33. #Awards: Celebrating the best of organic farming and food

Organic agriculture is on the rise, with the EU setting a target of 25 per cent of farmland to go organic by the end of this decade. To accompany Europe’s farmers and food industry on the road to greater sustainability and environmental responsibility, the European Commission’s DG AGRI has instituted the annual Organic Awards. These prizes, awarded across seven categories, recognise and highlight the role that organic farmers and agri-food businesses play in making European agriculture a global leader of innovation in this sector. This episode of Food for Europe comes from the awards ceremony in Brussels, We hear from Elena Panichi, head of the organics unit in DG AGRI, about the contribution of organic farming to the broader EU environmental objectives in the Green Deal and how the awards fit into the Commission’s broader Organic Action Plan. We also talk to the winners of these awards, which cover categories including: - Best organic farmer (female) and best organic farmer (male) - Best organic city - Best organic region - Best organic bio-district - Best organic food processing SME - Best organic food retailer - Best organic restaurant/food service