5th European Organic Congress

The IFOAM EU Group and the Hungarian EU Presidency in cooperation with the Hungarian Ministry for Rural Development, Biokontroll Hungária and Magyar Biokultúra Szövetsé are organizing the conference:

“Organic Farming as opportunity for European Agriculture” in Gödöllő, Hungary, May 31st – June 1st 2011.

With 300 participants expected, including high level speakers from the Hungarian EU Presidency, European Commission, European Parliament and the organic sector, the conference will take place right after the informal meeting of agriculture Ministers under Hungarian presidency and at a decisive point in time for the debate on the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

The congress will take place at the beautiful Gödöllő castle, 20min. away from Budapest airport with high level speakers from the EU and national political institutions present including:

• Dacian Cioloş, Agriculture Commissioner
• Paolo de Castro, Agriculture Chairman in the European Parliament
• Sandor Fazekas, Hungarian Minister for Rural Development

The conference will discuss the opportunities organic agriculture offers for farmers, operators and rural areas in reaching the objectives outlined in the Commission Communication on the new CAP. Organic farming is an innovative, knowledge-based approach to resource efficient farming and can be an engine for development and employment in rural areas. It contributes to sustainability objectives including mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change, prevention of biodiversity degradation and increased animal welfare standards. The conference will be organised as the 5th European Organic Congress and will discuss and contribute to the ongoing CAP debate and how the role of organic farming in re-shaping EU food and farming systems to meet these objectives can be further developed to make full use of its potential in all member states.

Further information and registration is now available through the congress website: www.organic-congress-ifoameu.org