To achieve healthy growth of the organic sector in Europe, the European market "must not be heavily affected by increasing competition from non-EU products".

That is according to Copa-Cogeca, the body that represents European farmers and European co-operatives.

In a position paper published this week - relating to proposals by the European Commission in its action plan for organic farming - Copa-Cogeca said that organic farming has been growing over the last decade (62% in 10 years), from 8.5 million ha in 2010 to 13.8 million ha in 2019.

"The current EU farmland devoted to this farming is at 8.5%, far from the ambitious target of 25% presented in the Farm to Fork Strategy.

But, the farming body said that to reach the 25% target, clear direction and concrete options for farmers need to be discussed.

On livestock, a major obstacle in the transition remains the lack of organic feed sourced in Europe, it said.

"There is a clear and strong need to increase the production of European organic protein feed if we want to support the conventional livestock sector’s conversion to organic."

Protein feed is not only a question of quantity but also of quality, according to Copa-Cogeca.

"Boosting the production of high-quality protein feed to reduce European dependence on non-European imports of organic proteins will offer interesting opportunities.

"To reach the 25% target, research and innovation will have to be increased and serious discussions will have to take place on both seeds and plant protection."