Organic farming in the Czech Republic · 2013. 7. 31. · Ukraine Organic farming in the Czech Republic 2006 Karolína Dytrtová, Bioinstitut ... Imports and exports Future prospects

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Organic farming in the Czech Republic 2006

Karolína Dytrtová, Bioinstitut

NEW: Yearbook on organic farming in the Czech Republic 2007

Contents

Developments in organic farming in the Czech Republic

The present state of organic farming

The size of organic enterprises in the Czech Republic

The regional distribution of organic enterprises in the Czech Republic

State support

Action plan for the Czech Republic

Legal regulation of organic farming, inspection and certification system

Advisory service

Bioacademy

Teaching and scientific training

Promotion and education

The domestic organic food market

Imports and exports

Future prospects

Information sources

Author

Developments in organic farming in the Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic the organic farming movement began in the mid 1980s. The first three farms in the Jeseníky Mountains and the White Carpathians began changing over to organic farming in 1989, and in 1990-1991 five organic farming associations arose. Several of these later merged, and presently there are two, the PRO-BIO association in Šumperk and the LIBERA association in Prague. The PRO-BIO

Yearbook On Organic Farming in the Czech Republic

The annual national report on the status of organic farming in the Czech Republic is compiled by Bioinstitut in cooperation with the PRO-BIO Association. This report serves to inform the public about the latest developments in organic farming in the Czech Republic.

Yearbook on organic farming in the Czech Republic 2007

Yearbook Organic Farming in the Czech

Republic 2006

Seite 1 von 16Czech Republic

27.06.2011http://www.organic-europe.net/country_reports/czech_republic/default.asp

This country report was originally published at www.organic-europe.net. It is now archived at the Organic World website, which is maintained by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL (Switzerland). The report is available at http://www.organic-world.net/country-info-archive.html.

Association works throughout the Czech Republic and has ten regional centres and two professional branches aimed at selling organic foods and working with consumers. In 1990 the first financial supports were paid; these were rescinded in 1990 and renewed in 1998. Since 1998 there has been an increase in both the number of enterprises and the acreage of agricultural land farmed organically.

In 1993 a unified system of inspection was introduced, and organic products and foods began to be labelled with the BIO logo. In 1995 the inspection and certification system was accredited by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), and a contract on supervision was signed with an authorised inspection organisation, in accordance with Council Regulation (EEC) 2092/91. This enabled Czech organic products to be exported and enhanced the international standing of Czech organic farming. Subsequently in 1999 the Ministry of Agriculture entrusted all inspections of organic farming to the public benefit corporation KEZ, which remained the only inspection organisation in the Czech Republic until 2005. An appreciable shift came in 2000 through the adoption of the Act on Organic Farming No. 242/2000 coll., which fully harmonised Czech organic farming standards with those of the EU. 2000 was also the year in which the Czech Republic was placed on the “List of Third Countries”, enabling it to export to EU countries.

Currently legislation, inspection and state support are ensured at a sufficient level; on the other hand, other areas (for instance the domestic market for organic food, organic product processing, research, outreach and education of farmers) are insufficiently developed and need systematic support. For this reason the government in 2004 adopted the strategic document Action Plan for Developing Organic Farming in the Czech Republic to the year 2010 to help create instruments for resolving the problem areas in the organic farming sector. 2005 brought with it several important changes, which are set out in the following chapters.

The present state of organic farming in figures

In 2005 there was, for the first time in the history of Czech organic farming, a drop in the acreage of land farmed organically. This drop was 8317 ha and the number of farms fell by seven. As of 31 December 2005, 829 organic farms were farming a total of 254,982 ha, or 5.98% of the total agricultural land. No research has yet explained why the number of farms and the acreage of organic farmland have decreased. It can only be assumed that the 47 farms that left the organic farming system did so due to the strict and administratively demanding inspections and complications related to compliance with organic farming standards. Another eight organic farms had their registration rescinded by the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). On the other hand, 48 new enterprises registered as organic farms.

In 2005 another 20 food processors were registered as well as 107 distributors of organic foods, of which 88 are strictly retailers. The 52% annual growth in the number of organic food distributors is a very positive sign in the development of the Czech organic market. In addition, the number of producers entering organic farming rose by 19. In all there are 1,268 operators engaged in the organic farming sector in the Czech Republic, or 113 more than in 2004.

