Brussels, Belgium
November 12, 2013

There are more than 186 000 organic farms across Europe, cultivating an area of 9.6 million hectares, i.e. 5.4% of the total agricultural area in the European Union (EU), the report "Facts and Figures on Organic Farming" issued today by the European Commission points out.

The report gives an overview of organic agriculture in Europe based on the data available and its evolution over recent years.

It shows in particular that organic holdings are overall bigger than conventional farms in the EU and their managers are younger.

Permanent pasture represents the biggest share of the organic area (about 45%), followed by cereals (around 15%) and permanent crops (about 13%).

Besides poultry, which registers the highest number of animal organic heads, the rest of organic livestock is led by sheep (46%) and bovines (30%) at European level.

Website: http://europa.eu

Published: November 12, 2013