Certification and Accreditation of Organics in Austria: Implementation, Strengths and Weaknesses

Over the past few years, policy makers have sup-ported the development of organic farming at the European and national level as a process that contrib-utes to environmentally sound farming practices. In Austria, about 9 % of farms are currently under certi-fied organic management, the highest percentage in the European Union (EU). Several factors have con-tributed to this: the activities of organic farmers’ associations; the early inclusion of guidelines for organic crop production and animal husbandry in the Austrian Codex Alimentarius; government support through direct payments for organic farms during and after conversion; the early commitment of super-market chains; and the establishment of a private organic marketing company (Vogl and Hess, 1999). Within the EU, the ongoing changes in the Common Agricultural Policy have shifted farm income support from product price intervention to direct payments not linked to production (Dunne and O’Connell, 2003). However, if direct payments for organic farming are seen by European governments as a nec-essary tool to reward farmers for the preservation of public goods, they are at the same time the subject of critical discussions. As a result, market instruments that support demand, such as labels for organic prod-ucts and the marketing of these products, are gaining importance. Because organic farming currently is the only farming approach that is supported by an ex-plicit legal definition and international agreements, it has an edge over other ecolabels. The defined stan-dards are intended to promote consumer confidence and prevent an undermining of the market through fraudulent trading. Structure of Certification in Austria EU regulations With the European Council Regulation (EEC) Nr. 2092/91 and its amendments (henceforth called the “EU Regulation”) the EU has created the regulatory framework for the organic farming sector in Europ