EU Organic: Make the exclusive good into the inclusive better, start with "Greenhouse Cultivation"

Editor's Notes

• #2: Dear Mr. Tabajdi, Ambassador, Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, Thank you for the invitation. I will introduce our foundation, our techniques, and offer suggestions on the new and current legislation on organic Protected Cropping where we believe the organic growers must have the choice to protect not only the crops, but the sub-soil too!
• #3: PuraNatura was founded in 2007 with one clear purpose: To stimulate innovation . We also believe that Protected Cropping should be the agricultural Primus Inter Pares.
• #4: We adhere to the IFOAM principles of health, ecology, fairness and care but interpret these -not from an agricultural viewpoint- but from a Protected Cropping point of view. Therefore we rank the IFOAM principles differently than some in the organic sector.
• #5: Health and ecology are “ just ” work, even ones ’ duty as a grower. Care and fairness reflect personal, political choices on how we want to live together. Health and ecology are “ just ” common sense, good science and hard work. Ours is a more inclusive organic, not an exclusive one.
• #6: We want to make organic products accessible to all and everywhere. Commercial Protected Cropping is sometimes frowned upon by diehard “ organics ” because of its de facto intensification. And it is –in any way, shape or form, an intensification of agriculture.
• #7: Look at the way crops are fertilized, energized, watered, nourished, taken care of and recycled. The 2008 legislation was a brave step by Europe. Within two decades regulation had matured from a set of well-deserved protective measures for a group of impressive pioneers into a public good; property of “ the people ” . Because of the mentioned intensification an organic grower MUST have the choice to protect not only the crop, but the sub-soil below -from even the most extensive type of Protected Cropping. We expected the legislation to reflect this extraordinary position of Protected Cropping. Well, it almost did. And it almost did not.
• #8: Fitting legislation on Protected Cropping was postponed. But a reference was made to a specific horticultural practice: Hydroponics. Here I show the difference! Soil ecosystems matter and legislation understandably prohibits hydroponics because “ organic ” is about organic matter, hence its name.
• #9: Healthy roots, healthy soil life, resilient plants
• #10: Our plants, as most EU organic plants grow the first 40 days above the sub-soil. In pots. The plants are fully EU organic certified.
• #11: soil does not mean “ earth ” and the organic grower must have the choice and be allowed to protect the sub-soils! Not just protect the crop…
• #12: There is no place on earth where our active, organic growing media would be called “ hydroponic ” production. Except in The Netherlands. Because of a curious translation by the Dutch certifying authorities. This semantic issue is the reason why research & development into organic substrates is not as substantial as one would wish for and why we choose five years ago for USDA NOP certification. Our growers are now preferred suppliers at Whole Food Supermarkets for example. The North American consumer pays the transport costs for our type of organic, because it is the organic they want --- and it is the “ organic ” that those retailers expect “ organic ” to be.
• #13: We believe that the cultivation of plants in an active growth medium with soil life above the sub-soil, not in it, can be and should be allowed. And in several Member States it IS allowed. The PuraNatura method is thus already in line with the spirit of EU legislation. And even follows the letter of the law, but, alas, not in The Netherlands.
• #14: For the current legislation we respectively suggest that the European Commission states clearly that it allows active growth media in and above the sub-soil, and maintains the prohibition of hydroponics. This will give growers the option to protect not only the crops, but the environment too! Such clarity will have an immediate beneficial effect on investment, research & development and stimulate further innovation and job creation.
• #15: Let ’ s now turn to new legislation on Protected Cropping. But first I ’ d like to introduce one of our growers, Wim Grootscholte, a pioneer, who will tell us a bit about how our methods already stimulated innovation in America and in Europe. This is a grower that went from Hydroponics to organic and knows the difference!
• #16: Once the EU specifically would allow Protected Cropping, all bets are off. And all “ ideological ” bets are off too. Once you regulate an intensely nourished, fertilized and protected crop, you simply have to allow the organic grower to protect the sub-soils below. One simply can ’ t have the pie and eat it too.
• #17: So IF indeed the EC decides Protected Cropping merits specific regulations, together we have to make it into the best available agricultural practice to date, high-tech, low-tech, high-touch and low-touch practitioners, all together. Ideals, yes, ideology, no.
• #18: We would like to assist “ Brussels ” and hope we ’ ll be acknowledged as a stakeholder. We also like to work with the European organic sector to ensure that all ships will rise and no current organic grower is left behind. New legislation should be used as the best way to lift the entire organic sector. More and affordable organic fresh products in the supermarkets and specialty stores will draw the public to other organic foodstuff too.
• #19: Research demonstrates that only an increased market penetration and predictable availability creates a healthy market. Many new customers, and lot ’ s of them
• #20: Protected Cropping, can create jobs, but it is up to the politicians to choose what type of work, and how many jobs. You may have noticed the EFRD logo on our slides. We are proud recipients of a co-finance grant. With this grant we are expected to demonstrate not only the environmental advantages of our growing technique but also demonstrate how we create jobs and new economic activities such as urban horticulture.
• #21: So far we have created two additional jobs per hectare compared with traditional high-yield, low-touch cultivation. High-tech, high-touch is our message. Good news for regions where job creation is important. And we are talking thousands of jobs !
• #22: Ours is an inclusive and participative type of organic. We want many growers to enter the system. Especially the ones not blessed by rich soils, or the ones that cannot afford to fiddle with the figures on area ’ s and leaching of nitrates. Or the ones that want to grow within their urban communities and want grow on roofs of abandoned parking garages and supermarkets. They too should be part of the European Organic family. They will be the next generation of pioneers, the ones that will increase consumer interest, awareness and acceptation of organic produce. What do we like novel legislation to look like?
• #23: We want “ EU Organic ” to be the organic based on similarities at product level , nutritious, available and safe, inclusive and based on what we know and can measure.