Political agreement on the targeted revision of the Organic Regulation

On October 20, 2026, the co-legislators reached a political agreement on the targeted revision of the Organic Regulation. Please, find here the press release from the Council of the EU: Council and Parliament strike deal on updated measures to support organic farming in the EU – Consilium

 

Below is a first summary of the main outcomes following the assessment of the political agreement by IFOAM Organics Europe. Please, note that this is a preliminary assessment and not based on a thorough check of the final official text that will be needed to confirm the precise wording and implications.

Imports:
EU logo use: 

  • The 5% threshold has been deleted.
  • New rules have been added on online sales.
  • The Commission will be empowered to adopt a delegated act setting out detailed conditions for amending the new restrictions in Annex VII.

Trade agreements:

  • The 10-year extension has been maintained.
  • The Commission will report in 2028 on the state of the negotiations.

Exemption for small sellers of unpacked goods from certification:

  • The exemption will apply subject to a maximum of 10,000 kg and a maximum turnover of €40,000.
  • The Commission will be empowered to adopt a delegated act to adjust the maximum turnover in line with inflation.

Group of operators:

  • The maximum size criteria will be based on the size of the farms and either a maximum turnover from organic production of €50,000 or a maximum standard output from organic production of €30,000 per year.

Plant reproductive material:

  • A drafting error concerning parent plants has been corrected.
  • The Commission will clarify the use of conventional seeds for producing organic seedlings, either through a frequently asked question (FAQ) or, if necessary, through a delegated act.
  • The proposed delegated act to better define organic plant breeding was not accepted.

Access to grazing, outdoor areas:

  • The Commission has issued a declaration announcing a probable delegated act on outdoor areas for pigs.
  • A further Commission declaration recalls the existing legislation on access to outdoor areas and the Member States’ responsibility to support farms facing structural difficulties. This declaration replaces the unacceptable derogation for “innovative housing” systems, but no additional flexibility has been introduced.
  • Farmers will be allowed to keep their own conventional and organic animals on the same organic field, provided they are adequately segregated and the conventional animals comply with certain environmental requirements.

Non-organic protein feed:

  • The derogation allowing the use of conventional protein feed for pigs and poultry (up to 5%) has been extended to 2036.
  • The derogation will also cover adult animals.
  • The Commission must report on the availability of organic protein feed by 2036.

Non-organic animals:

  • The requirement for bovine and equine animals intended for meat production to spend three-quarters of their lifetime under organic management has been deleted.
  • The derogation allowing the use of non-organic fish juveniles has been extended to 2036, under the responsibility of the Member States.
  • The Commission must report on the availability of organic juveniles by 2036.
  • The European Parliament’s proposal to allow the introduction of seven-day-old chicks, instead of three-day-old chicks, in “duly justified cases” was not accepted.

Online sales:

  • The rules on online sales have been strengthened, with improved wording.

Review clause:

  • The legislation will be reviewed every seven years, with the first report due by the end of 2035.

Contamination/Article 29:

  • The Commission must publish best practices by the end of 2031 and update them regularly.
  • The wording remains unclear, and the provision risks becoming more a collection of solutions developed by individual operators than a tool to harmonise the approach taken by control bodies.

Labelling:

  • A recital strongly encourages the indication of the country of origin on the label, instead of “EU” or “non-EU”, where all ingredients come from the same country.
  • No mandatory country-of-origin labelling has been introduced

Electrodialysis in wine:

  • Products produced and packaged before the end of the 12-month period following the entry into force of the amending Regulation may continue to be marketed until stocks are exhausted.
  • Products produced and packaged before the end of the 12-month period following the entry into force of the amending Regulation may continue to be marketed until stocks are exhausted.