Table 1: Number of registered organic farming enterprises as of Dec. 31, 2005

Enterprises 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Organic farmers, applicants for registration

654 717 810 836 829

Producers of organic food (incl. distribution activity)

75 92 96 116 125

Traders 49 164 189 193 295

Organic Agriculture in the Czech Republic 2000 (pdf)

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Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Prague

If we monitor developments in the structure of organic agricultural land we note that for the first time ever arable land exceeded 20,000 hectares, rising to a total of 20,766 hectares. The growth in arable land from 2004 to 2005 was thus 5.4%, and arable land now encompasses 8.1% of the organic farmland. On the other hand there was a drop of 25,423 hectares in permanent grassland, which currently constitutes 82.4% of the organic farmland. The main characteristic of organic farming in the Czech Republic is that it is still dominated by the management of permanent pastures in mountainous and sub-montane areas, aimed at landscape maintenance. There was also a drop of 350 hectares in permanent crops, which are now at the lowest acreage for the period 2001 to 2005. However, the fall in these categories can be explained by the relatively large growth in the category of “other areas”. In particular this growth, of 16,384 hectares, was caused by introducing the LPIS (Land Parcel Identification System) database, in which the borders of land parcels were revised and many non-productive areas were placed in the “other areas” category.

Table 2a: Development of Organic farming in the Czech Republic

Table 1: Development of Organic Farming in the Czech Republic 1990-2005: Organically cultivated area, including conversion area

Source: Czech Ministry of Agriculture 2005 at http://81.0.228.70/attachments/statistika05t.pdf

Producers of inputs for organic farming

- - 19 10 19

Total 779 973 1114 1155 1268

Year Total number of

organic producers

Total organic agricultural area

(ha) % total agricultural

area

1990 3 480 -

1991 132 17'507 0.41

1992 135 15'371 0.36

1993 141 15'667 0.37

1994 187 15'818 0.37

1995 181 14'982 0.35

1996 182 17'022 0.40

1997 211 20'239 0.47

1998 348 71'621 1.67

1999 473 110'756 2.58

2000 563 165'699 3.86

2001 654 217'869 5.09

2002 721 235'136 5.50

2003 810 254'995 5.97

2004 836 263'299 6.16

2005 829 254'982 5.98

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Table 2b: Development of the structure of organic farming land resources in the Czech Republic

Source: Ministry of Agriculture. Processed by Bioinstitut, o.p.s.

For an indication of organic animal and plant production we present the certified production quantities of individual commodities for 2005. This data comes from the database of the inspection organisation KEZ o.p.s. (a provider for the Ministry of Agriculture) and represents the number of certified organic products, although the real numbers may be a bit lower. Many organic products end up on the market as conventional products, since the processing sector is insufficiently developed to handle them. Other weak points in organic product sales are the marketing and the distribution network.

Regarding plant production the largest proportion consists of cereals, which together make up approximately 23 thousand tonnes. If we take into account the overall production of cereals in the Czech Republic the share of certified organic cereals is 0.3% (in 2005 7,695,900 tonnes were produced in the Czech Republic). The proportion of certified potatoes is 0.2% and of certified vegetables 1% of the overall production of these commodities. Cereal producers supply local processors or the grain is exported either directly or through international distribution networks. Fruit and vegetable growers sell the majority of their production to the end consumer directly at the farms, at markets, or they supply organic food outlets. Approximately 75% of the herb production is exported.

Table 3: Certified organic crop production in 2005

Land use 2001 area

(ha) 2002

area (ha) 2003

area (ha 2004

area (ha) 2005

area (ha)

Total % Total % Total % Total % Total %

Arable land

19,164 8.78 19,536 8.31 19,637 7.7 19,694 7.5 20,766 8.1

Permanent grassland

195,633 89.7 211,924 90.1 231,683 90.9 235,379 89.4 209,956 82.4

Permanent crops 963 0.45 898 0.38 928 0.36 1,170 0.4 820 0.3

Other areas

2,354 1.08 2,778 1.18 2,747 1.08 7,056 2.7 23,440 9.2

In total 218,114 100 235,136 100 254,995 100 263,299 100 254,982 100

Plant production Quantity (tonnes)

Wheat 9,689.10

Rye, oats 7,459.69

Barley 2,877.34

Other cereals 3,542.52

Flax and hemp 117

Soya beans (incl. milled) 50

Fodder crops 990,237.96

Potatoes 2,463.76

Maize (for grain) 1,300.29

Pulses 2,549.13

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Table 4: Farm animals reared in organic farming as of 31 December 2005


For organic animal production the problem area is the processing and logistics capacity for organic products. For instance, there are no poultry products on the Czech organic market. The other commodities are produced in sufficient amounts, but come on to the market as conventional foodstuffs. While some farmers sell meat and milk to processors, others sell straight from the farm. Currently there are several certified slaughterhouses for animals (Jatka Zbiroh, s.r.o.; Ing. Vladimír Krtouš, in Branišov; Kostelecké uzeniny; TORAFLEISCH; Vacík Václav, in Roupov; AGRO, in Měřín; Biopark) and two certified meat product producers (Kostelecké uzeniny a.s; LE & CO - Ing. Jiří Lenc, s.r.o.).

