Organic Reform Comprmise June 17, 2015 12:00 am The Latvian Presidency has managed to negotiate a compromise of the revision of EU organic rules. There have been two main sticking points during the discussions, pesticide residue rules and the frequency of control. The EU Farm Council, comprising Member States’ Farm Ministers, favoured a shift towards a risk-based approach for control checks; where a party has been compliant for at least three years checks can move to every 30 months rather than annual. The agreement will now enable a trilogue between the Farm Council, the European Commission and Members of the European Parliament. This will begin in the autumn with a deal possible by the end of the year. The aim of the reform is to ensure consumer confidence, standardisation and creating a level playing field across the EU.
