Brussels 25 September –The Organic Market Conference organized jointly by OPTA Europe and AöL welcomed over 100 organic professionals for one energising day filled with market insights and meaningful connections. The event explored the trends shaping the organic marketplace and the tools supporting agri-food exporters.
The conference held in Brussels offered an opportunity to over 100 professionals professionals to exchange knowledge and reflect on the future of the sector.
Opening the Conference, Stefan Hipp, President of OPTA Europe underlined the need to enhance exporting opportunitites for organic companies and to reframe the organic rules to allow innovative solutions in food processing.
Maxi Espeter, the member of Commissioner Christophe Hansen’s Cabinet responsible for the organic sector, touched upon the upcoming revision of the organic rules, to bring clarity and overcome legal challenges.
The central panel of the conference was dedicated to exploring key national markets. Experts from Spain, Poland, The Netherlands and Denmark presented a detailed look at the current state of the national organic market including insightful analysis on what’s driving consumer behavior and how to meet their evolving demands.
“When traditional markets slow down, companies must look for new ones. The internationalization of organic companies both within and outside the EU, is a reality. We are here to support them in the best way possible”, said Anne Baumann, head of AöL.
Aurora Abad, head of OPTA Europe, recalled the conditions that must be in place to increase exports. “Organic equivalence agreements play a crucial role in helping organic companies to access export markets and only a handful of third countries have concluded this type of agreement with the EU. We call the Commission and Members States to defend the sector more assertively and accelerate this kind of arrangements to increase sales of organic products outside the EU.”
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For any enquiry, please contact Aurora Abad, Secretary General OPTA Europe aurora@opta-eu.org Tel +32 (0)495 28 18 72
Note to Editors:
OPTA Europe is the membership organization representing the interest of EU organic processing and trade companies. OPTA Europe members account for a large share of total EU trade and processing of organic products and play an essential role in an efficient organic supply chain.
The German Association of Organic Food Processors (AöL) represents the interests of the organic food processing industry in German-speaking Europe. The nearly 130 AöL companies, ranging from small and medium-sized enterprises to internationally active companies, generate a turnover of over 5 billion euros with organic food. AöL is the point of contact for politics, business, science and the media in all matters relating to organic food processing.