FW: Organic Feed / Pullets brief note from Defra

The note below has come from DEFRA just now regarding organic monogastric diets.

Last week the scheduled meeting of SCOF (Standing Committee for Organic Farming) met. At this meeting, each EU member state has one representative, and they discuss all matters organic. The proposal to delay the implementation of the requirement for organic poultry feed to be 100% was due to have been discussed. However, despite the attendees being aware of the need to discuss this at the last meeting of the year, it was not even on the agenda! Robin Fransella, the UK representative was hoping to have it discussed under AOB – the text below shows that something was discussed:

From:
Sent: 29 November 2011 14:15
To: Fransella, Robin (FFG-CROP)
Subject: Organic Feed / Pullets brief note from Defra

Dear All
No doubt everyone is concerned to hear about how talks have progressed to resolve the monogastric organic feed and organic pullet issues.
I am sending this brief note to confirm that action is being taken to enable continued production, though it is impossible to give detail yet.
However, it is possible to confirm that, since there will not be a possibility to publish a text prior to the 31 December deadline, the intention will be for the amending regulation to have retrospective effect. This will ensure that the animals and their products remain legally described as organic during the period of time from 01 January to the date the regulation becomes applicable.
The Commission have made it clear that they do not intend introducing requirements that would impose immediate changes to the feed rules, and that the pullets issue will be delayed for discussion in order to allow proper consideration. So it will be possible to continue operations as the Commission would not expect to see action taken against operators that are acting in good faith.
Further to the above the Commission have stated that they will place information on their website showing that a retroactive rule is proposed and that as soon as a draft of the proposed text is available it will be communicated. This text is likely to include proposals requiring a low percentage of monogastric feed to be sourced from the region, to allow an initial level of the current 5% of non-organic inputs (possibly limited to proteins) with the percentage based on the overall feed figure and that this will drop initially to 3% after a year, then to <1% on an ongoing basis to allow for minor inclusions. The ability to use non-organic pullets is likely to continue for up to two more years.
We will send further information on this as soon as it is available.
Regards
Robin

Mr R Fransella
Policy Advisor
Organic Team
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
8C Millbank
c/o 17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR

Some of the language is hard to penetrate for everyday meaning!

I think that the bottom line is that the current requirement for 95% diets continues until some point in the relatively future.

I would have more confidence if there was a specific written text which clarified, without ambiguity, what the programme is, but I do not understand Mr Fransella’s last paragraph beyond expecting at some point for the diets to be required to move to 97% at some point in the future.

As we know more at Humphrey Feeds on this important organic matter, we will share this with you, so that you can continue to make informed decisions about your organic business, and we will continue to campaign on your behalf to ensure that some stupid EU decisions are deflected as much, and as long as possible.



Published: 29th November 2011