FiBL and the Ethiopian Association of Organic Agriculture co-organised a workshop to discuss the implications of the newest EU Organic Regulation for Ethiopian organic exporters. The event in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, brought together 15 representatives from organic export organisations and authorities, who discussed key regulatory updates, shared experiences on compliance pathways, and addressed country-specific challenges.
Rising costs, stricter requirements, and a need for more guidance
A key outcome of the discussion was that most large producer organisations, such as unions, had to drastically cut the number of cooperatives and farmers with EU organic certification due to new legal requirements and rising costs under the EU Organic Regulation in 2025.
Participants also reported the need for more capacity building in implementing the requirements of the Internal Control System, which will be the subject of follow-up training held by local organic experts.
Participants were also informed that the EU Commission has launched a call for evidence, named "Have Your Say" (see link below). It seeks to collect feedback from organic exporters about the costs and burdens associated with the new eligibility criteria for groups of operators under the EU Organic Regulation.
The workshop was part of the project "Support for organic producer groups in Africa in implementing the new EU Organic Farming Regulation 2018/848", which is supported by GIZ in the Invest for Jobs Program.
Further information
Contacts
Links
- fibl.org: Project "Support for organic producer groups" in the FiBL project database
- europa.eu: EU Commission's call for evidence "Have Your Say"
- invest-for-jobs.com Website Invest for Jobs