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European
organic meat, pig and poultry sector
According to
the Soil Association, organic livestock production is highest in
Austria; 24% of all sheep and 17% of all cattle are managed
organically. In the Czech Republic, Denmark, Latvia, Austria and
Sweden more then 5% of cattle production is organic, while 13% of
pigs are managed organically in Greece.
(see also sales)
European
organic fruit and vegetable sector
The largest
number of organic fruit & vegetable suppliers is in southern Europe,
mainly in Italy, which has the largest area of organic farmland and
number of organic growers in Europe. A significant number of the
36,639 organic farmers grow organic fruit & vegetables with most
based in southern Italy. Brio and Apofruit are the leading Italian
traders of organic fresh produce.
There is
relatively low production of organic fruit & vegetables in northern
Europe and suppliers in these countries focus on import rather than
export. No companies in the UK and Scandinavia are actively involved
in exporting organic fresh produce. In contrast, most of the organic
fruit & vegetable production in Spain, Greece and Portugal is for
the export market. (Organic Monitor, 2006)
(see also sales)
European
organic dairy sector
In Europe, the
organic dairy sector is dominated by large European dairies. Supply
of organic milk is controlled by large conventional dairies in all
continental European countries except Germany, Austria and
Switzerland. The main exporter of organic milk to the UK is Denmark.
(see also
sales)
European
organic arable sector
Whilst the
demand for organic cereals has increased very rapidly, the potential
for a rapid increase in production is limited. There was a low rate
of conversion from to organic cereals production during 2003 and
2004. Coupled with this, there is a built-in delay for potential
expansion as a result of the two-year conversion process. These
factors combined have resulted/ are resulting in a severe shortage
of organic cereals both in the UK and the rest of Europe. (Scottish
Agricultural College, 2007)
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Global sales of
organic food & drink have increased by £2.6 billion to £19.3 billion
in 2006. Europe has the largest market by value for organic foods in
the world and North America has the second largest market. In 2005,
organic sales in Europe were estimated at 14.4 billion. The UK
organic market (2.83 billion Euros) is now the second largest in Europe after Germany
(4.6 billion) (The World of Organic Agriculture - statistics and
emerging trends 2008).
According to
the Soil Association, the organic share of the total food market is
as follows: Approximately 6% of total food sales are in Switzerland
and Austria, 4.5% in Denmark, 3% in Germany and 2.5% in the UK (The
World of Organic Agriculture - statistics and emerging trends 2008).
In many countries and sectors, the rapid growth in demand for
organic produce has resulted in supply shortages.
In 2005, the organic meat market
is the second most important in the European market. According to
Organic Monitor (2006) this is a result of the high price of organic
meat products. The organic sales were estimated at $2.3
billion in 2005.
Beef is the leading sector,
representing over 40 percent of organic meat sales in most
European countries. The organic pork market is showing high growth
partly because of high demand from producers of organic processed
meats like sausages, hams, bacon and ready-meals.
The organic meat market has
experienced supply-demand imbalances. Undersupply was experienced up
to 2002 when large volumes of organic meat came into the market,
resulting in excess supply. Declining production levels and high
market growth rates led a number of European countries to suffer
from undersupply again in 2006. This was most significant in the UK
and Germany. Organic Monitor (2006) suggests that greater
involvement of the supermarkets has led to the entry of large
slaughterhouses. They say that these companies have gained high
market share as they are able to supply high volumes of organic meat
products according to supermarket specifications.
The leading European Organic Meat
Suppliers are:
Company Country
Company Details
Biopark Germany
Dedicated organic meat supplier
GWE Bio-Feinkost Germany
Leading German supplier of organic poultry
St Merryn UK
Large British slaughterhouse for
supermarkets
Eastbrook Farms UK
Leading British supplier of organic
pork
CarneSí Italy
Dedicated organic meat supplier
Fileni Italy
Large Italian meat company
Soviba France
Large French slaughterhouse
Bodin et Fils France
Largest organic poultry supplier in Europe
De Groene Weg The Netherlands
Owned by Dumeco
Bell
Switzerland A leading
organic meat supplier in
Friland Denmark
Part of Danish Crown
Swedish Meats
Sweden Leading Swedish slaughterhouse
(Organic
Monitor, 2006)
Fruit & vegetables
is the largest sector in the
European market for organic food & drink. Its sales were
estimated at
$4.2 billion in 2005 and comprises almost 25 percent
of European revenues. Organic fruit & vegetables represented about 2
percent of all fruit & vegetable sales in Western Europe in 2005.
The highest market share is in
Switzerland where organic products comprise 5 percent of fruit &
vegetable sales. The market share is in the 4 percent region in the
UK, Denmark, Sweden and Austria. Mediterranean countries like Italy,
Spain and Greece are important growers and exporters of organic
fruit & vegetables, whereas northern European countries are large
consumers. Countries like the UK, Sweden, and Denmark have highly
import dependent markets with organic products coming in from
European and non-European sources.
According to Organic Monitor (2006),
the supply-side is highly fragmented with over 500 companies
involved in trading organic fruit & vegetables in Europe. The
majority is small companies that deal in low volume, however there
is a trend of large conventional fresh produce companies coming into
the market.
Dedicated organic fresh produce
companies, rather than large supermarkets, have high market share.
Most sales are from specialist retailers, such as Germany, France,
and Italy. A growing number of conventional fresh produce companies
are coming into these markets as increased volume is sold by the
major retailers.
Many traders of organic fruit &
vegetables are based in the Netherlands, considered the gate-way to
Western Europe. EOSTA is the leading trader of organic fresh produce
and it supplies retailers across Europe. Important traders in other
European countries are Apofruit, Pro Natura, Biotropic, Lehmann
Natur and Brio. (organic monitor 2006)
The European
dairy market
Demand is
rapidly catching up with supply. European supplies have additional
transport costs, but the main factor affecting the supply situation
is infrequent farm collections. Organic milk comprises around 5
percent of total milk sales in Western Europe. The highest market
share is in Scandinavian and Alpine countries where it comprises up
to 10 percent of milk sales. (Welsh organic dairy market review,
2007)
In 2006,
according to data from the A C Nielsen trade panel, sales of organic
milk and organic dairy products grew more than the total organic
market with a 38% rate of growth. Although there is a shortage of
organic milk, few dairy farmers in Germany are converting to organic
production. The current price for organic milk is not sufficiently
attractive to encourage conversion although there are signs that
producer prices are increasing in 2007. (organic monitor 2006)
