Agricultural area under organic farming in Europe (8th EAP) (Indicator)

Key messages: The share of the EU’s agricultural land under organic farming is increasing, rising from 5.9% in 2012 to 10.5% in 2022. However, the switch to organic must nearly double to achieve the 25% target by 2030.

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Organic farming is an integrated agricultural production system that aims to minimise or significantly reduce the use of synthetic chemicals in favour of natural substances and climate- and environment-friendly processes. It also adheres to strict standards for animal welfare and prohibits the use of genetically modified organisms. Organic farming provides benefits for biodiversity, environmental and human health, animal welfare and rural development.

European Green Deal initiatives — particularly the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 and the farm to fork strategy — have set the target that at least 25% of the EU’s UAA should be under organic farming by 2030 (EC, 2020a, 2020b).

Organic farming in the EU has been increasing continuously since 2012. In 2022, it covered an estimated 16.9 million hectares, representing 10.5% of the EU’s UAA. The annual compound growth rate between 2012 and 2022 was 6%; achieving the Green Deal target will require a rate of 10.1% between 2022 and 2030. This would require the conversion of 2.9 million hectares of land per year, and of 23.3 million hectares in total from 2022 to 2030.

Please consult the relevant indicators and signals below for a more comprehensive overview on the topic.

This indicator shows the share of the EU’s UAA managed by organic farming/where organic farming is taken up/applied. According to the EU definition, the ‘total organic area’ includes both the ‘certified organic farming area’ and the ‘area under conversion to organic farming’; farms undergo a typically 2–3-year conversion process, depending on the crop in question, before being certified as organic.

The legal framework for organic farming in the EU is defined by Council Regulation 2018/848, which came into force on 1 January 2022. Organic agriculture is defined by regulated standards (production rules), certification procedures (compulsory inspection schemes) and a specific labelling scheme in the EU.

More information is available on the EEA indicator page.

References and footnotes

EC, 2020a, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: EU biodiversity strategy for 2030: Bringing nature back into our lives (COM(2020) 380 final).
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EC, 2020b, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions ‘A Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system’ (COM/2020/381 final).
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Agricultural area under organic farming in Europe (8th EAP) (Indicator)

Share of the utilised agricultural area (UAA) in the EU-27 used for organic farming over the period 2012-2022

Zero Pollution Action Plan 2030 target or policy objectives

Other relevant indicators and signals

References and footnotes