In the framework of a meeting held to discuss the Spanish Strategy for Organic Production 2017-2020 with the General Director of Industrias Alimentarias, Fernando Burgaz, the Union of Agricultural and Livestock Unions has called for measures to allow organic producers to have easier access to organic seeds, given the legal obstacles to the exchange between producers.
Other topics addressed were the need for a basic aid framework to consolidate a professional model of organic production, the improvement of the knowledge about the sector, farm economy and the organic food chain and the concerns about the greater openness to the entry of products from third countries failing to meet the European standards.
The Organic Production Strategy, expected to be presented by the Ministry this autumn, aims to promote domestic consumption and improve the marketing, contribute to a better sectoral structure, support the consolidation of organic production and study the impact of organic farming in the environment and its role on climate change. To this end, there may be up to 36 strategic lines with 104 concrete actions, although the strategy does not yet include any predictions regarding expenditure.
The Union of Unions has highlighted the current difficulties that organic producers are facing to acquire organic seeds of cereals, legumes, protein crops and other crops, as well as the obstacles that exist in order for producers to exchange the seeds they own.
In this sense, the organization has called for the Administrations to become more involved in the obtainment of seeds free from breeder's rights and on the making of legal reforms to allow the use of seeds from other organic producers. There has also been a request for the registration of local seeds, as well as of certain traditional treatments against diseases and pests with a high ecological and cultural value.