EU Organic Awards 2024: South Savo (Finland), Bremen (Germany) and Sörmland (Sweden) recognised for excellence in organic farming

The European Commission has announced the winners of the third edition of the EU Organic Awards on 23 September, EU Organic Day, celebrating outstanding contributions across the organic agriculture value chain. A jury comprising members of the EU’s executive and of the European Committee of the Regions selected South Savo as Europe's best organic region, Bremen as the best organic city, and Sörmland as the best organic district.

The Organic Awards are jointly organised by the European Commission, the European Committee of the Regions, the European Economic and Social Committee, COPA-COGECA and IFOAM Organics Europe, with the support of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. The awards highlight the leadership and innovation driving organic practices at the regional, city, and district levels. The winners of these categories are: 

• South Savo, Finland, as best organic region. South Savo's organic farming success is the result of 40 years of collaboration between farmers, researchers, and local authorities, growing from fewer than 10 organic farmers in 1983 to 200 today. Key organisations, such as the Saimaan Luomu farmers' association, the South Savo Food Cluster and the South Savo Ekoneum food economic development association, have played a key role in promoting organic practices in the region and disseminating regional expertise to international networks. Through systemic collaboration across various sectors and stakeholders, South Savo has cultivated positive consumer attitudes toward organic produce, established the Finnish Organic Research Institute, and developed a robust network of organic farmers in Haukivuori.
• BioStadt Bremen, Germany, as best organic city. Bremen's ‘Action Plan 2025’ aims to convert catering in municipal schools, crèches, and hospitals to 100% organic, promoting sustainable food systems and ecological value chains. Through dialogue forums and organic market festivals, the city fosters awareness of ecological values, while initiatives like participative supermarkets, solidarity farming, and organic land conversion are gaining momentum. In 2023, 34% of Bremen's farmland was organic, with a goal of reaching 50% by 2035.
• Sörmland, Sweden, as best organic bio-district. The Sörmland region, a pioneer in organic farming since the 1940s, has developed into a biodistrict that integrates a wide range of organic stakeholders, including farms, food processors, wholesalers, restaurants, public canteens, educational programmes and even a bank. Covering two regions and 21 municipalities south of Stockholm, around 20% of its farmland is organic, with some local supermarkets reporting over 30% of sales in organic produce. Sörmland's biodistrict aims to improve access to organic products, promote local food production, enhance landscape diversity, and raise awareness of the health and sustainability benefits of organic food.

Quotes

Karsten Uno Petersen (DK/PES), president of the CoR Commission for Natural Resources (NAT): “As the CAP is the main tool to support the development of organic farming, the CoR calls for a stronger role for the regions in managing the future CAP: Local and regional authorities have a key role in supporting organic farming that reflects the specific situation of each region.”

Kirstine Bille (DA/Greens), member and representative of the CoR in the Organic Awards jury: “The CAP budget must be expanded to provide additional funding for farmers transitioning to sustainable, eco-friendly practices. These resources should prioritise biodiversity, soil health, and climate resilience, ensuring farming aligns with nature and supports fair livelihoods for farmers."

EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, hosted the awarding ceremony: “Today, we celebrate organic farming and the EU organic sector as a whole. This sector is very close to my heart, as it represents everything that I think is important in our food system: progressing towards more sustainable methods and practices; increasing resilience against climate change and supply chain disruptions; providing opportunities for small farmers, young farmers, female farmers; and connecting local communities through short supply chains and bio-districts. I wholeheartedly congratulate today’s winners – they provide living proof of a strong and sustainable organic sector in the EU.”

Background:

• The EU Organic Awards scheme comprises 7 categories and 8 individual awards. They recognise excellent, innovative, sustainable and inspiring projects that are producing real-added value for organic production and consumption.
• Local and regional authorities play a key role in developing organic production in their regions. There are several levers that they can use upstream, such as land policy promoting the setting up of new farms and encouraging farmers to switch to organic farming, and downstream, by creating local markets and ensuring that those who take up organic farming have an outlet for their products.
• Organic farming is one of the success stories of EU farming. It represents an attractive sector for EU farmers, bringing environmental, economic and social benefits. As such, the promotion of organic production is also an important feature of the European Green Deal, which includes the Farm to Fork strategy and the Biodiversity strategy.
• Following the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production in the EU, adopted in 2021, the European Commission has been working to further promote the benefits of organic production. The share of EU agricultural land under organic farming has increased by more than 50% between 2012 and 2020, with an annual increase of 5.7%. Unfortunately, this positive trend has eroded in recent years, in part reflecting a drop in consumption.
• In the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), all 28 CAP Strategic Plans include funding to support organic farming. At the EU level, it is expected that about 10% of agricultural areas will be receiving CAP support for organic farming by 2027, twice the percentage in 2020. However, on current trends, the EU will not meet its objective of 25% of agricultural land being under organic farming by 2030. Local and regional authorities are therefore being encouraged to invest even more in this sector, by sharing best practices at the EU level.