Table 5: Certified organic animal production in 2005

* certified as an organic product; ** certified as organic food Source: Ministry of Agriculture. Processed by Bioinstitut, o.p.s.

Oil seeds 45.32

Sunflower, sesame, safflower, mustard, rapeseed 406.95

Fruits, nuts, plants for drink products or spices 1,434.66

Vegetables – root, bulbous, leguminous 2,467.85

Livestock No. of heads

Beef cattle without calves

52,666

Calves 15,290

Sheep 24,230

Goats 1,726

Horses 546

Pigs 3,108

Poultry 2,946

Fish 1,180

Animal products Amount Units

Cow's milk * 11,210.09 1000 litres

Goat's milk * 504.04 1000 litres

Sheep's milk* 8 1000 litres

Wool* 32.61 Tonnes

Eggs * 131,735.00 Pieces

Beef incl. veal – fresh or chilled** 513.7 Tonnes

Pork – fresh or chilled** 202.51 Tonnes

Mutton – fresh or chilled** 8.2 Tonnes

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The size of organic enterprises in the Czech Republic

The average size of an organic enterprise in the Czech Republic is 308.2 hectares. Czech organic enterprises thus differ from the average in the EU states, where organic enterprises are represented by traditional family farms with a few tens of hectares. In the Czech Republic enterprises of between 100 to 500 hectares constitute one third of all farms. These are followed by farms of from 10 to 50 hectares (predominately private farmers), constituting one fifth of the farms. Almost 10% of the farms have more than 1000 hectares. Most organic land is owned by large enterprises (companies, limited companies, joint stock companies, cooperatives). Farms with small acreages are characterised by mixed and specialised production on arable land or permanent crop production (e.g. vegetables, fruit, wine, herbs).

Table 6: The size structure of organic enterprises as of Dec. 31, 2005


The regional distribution of organic enterprises in the Czech Republic

If we look at the number of organic enterprises and their distribution by region (Graph 1), the main feature is an unbalanced distribution throughout the Czech Republic. Most organic farms are in the mountainous and sub-montane areas.

More than a third of organic farmers are in Moravia, concentrated most strongly in the Zlín and Olomouc regions, and more specifically in the Jeseníky Mountains and the White Carpathians. In Bohemia organic farming is most developed in the northwest, particularly in the Karlovy Vary (Karlovarský) region, which has the largest number of organic farms (106) in the Czech Republic. Other regions with a relatively large number of organic farms are South Bohemia (Jihočeský), Pilsen (Plzeňský), and Ústí (Ústecký). In contrast there are few organic farms in the Central Bohemia (Středočeský) Pardubice and Vysočina regions, which are characterised by arable production. The task for the future is to expand organic farming into these regions and balance the proportion of arable land and grassland. This is important not only to produce a broader spectrum and greater amount of

Size division of farms by ha

Organic farms in total

Number Area (ha)

Total % Total %

> 0 – < 5 46 5.55 101.5 0.04

5 – < 10 32 3.86 232.1 0.09

10 – < 50 187 22.56 5,329.9 2.09

50 – < 100 136 16.41 9,899.2 3.88

100 – < 500 259 31.24 61,542.4 24.14

500 – < 1000 102 12.30 74,698.1 29.29

1000 – < 2000 55 6.63 77,069.2 30.23

2000 and more 12 1.45 26,119.6 10.24

In total 829 100.00 254'982.0 100

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organic products but also because organic farming has proven positive effects on water protection.

Graph 1: Number of organic farms and share of organic farms in the regions of the Czech Republic

Graph: The regions in the Czech Republic

Regarding the organically farmed land (Graph 2), the proportions of the individual regions look similar. The Karlovy Vary (Karlovarský) region however has distinctly the largest proportion of organically farmed land at 19%, or 48,000 ha, followed by the Moravia-Silesia (Moravskoslezský) region, at 13% or 33,000 hectares.

The regional distribution of organic enterprises has a marked influence on the establishment of PRO-BIO association regional centres, which work to develop organic farming in these areas. This fact can be documented by the good work of PRO-BIO northwest headquartered at the Agricultural College in Dalovice, which runs a Regional Information Centre for Agriculture (KIS) in the Karlovy Vary region.

