Towards sustainable food systems - An analysis of EU policy measures setting environmental sustainability requirements

The current challenges affecting the EU food system call for an urgent shift towards more sustainability. As set out by the Commission Farm to Fork Strategy, the path to achieve such an ambitious goal should promote policy coherence at EU and national level, mainstream sustainability in food-related policies and strengthen the resilience of food systems. In this report, we focus on provisions setting requirements to improve the sustainability of food products.

Benessere e impatto ambientale della produzione di suini biologici: una raccolta di schede informative

Esistono problemi comuni di benessere animale legati alla mortalità dei suinetti e ai problemi di salute durante lo svezzamento. Inoltre, i pascoli all'aperto in cemento nei sistemi di allevamento dei suini da carne mettono in discussione gli obiettivi biologici e sono associati a un elevato rischio di emissioni di ammoniaca, mentre i sistemi di pascolo facilitano la vita naturale, ma sono ostacolati da un elevato rischio di lisciviazione dei nutrienti.

Welfare and environmental impact of organic pig production, a collection of factsheets

There are common animal welfare challenges related to piglet mortality and health problems around weaning. Further, outdoor concrete runs in systems for growing-finishing pigs challenge the organic goals of and are associated with a high risk of ammonia emissions, while pasture systems do facilitate natural living, but are challenged by a high risk of nutrient leaching.

Presence of pesticides in the environment, transition into organic food, and implications for quality assurance along the European organic food chain – A review

The use of synthetic pesticides is not allowed in organic production, but traces of synthetic pesticides are regularly detected in organic food. To safeguard the integrity of organic production, organic certifiers are obliged to investigate the causes for pesticide residues on organic food, entailing high costs to the organic sector.

Progetto Core Organic: “Benessere e impatto ambientale della produzione di suini biologici”

Il gruppo di istituti che partecipa al progetto Core Organic Cofund POWER , tra cui FIBL, CREA, INRAE,  ha pubblicato un manuale che mira ad aumentare la salute e il benessere dei suini biologici, riducendo al contempo l'impronta ambientale dei sistemi di allevamento. Fornisce un quadro comune di strategie basate sulla conoscenza per la progettazione e la gestione dei parchetti esterni di  cemento, volti a ridurre la mortalità dei suinetti e i problemi di salute e migliorando la resilienza e la sostenibilità del sistema di allevamento.

Does organic farming reduce environmental impacts? - A meta-analysis of European research

Article published in the Journal of Environmental Management. Organic farming practices have been promoted as, inter alia, reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture. This meta-analysis systematically analyses published studies that compare environmental impacts of organic and conventional farming in Europe. The results show that organic farming practices generally have positive impacts on the environment per unit of area, but not necessarily per product unit.

Organic production systems: sustainability assessment of rice in Italy

Even though organic practices are getting more and more widespread, there is scant of information on their environmental impacts. A comprehensive approach is needed in order to take into account, on the one hand, the lower amount of inputs normally used (e.g. pesticides) in organic systems and, on the other hand, the lower yield they usually imply. The aim of this study is to assess the environmental profile of organic rice cultivation in a farm located in Pavia district (Lombardy).