Last week, the Synadis Bio union of specialist organic retailers, which represents 2,000 organic stores, announced that it was withdrawing from Agence Bio. "We refuse to be associated with a dysfunctional system," says the union in a press release, referring to the more than uncertain future of the institution (Agence Bio), whose budget has been cut by more than half.
"The institution we were defending no longer exists"
In January 2025, Synadis Bio rallied to defend Agence Bio against a Senate amendment aimed at abolishing it. "We believed in dialogue and in the collective capacity to preserve this essential tool for structuring a sector of 61,000 farms and 200,000 jobs," recalls Christelle Le Hir, president of Synadis Bio. One year on, the results are damning. Agence Bio has survived financially, but over 60% of its budget has been cut - the most drastic cut of any government operator. "The institution we were defending no longer exists," according to Synadis Bio.
The situation is getting worse: a year without a meeting with its supervisory ministry, despite repeated requests from the Agency's board of directors. Opposition votes on the Agence Bio board of directors have had no influence on any decisions. Specialized organic distributors, representing a turnover of 3 billion euros [3.56 billion USD] and 40% of the organic market, no longer have a place in bodies that have been transformed into recording chambers, and their links with political decision-makers are becoming increasingly tenuous.
Towards planned dismantling?
In its press release, Synadis Bio refers to a planned dismantling of the institution. "At a time when the specialized organic market is finally picking up again after two difficult years (posting growth of +6.7% in 2025, driven by a +3.6% increase in consumer numbers and a +3.1% rise in the average shopping basket), it is precisely at this moment of revitalization that the government has chosen to dismantle Agence Bio, the institutional body that was supposed to support and structure this fast-growing sector. The trajectory is clear. After cutting the resources and then the head, they are moving towards dismantling the institution. The next step will probably be to transfer the remaining tasks to France AgriMer, where the voice of specialist organic distributors will be heard even less."
"It is no longer about saving Agence Bio, it is about saving organic farming itself"
"A year ago, we defended Agence Bio because we believed in its mission. Today, we are withdrawing because we refuse to be associated with a dysfunctional system. Diplomatic constraints prevented me from expressing forcefully what our members are experiencing: institutional abandonment in the face of structures that now defend only their own survival," explains the president of Synadis Bio. The aim of Synadis Bio's withdrawal from Agence Bio is to send out a strong political signal, and not to give up the fight for organic farming, according to the union, which is reaffirming its 4 priority areas of action:
- defending the economic interests of its members, while building stronger alliances with producers, processors, and consumers to consolidate the entire sector;
- making concrete proposals to political decision-makers, in particular by maintaining its support for the Fonds Avenir Bio, a strategic development tool for the French organic sector, and by firmly opposing the new Duplomb bill, which would threaten the gains made in sustainable agriculture;
- continue to campaign for income to be earmarked for organic farming, recognizing that improving economic conditions for producers is the key to the long-term future of the sector;
- Raise awareness of the ecological and health urgency of organic farming by demonstrating that organic farming is not a niche but a structural response to the challenges of climate change and public health.
"I call on all those involved in the sector - producers, processors, distributors, and consumers - to rally behind an ambitious public policy. We are not asking for ad hoc aid; we are asking for long-term policy coherence. Organic farming is not a budgetary adjustment variable: it is a public health and ecological imperative. It is no longer about saving Agence Bio; it is about saving organic farming itself," explains Christelle Le Hir.
For more information:
https://synadisbio.com/