Graph 2

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State Support

The recent development in organic farming was caused primarily by the renewal of state support in 1998. From 1998 to 2003 this support was provided on the basis of a government regulation that laid down the support programmes for supporting agriculture beyond production-related functions (Graph 3). Since 2004 the conditions for state support for organic farming have been modified by the HRDP programme document. One of the titles within the Agro-Environmental Measures (AEM) is measure A – Organic farming. The conditions for providing grants for organic farming are set out in Government Regulation No. 242/2004 coll., as amended, on carrying out AEM.

Organic farmers can also use an improved system for payment of bonuses based on points when applying for financial resources from the Farming Operation Programme (OP).

The amount of support under the AEM varies depending on the crop. It was the same in 2005 as in 2004 (Table 8):

3,520 Czech crowns (CZK)/ha (€124 /ha) for farming on arable land

1,100 CZK/ha (€39 /ha) for farming on grassland; 12,235 CZK/ha (€432 /ha) for cultivating vineyards, fruit orchards

or hop fields; 11,050 CZK/ha (€390 /ha) for growing vegetables or special

herbs on arable land.

Farms in the transitional period receive the same financial sum. In 2005 more than 700 applications for support for organic farming were made for an area of 214,916 hectares. As of 31 December 2005 the requested amount was 305,200 Czech crowns. The amount of financial payments made for 2005 is not depicted in Graph 3 as they are to be paid out over the course of 2006. In 2004 a total of 276.7 million Czech crowns was paid out, of which 55.4 million Czech crowns came from the budget of the Czech Republic and 221.4 million from the EU (as of 31 December 2005). In 2005 the financial contribution from the Ministry of Agriculture for the activities of the inspection organisation KEZ was the same as in 2004, i.e. 4 million Czech crowns.

Graph 3: Development of organic sector subsidies in the Czech Republic

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According to the information in the Programme of Rural Development approved by the Czech government, the payments per area for organic farming will be increased in the upcoming budget period 2007 to 2013. The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) is a new fund for rural development that includes all of a state’s support policy for agriculture. As can be seen from Table 8, the greatest growth in payments will probably be in those for grassland and permanent crops, representing a 141% and 107% increase respectively. The above-mentioned payments however are not definite and the final amounts will be approved at the end of 2006.

Table 7: Support for organic farming in the Czech Republic 1998 - 2006 and expected payments for 2007 (CZK/ha)

* Estimate. The figures will be approved later in 2006. Source: Ministry of Agriculture. Processed by A. Hrabalová and J. Handlová, of the Research Institute of Agricultural Economics

Action plan for the Czech Republic

On 17 March 2004 an action plan for developing organic farming until2010 was adopted by the government. In the coming period thisstrategic document should aid in forming a quality Organic Farming Programme, with specific measures for supporting the environment and animal welfare, strengthening consumer confidence and farmers’economic viability, processing organic products and marketing, and supporting research, education and advisory services.

In 2005, within the framework of the action plan, the Ministry of Agriculture carried out the following activities:

Land use 1998

1999-2000

2001-2003

2004-2006

from 2007

Growth IV / III

Growth V / IV

I II III IV V (%) (%)

Arable land 2,200 2,130 2,000 3,520 4,620 76 31

Permanent grassland

2,200 1,065 1,000 1,100 2,650 10 141

Permanent crops

2,200 3,195 3,500 12,235 25,285 250 107

Vegetables 2,200 2,130 3,500 11,050 16,790 216 52

Special plants 2,200 2,130 2,000 11,050 16,790 453 52

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Transfer of the BIO logo denoting certified organic food from private hands into state ownership (Ministry of Agriculture).

Cooperation with the marketing department of the SAIF (State Agricultural Intervention Fund) on organic food promotion (the international Biofach 2005 Trade Fair in Nuremberg, the G+H Trade Fair in Brno and the Wine and Spirits Trade Fair in Prague).

Preparation of a proposal for a communication project to inform consumers about organic farming and organic food, in cooperation with the PRO-BIO association and the marketing department of the SAIF (State Agricultural Intervention Fund) and using European funds. The project was not approved for the period 2007 – 2009 but a new application is being prepared.

In September 2005, Organic Food Month was announced by the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment. During this month 90 different events promoted organic farming in the regions throughout the Czech Republic.

The Bioinstitut organisation was founded in 2004, with headquarters in Olomouc. The institute will cover activities involving research, education and advisory services in organic farming.

Organic farming was incorporated into project themes within the National Agency for Agricultural Research (NAZV) and into the research programme for the agrarian sector for the period 2007 to 2012.

Since 2004 a subsidy programme title has been introduced for supporting organic advisory services within the framework of the principles which determine the conditions for providing national grants.

Educational events and seminars were held on the themes of processing and marketing in organic farming, animal welfare and the relationship between organic farming and the environment. A number of publications on organic farming and organic food were also produced.

