An historic agreement from the EU and US, allowing organic products to be sold in either market, will increase the demand of EU fresh produce exports to the US, according to the Soil Association.
The agreement means US and EU regulations, quality control measures, certification requirements and labelling practices will now all be the same.
Soil Association policy director, Peter Melchett said: “The recession-proof US organic market is the largest in the world.
European organic organisations are already utilising this agreement to export fresh produce, and a rise in mostly manufactured product exports to the US has already started.”
The agreement has been met with fears that animal welfare standards could drop.
Philip Lymbery, Compassion in World Farming’s CEO, explains: “I simply cannot believe that the EU could accept the US livestock standards as equivalent.
The deal was signed in Germany in February by Dacian Ciolos, European commissioner for agriculture and Kathleen Merrigan, US agriculture deputy secretary. Merrigan said at the time: “This partnership connects organic farmers and companies on both sides of the Atlantic with a wide range of new market opportunities.”
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