the economy and in the governmental organization," states a happy Till Backhaus, Minister of Agriculture and the Environment.
In 2017 a further increase in acreage is expected. In the first 4 months an additional 2,000 hectares, of 19 agricultural enterprises, have registered to be assessed as organic farm.
According to Backhaus, adequate prices for the producers are an important factor for successful farming; this also applies to organic farming. He emphasized: “Just as conventional farms, organic farms have to deal with tough European competition. So an increase in the quantity of the yield must be accompanied by a continuous and market-driven growth.” The aim is to align our agricultural policy with the growing challenges, and so to expand organic farming in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The minister, furthermore, pointed out that the application period for agricultural aid ended mid-May.
Farms that convert to organic agriculture receive for their contribution to an environmentally-friendly economy and animal welfare a subsidy of 260 Euros per hectare of arable land or grassland, and 835 Euros per hectare of vegetables, and 835 Euros per 1,150 hectare of permanent cropland.
As a part of the program ‘Ökokompetenz Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 2020’ the consultancy services for organic farms are 90% reimbursed, and the first consultation is even completely compensated.
Background information:
In 2016, more farmers decided to switch to organic farming. In 2015 and 2016 about 13,000 hectares was converted to organic agriculture in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Despite uncertainty surrounding the EU eco-regulations, in many federal states the conditions improved and prices of organic produce remained stable. Especially, fruit and vegetable cultivation and organic livestock show growth potential for organic farms in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In 2016 German households spent 9.48 billion Euros on organic food and beverages, which is an increase of 10% compared to the previous year (BÖLW, February 2017).
The aim of the government of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is to increase the share of organically farmed agricultural land, in the medium term, to 150,000 hectare. Until 2020, a growth of 5,000 hectare per year is planned. The agricultural policies will contribute significantly to consolidating, stabilizing and cultivating organic farming and establishing organic farming as a trademark of the state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern organic farming plays an important role in the agricultural policies. This is particularly clear in policies on animal welfare and the environmental requirements of organic farming.
The goal of the organic farming program is twofold; in the first place it combines organic farming with “regionality", and with health and tourism in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In the second place, it developes appropriate marketing concepts should give consumers additional information about the agricultural products they purchase.
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