Legal regulation of organic farming, inspection and certification system

2005 brought some changes in the validity of the present regulations relating to organic farming and at the same time some changes in the inspection and certification system. Act No. 553/2005 coll., which amends Act No. 242/2000 on organic farming, came into force on 30 December 2005. The purpose of this amendment was to delete all of the regulations in Act No. 242/2000 coll. that are duplicated in the European legislation on organic farming (Council Directive (EEC) 2092/91 on Organic Farming). This has led to a simplification of the legislation on organic farming. The complete wording of Act No. 242/2000 coll. came out in the Collection of Laws as Act No. 30/2006 coll., on 2 February 2006.

On 1 February 2006 a new executive decree, Decree 16/2006 coll. of the Ministry of Agriculture, came into effect, and replaced all of the executive decrees valid till then for Act No. 242/2000 coll. Thus as of 1 February 2006 the executive decrees Nos. 53/2001 coll., 263/2003 coll. and 174/2004 coll. are annulled. The legislation valid for organic farming can be found on the web pages of the Ministry of Agriculture or can be requested from the Department for Rural Development and Environmental Policy of the Ministry.

Apart from KEZ o.p.s. headquartered in Chrudim two further organisations currently carry out inspections and certifications.

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In 2005 a selection procedure took place in which the Czech-German inspection organisation ABCERT GmbH of Brno was successful. This commenced activities on 1 January 2006.

From the middle of 2006 a new certification organisation Biokont CZ, s.r.o., also located in Brno, has started inspection and certification activities as well as organic farming educational activities and research and development.

Advisory Service

This is mainly ensured by private advisors trained and accredited by the Czech Ministry of Agriculture through the Institute of Agricultural and Food Information (ÚZPI). This institute, established by the Ministry of Agriculture, also runs an information portal on organic farming, organises training and professional conferences and issues methodology manuals on organic farming and other printed information.

Organic farming extension work is subsidised under the Ministry of Agriculture support programme “9F Support for Advisory Service in Agriculture”. Subtitle: 9FC “Organic Farming Including the TransitionPeriod”. Support grants cover 80% of the total cost of the advisoryservices.

PRO-BIO The Association of Organic Farmers provides its members with basic advisory services relating to the transition to organic farming, inspections and certification. It also includes the provision of topical information on the problems of organic farming (e.g. specialised consultancy on growing plants and rearing farm animals, helping with legislation, rules and subsidies, etc.). This advisory service is carried out by the administrators of the regional centres and contractual advisors exclusively for association members or for those interested in becoming members. It is based on personal meetings and direct consultation on a given problem with one of the organic farming advisors. Another form of advisory service that the association offers its members is group consultancy in the form of excursions and professional seminars on varying themes such as organic farming (for new members interested in starting organic farming), growing energy crops, biodynamic seminars etc.

The network of information and advisory centres for organic farming and agri-environmental programmes has been run since 2006 under Ministry of Environment projects (with the support of the European Social Fund and the State Budget of the Czech Republic) by the PRO-BIO Association, Epos and PRO-BIOŠumava. It was established at fifty information centres concentrated in the regions of West Bohemia, South Bohemia, South Moravia, Vysočina, Zlín, Moravia-Silesia, Olomouc, and Pardubice, in cooperation with the Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection (AOPK) and the Ministry of Agriculture. For more information see: www.agro-envi-info.cz, www.pro-bio.cz. Under these projects a number of professional handbooks have been issued as well as other information outputs (software for organic farming, a CD on teaching presentations, text books and leaflets).

EPOS – The Alliance of Organic Farming Advisors is an association joining up advisors, research workers and pedagogues working in organic farming.

Bioacademy – European summer conference on organic farming

The main organiser of the European Conference on Organic Farming is the PRO-BIO association. Other partners sharing in the preparation and professional cooperation are, above all, Bio Austria, FIBL Switzerland, Bioinstitut and Packy University in Olomouc. The event takes place under the auspices of and with financial contributions from the Czech Ministry of Agriculture, the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Environment and Water Management, and the

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Slovak Ministry of Agriculture.

The Bioacademy is aimed at the professional and lay public in the Czech Republic and abroad, at those interested in organic farming, healthy lifestyles and the environment, and organic food consumers. The Bioacademy regularly takes place at the end of June or beginning of July in Lednice, in the picturesque surroundings of the Lednicko - Valtické area.

The main themes of the 2006 conference were permanent grasslands and their role in organic farming, and organic food and its health aspects. A plenary meeting on the theme “A Critical Stance on the Proposed Review of Council Regulation 2092/91 on Organic Farming” was also held. Representatives of international and national organic farming organisations, representatives from the European Commission and representatives from the ministries of health, agriculture and environment of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria took part. The programme ended with a now traditional excursion to organic farms in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria.

