World meat industry news

The Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation discussed the prospects for organic farming in Russia.

Valentina Matviyenko, Federation Council Speaker, and Dmitry Patrushev, Minister of Agriculture of Russia, attended a meeting of the Federation Council Committee on Agriculture and Food Policy and Environmental Management. Julia Klöckner, Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture of Germany, addressed the event by video message.

Valentina Matviyenko opened the meeting by pointing out that organic food production is a young but promising area. She stated that this topic is of great importance for both the country's economy and the citizens' life quality. It will also help to solve the tasks set by the President of Russia in his Address to the Federal Assembly.

Federation Council Speaker noted that organic food has great export potential. Thus, it is important to pay attention to the certification and labelling of these products and improve cooperation with foreign partners, especially within the Eurasian Economic Union. It is an important task of the government to reorient agriculture development towards organic farming, Valentina Matviyenko said. She stressed out that it is necessary to do everything possible to make it profitable and convenient to produce organic products in Russia.

According to Dmitry Patrushev, organic farming is one of the fastest-growing and most attractive areas all over the world. Production volumes have grown more than sevenfold over the past 20 years, to approximately 130 billion dollars in 2020.

The development of organic farming is important not only to improve food quality but also to reduce the negative impact on the climate and to use energy resources more efficiently.

In Russia, organic farming has been regulated almost for a year and a half by a separate federal law. The law has, among other things, made it possible to launch a certification system that encourages farmers to produce high-quality products and to enter the market more actively.

"We are looking forward to a further increase in the number of certified organic producers. For our part, we will do everything possible to popularise organic farming. In particular, it is necessary to provide the sub-sector with skilled workers. There are already special programmes in universities subordinate to the Ministry of Agriculture, which will be subsequently expanded" said Dmitry Patrushev.

He pointed out that the Ministry is planning to set up an Organic Production Development Strategy. It will encourage the sector's development and provide the market with affordable and quality organic products. Dmitry Patrushev mentioned that Russia would be able to claim a leading position in the world organic markets due to its uniqueness and wealth of natural resources.

Julia Klöckner noted that innovative companies with an impressive variety of products have already been established in Russia. Russia and Germany cooperate extensively in agriculture, including in the accreditation of Organic Certification Bodies.