Teaching and scientific training in organic farming

In the Czech Republic organic farming is taught at the agricultural universities in Prague, Brno and at the South Bohemian University in České Budějovice. Several agricultural colleges teach organic farming as a separate subject. The majority of agricultural schools and training institutions teach organic farming within courses on growing crops and rearing farm animals, using two volumes of a textbook on organic farming published in 2003 and 2004 (Vol. 1 by MoE Prague, Vol. 2 by PRO-BIO Šumperk).

For teaching and consultancy, some professional (usually monothematic) publications are used. These are issued by PRO-BIO (Organic Farming Bulletin), ÚZPI ČR (the Czech Institute of Agricultural and Food Information) in Prague (Methodology Handbook for Organic Farmers), Epos (Methodology Sheets) and Bioinstitut (Practical Handbook).

For training and promotion a very good aid is the Bioměsíčník (Bio Monthly), published by VH Press in Hradec Králové. Another source of information on organic farming is the weekly magazine Zemědělec (Farmer) with a professional supplement “Ekologické zemědělství” (Organic Farming).

Promotion and education

The preponderance of organic farms with a focus on landscape maintenance in mountainous and sub-montane regions (cattle rearing on permanent grassland without any market production of milk) does not support the development of the domestic organic food market. The idea that organic farming will provide consumers with a sufficient amount of good-quality organic food has yet to be fulfilled. Despite the attempts ofthe association and the majority of the actors in the field of organic farming, organic food is not available at normal markets in a suitably broad range, and consumer awareness of organic farming and food remains low.

According to a recent survey by GfK Praha for the Ministry of Agriculture, only 3% of the Czech population regularly buy products with the BIO logo. Another quarter of the population knows of organic products, but buys them only sporadically. A further quarter knows of them, but doesn’t buy the products, and almost half of the consumers neither know of nor purchase products with the BIO logo. Most frequently mentioned barriers to buying organic products are lack of information, price and the popularity of traditional brand-names. For a part of respondents, one barrier is distrust of these products and the non-availability of organic products in the places where they regularly

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shop.

The share of regular organic customers is much higher among women and respondents with a university education. There are also significantly more regular customers in the 25 to 45 age group, compared to rather few in the youngest and the oldest age categories. According to the respondents, the most important sources of information about organic food are TV programmes (other than advertisements), information in organic shops, daily newspapers, magazines and advertisements of producers or vendors. For women an equally important information channel is communication with friends and acquaintances.

One positive aspect for the general promotion of organic farming is the continued goodwill from the media, lay persons and the general consumer public. In particular, thanks to this goodwill and the clear message that the basic philosophy of organic farming brings, it was possible to achieve, with the limited financial resources available, at least a certain minimum positive awareness of organic food and farming in the Czech Republic.

Examples of successful PR activities: Open door days, tastings, organising press conferences and regularly sending information to the media, publishing pamphlets, books, the Bioměsíčník monthly magazine, the presentation of organic farming at trade fairs, on the Internet, consumer clubs, and contact points in organic food shops etc.

Of crucial importance for simplifying orientation was the use of a single all-encompassing trademark for organic food by all the organic farming associations, processors and organic food retailers. The use of the BIO label is regulated by an ordinance to the Organic Farming Act. The BIO label is a registered trademark owned by the state.

Due to the practical absence of state support for general promotion in the Czech Republic the non-governmental organisations PRO-BIO, KEZ and the Partnership Foundation Nadace Partnerství established a joint financial fund and a grant programme called “Education and Promotion for Organic Farming in the Czech Republic”. In this framework, projects by non-governmental organisations and organic farmers’ sales cooperatives are supported every year. The “Organic Food of the Year” competition also belongs to this programme. The PRO-BIO Association moreover involves consumers in the promotion of organic food and farming through its regional Friends of Organic Farming Club. In 2002 the “PRO-BIO League for Protecting Food Consumers and Friends of Organic Farms” arose as a branch of the Association. The PRO-BIO League runs an information centre in Prague, at Toulcův Dvůr, which organises promotional events and hosts internet pages aimed at the consumer www.biospotrebitel.cz

Promotion and advertising help improve sales of organic food and present the positive aspects of organic farming. In this way it improves self-sufficiency in organic farming in the Czech Republic, which, as a system, is nowadays largely dependent on subsidies.

The domestic organic food market

The Czech organic food market is developing rapidly. In 2005 the turnover grew by 30% and reached 350 million Czech crowns (ca. €12.5 million). The main reason for this growth is demand from Czech consumers; however, this is predominantly satisfied by increased imports from abroad.

In the retail market there is an ongoing lack of certain basic commodities of organic quality, for instance eggs, certain types of meat (above all poultry), fruit, vegetables, and milk and dairy products, especially butter and cheeses.

The situation has improved for fresh bread. Apart from the Albio bakery in Prague the supermarkets Carrefour and Interspar offer daily in-store organic bread. Furthermore the company Country Life opened an organic bakery in September 2005 and its aim is to distribute organic bread throughout the Czech Republic. Traditional organic bread

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bakeries can also be found at Jizerské Bakeries, the KaK Bakery at Blansko, Leština Bakery near Zábřeh na Moravě. In 2006 other bakeries announced their intention to bake organic products and submit to the pertinent inspections (e.g. Zemanka Bakery in Lanškroun).

Other new products on the Czech organic market are ham and salami (Sasov farm), Edam cheese (Polabské dairies), kefir (Valašské dairies), the fermented drink Kombucha (Country Life and PRO-BIO), tofu (Veto, Vitall, SUNFOOD), homemade bread mixes (Jizerské Bakeries), plant-based spreads (SIVO) and a powdery spice mix (Terezia Company).

The most important shopping places for the respondents in the GfK Praha survey are hypermarkets, specialised shops and supermarkets. More than one third of the organic consumers are not satisfied with the current supply of organic food. They most often buy milk and milk products. Other organic products most frequently purchased are flour, cereals and bread. Most organic shoppers are patriots when it comes to choosing between Czech and foreign organic products. Only 1% prefer the foreign products, while 40% are indifferent to the country of origin.

In general, organic food in supermarket chain stores is offered under the labels of the producer organisations. Nonetheless, the first organic labels of the retail chains are starting to appear. Super- and hypermarkets are the largest distribution networks for meat (beef from Biopark; pork from Delvita (Farma Sasov) and dairy products (Olma, Valašská Dairy, Polabské Dairies). Delvita, Tesco and Hypernova offer a limited range of fruit and vegetables (supplied by Ekofarma Deblín).

The largest selection of organic food is offered by specialised organic shops of the PRO-BIO Association of Organic Farmers, of which there are more than 50 throughout the Czech Republic. The shops are clearly marked with the logo and the association’s membership number. In addition to a large selection of organic food they also offer their customers professional advice and information. In contrast to the anonymous manner of shopping and the very small range of products found in supermarkets, the organic shops offer a number of advantages: a wide range of organic food (from children’s nutrition to organic coffee or wine), fresh products from the local organic farmers or organic food producers; and they also organise tastings, cooking courses, information seminars and trips to organic farms.

In 2006 the organic shops of the PRO-BIO Association celebrated their tenth anniversary in the Czech market, and are now preparing a number of special offers and events for their customers. The organic shops of the PRO-BIO Association are also actively joining in promotional activities for Earth Day and Organic Food Month in September.

An ever-increasing share in sales is being enjoyed by new forms of purchasing, one of which is via the internet. Currently eight portals in the Czech Republic offer this form of shopping. In 2005 the League of Environmental Alternatives (LEA) carried out an independent test of these internet shops and the best three portals were found to be Rozmaryna.cz, Biosfera.cz a Dobrykramek.cz. The test results and an overview of the shops can be found at www.lea.ecn.cz.

Direct sales from the farms generally involve fresh fruit and vegetables, milk and dairy products and, in part, meat. Direct sales further take place in the markets, at various celebrations and fairs, but also in the form of postal consignments and direct deliveries in boxes.

Update of June 1, 2007: Czech Organic Market will quadruple by 2011

(June 1, 2007) The turnover of organic food in the Czech Republic grew by 250 million CZK and reached 760 million CZK (€ 27 million) in 2006, growing by impressive 49 %. The Czech organic food market was thus probably the fastest growing market in Europe last year. This is reported at the Fresh Plaza homepage; the figures come from the report “Czech Organic Food Market 2007”, which was published by

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Imports and exports

In 2005 organic products imported from 19 countries were re-certified. Imports from the EU can no longer be considered imports, since free movement within the Community is now in place. In spite of this the possibility of re-certification was used even within the European Community, primarily due to the possibility of labelling a product with a national organic food label.

In the event of importing products labelled as organic from countries that are not Member States of the EU, it was necessary to apply through KEZ to the Czech Ministry of Agriculture for an import authorisation. This duty stems from article 11, paragraph 6 of Council Regulation 2092/91. In 2005 the Czech Ministry of Agriculture issued 32 import authorisations from 8 countries outside of the EU: Japan (12), China (6), Paraguay (4), Turkey (3), Canada (2), Egypt (2), Mauritius (2) and one import from the Republic of South Africa.

Processed organic foods are the predominant import into the Czech Republic, where such foods are lacking due to the insufficient development of domestic processing. These are above all fruit juices and beverages, sauces, spreads, jams, sweeteners, confectionery, oils and fats. Since 2005 even fresh fruit and vegetables have been imported by Czech importers (Luční Údolí, Ekofarma Deblín and Country Life); dairy products are imported by Josef Suba Bauer – CZ (e.g. the trade marks Andechser, Ja!Natürlich, Goldsteig, Käsehof) and also fresh poultry and lamb (Robert’s BIO). The majority of the imported organic foods come from Germany, Italy, Austria, Holland and Belgium. The largest processor and distributor of organic foods in the Czech Republic is the PRO-BIO company, which operates its own organic mill, processing plant and packaging plant and has markedly changed its business strategy. Although its specialisation in organic food has been retained, there has been a distinct increase in its representation of finished organic foods from abroad, which currently predominate over domestic organic foodstuffs.

On the Czech Republic’s accession to the EU, the duty of exporters when exporting to the EU to submit a “Request for Issuance of a Certificate to Export Organic Products and Organic Foodstuffs” in accordance with section 26 (4) of Act No. 242/2000 coll. ended on 1 May 2004, since goods can move freely within the EU. For 2005 a total of 27 certificates for exporting organic products and organic foodstuffs were issued, in accordance with Act No. 242/2000 coll. All exports of organic products and organic foods to outside the EU were to Turkey – infant food totalled 238.2 tonnes.

Future prospects

The prospects for the development of organic farming in the Czech Republic are good. We have an appropriate legal framework corresponding to EU legislation, and the political will to support organic farming as an environment-friendly form of agriculture. Subsidies for organic farming are expected to be around 500 million Czech crowns (ca. €17.9 million) per year, up from around 300 million crowns (ca. €10.7 million) in past years. According to the government-approved Programme for Rural Development, which supports organic farming within the framework of the agri-environmental measures, the payments will be increased from 2007 on: grasslands will be supported by up to

Green Marketing in May 2007. Imported organic food had a share of 65 % of the growth and 56 % of the total turnover last year. Organic food thus made 0.35 % of the total food consumption. The average Czech purchased organic food worth € 2.65. >> Report at the Fresh Plaza Homepage

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2,650 CZK/ha (€94 /ha), arable land by up to 4,620 CZK/ha (€163 /ha) and permanent crops by up to 25,285 CZK/ha (€893/ha). Although there was a decrease in organic land in 2005, according to the PRO-BIO Association and data from inspection organisations there should be an increase of 80 to 90 new farms and the share of organic land in the total agricultural area should increase to 6%. Consumer interest is also growing – which motivates domestic producers to broaden the supply of Czech organic products. Important tasks for organic farming are to expand cautiously onto arable land and to strengthen the diversity of the organic food market. In addition to the goal of the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Farming by 2010 – to achieve a 10% share of organic farming in the total farmland in the Czech Republic – the main point is that the production structure should be improved and consumer interest in organic products raised.

Information sources

The chapter The domestic organic food market was taken and modified from: Václavík, T. (2006): Český trh s biopotravinami 2005 (The Czech Market in Organic Food 2005).

The chapter Imports and Exports was taken and modified from: Leibl, M. (2006): Minulý rok přinesl pokles ploch (Last Year Brought a Fall in Areas) Zemědělec 7/2006, supplement Ekologické zemědělství (Organic Farming).

Ministry of Agriculture (2006). Green Report of the Czech Republic. Prague

Ministry of Agriculture (2005) Action Plan of the Czech Republic for Developing Organic Farming up to 2010. Prague

Photos: © PRO-BIO

Author

Karolína Dytrtová et al. – Bioinstitut,o.p.s., Institute for EcologicalAgriculture and Sustainable Landscape Development Křížkovského 8, CZ-771 47 Olomouc, tel. +420 585 631 178 website: www.bioinstitut.cz

© FiBL 2007 All rights reserved. URL http://www.organic-europe.net/country_reports/czech_republic/default.asp Last modified 01.12.2008 Comments to H. Willer

Forschungsinstitut fuer biologischen Landbau (FiBL) , Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Ackerstrasse, CH-5070 Frick Tel: +41-62-865 72 72 Fax:+41-62-865 72 73 Internet http://www.fibl.ch




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Organic farming in the Czech Republic · 2013. 7. 31. · Ukraine Organic farming in the Czech Republic 2006 Karolína Dytrtová, Bioinstitut ... Imports and exports Future prospects