Press releases
March 2011: Organic fish – a boon to mankind and the environment
Boston Seafood 2011: over 500 sea food products certified by Naturland
Graefelfing – Intensive fish farming in cages, the destruction of natural landscapes, the overfishing of our waters and anti-social working conditions are topics raised ever more frequently in connection with the fishing industry. On the occasion of the Boston Seafood Show, which opens on 20th March, Hans Hohenester, an organic farmer and chairman of the Naturland board of directors, states: “Intensive con-ventional aquaculture, which is increasing rapidly, is unnatural, not sustainable, and contaminates our waters with chemicals and antibiotics. It is imperative that the industry rethink its strategy and adopt the principles of organic aquaculture”. Today consumers the world over can already find over 500 products containing organic fish and organic seafood certified by Naturland. In Boston, Naturland will be presenting alternative concepts for organic and sustainable aquaculture.
Fish stocks and the environment pushed to their limits
Fish and seafood are prized as suppliers of valuable nutrients, vitamins and fatty acids and it is hard to imagine a balanced diet without them. The growing world population and the increased consumption of food of animal origin have, however, pushed fish stocks and the environment to their limits. The current status is that 80% of the economically most important fish stocks have been completely exploited, overfished or exhausted, according to FAO, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. Aquaculture, too – often lauded as the “blue revolution”, with enormous growth rates – is confronted with various problem areas: industrial fish farming with excessively high stocking rates, which need to be corrected by the massive use of chemicals and veterinary medicines, are the order of the day. The destruction of natural habitats, and the anti-social working conditions in some southern countries, are further problem areas which cause the consumer to hesitate before purchasing farm fish.
An alternative with a future: organic aquaculture and sustainable fisheries
It is almost 15 years now since Naturland developed its organic principles for aquaculture and played an important role in the drafting of the EU eco-regulation on aquaculture. Strict standards and certification procedures ensure organic and sustainable production. Among the criteria are, for example, low stocking densities, regeneration of valuable natural habitats and the prohibition of chemical additives and genetically manipulated plants in fish feed. Besides this, social criteria are imposed for the treatment of the employees of the Naturland members. From or-ganic shrimps from Vietnam to organic trout from Germany, Naturland offers a wide range of products from or-ganic aquaculture.
In 2007 Naturland passed its standards for sustainable fisheries/wild fish and initiated a pilot project for Lake Victoria perch with traditional fishers in Tanzania. The criteria applied include the sustainable use of existing fish stocks, abstention from critical fishing methods, high social standards for fishermen and -women and employees, and organic processing to the Naturland standards. To provide the consumer with clear information on the source of the products, Naturland has designed its own “Naturland Wildfish” logo.
The production, processing and export of fish and seafood are important sources of income for many southern countries, and these can only be maintained by practising organic and sustainable forms of production. Consumer awareness of this principle is growing daily. It is the responsibility of trading partners from the north to impose clear quality criteria as an incentive for their suppliers to adopt these principles.
At the international trade fair for fish and seafood, over 1,000 exhibitors from all parts of the world will be present-ing their products from industrial fishing and from aquaculture. You will find the Naturland fish experts at the Bos-ton Seafood in booth 287.
Naturland promotes organic agriculture throughout the world. With its 53,000 farmers and over 500 manufacturers as Naturland partners, it is one of the major organic associations. As a forward-looking association, Naturland regards organic competence and social responsibility as interdependent.
Naturland press release • contact: Steffen Reese • Naturland - Verband für ökologischen Landbau e.V.
characters: approx. 3,700 • Kleinhaderner Weg 1 • 82166 Gräfelfing • Germany • tel.: +49 (0)89-898082-29 • fax: +49 (0)89-898082-90 • naturland@naturland.de • www.naturland.de
Naturland Press Release: Organic fish – a boon to mankind and the environment
March 2010: Peru backs bio-diversity and organic agriculture
Dr. Antonio Brack, Minister of the Environment, reaffirms prohibition of genetic engineering
Graefelfing/Lima – At a meeting with Naturland in Lima on 18th March, 2010, the Peruvian minister of the environment, Dr. Antonio Brack, emphasised organic agriculture as being an extremely important item of Peru’s environmental policy. “The bio-diversity found in Peru is unique the world over. This diversity is exploited in a sustainable manner by organic agricultural practices, and protected by them. The 19,000 certified Naturland smallholders are excellent publicity for Peru”, says Brack, Peru’s minister of the environment. Naturland’s general manager, Steffen Reese, particularly welcomed Peru’s prohibition of genetic engineering in agriculture: “With its veto of genetic engineering in agriculture, Peru has set Europe an example.”
Genetic engineering in agriculture threatens bio-diversity
At present, 2,321 varieties of potato and 55 of maize flourish in Peru. This diversity is a way of adapting to the effect of diverse geographic and climatic conditions on the agricultural ecology. “Peru’s wealth lies in its enormous bio-diversity. Genetic engineering in agriculture is a threat to this immense gene pool,“ says Brack. The approval given for the release of genetically modified maize, such as MON810, and the licence granted to Amflora potatoes in Europe have consequences on the political discussion and decisions in other countries, such as Peru. As Naturland’s general manager, Reese, says, “We bear great responsibility for our society. The political decision-makers in Berlin and Brussels, however, do not yet appear to be aware of this fact“.
Cultivating organic coffee is a form of environmental protection
Coffee certified by Naturland grows under shade trees, in what are known as agro-forestry systems. This sustainable system of cultivation protects the soil, the climate and water, and is characterised by a great variety of species. “The more organic coffee is drunk in Europe, the better it is for the people and environment of Peru”, says Brack. Brack, who heads a ministry which has only existed for the past 22 months, has put the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of the Amazon’s rain forests at the top of his list of priorities. A new forestry law has been passed with strict measures to protect Peru’s 55 million hectares of primary forest (the Federal Republic of Germany, in comparison, has 37 million hectares). The plan is to place a complete ban on the clearing of primary forest, which is currently being wiped out at a rate of 150,000 hectares a year, by 2021.
Most organic coffee from Peru is Naturland coffee
In 2009, 16,700 tons of coffee certified by Naturland, to a value of over US$ 55 million, were exported from Peru. Peru is the greatest exporter of organic coffee in the world, with 34,500 tons of organic coffee being exported in 2009. With its 19,000 smallholders which work to the Naturland standards, Peru is a crucial member of Naturland’s international network. Besides growing coffee, Peru also cultivates cocoa, bananas, mangos and other tropical fruit to the Naturland standards.
Naturland promotes organic agriculture throughout the world. With its 55,000 farmers and over 500 manufacturers as Naturland partners, it is one of the major organic farming associations. Naturland regards organic competence and social responsibility as interdependent.
press release • 2,700 characters • contact: Steffen Reese • Naturland – Verband für ökologischen Landbau e.V. • Kleinhaderner Weg 1 • 82166 Gräfelfing • Germany • tel.: +49 (0)89 898082-31 • fax: +49 (0)89 898082-90 • naturland@naturland.de • www.naturland.de
February 2010: Organic and Fair from one source
Organic association awards first ever joint certification to organic, social and fair trade standards in Germany
Munich – Naturland will be presenting its new project, certification to fair trade standards, at the BioFach trade fair in Nuremberg, Germany. For the first time ever a German organic association will make it possible for all its members and partners abroad and in Germany to receive endorsement of its adherence to its stringent principles of fair partnership. The seven tenets of these standards, which arose also out of “A Charter of Fair Trade Principles”, include requirements, for example, of social responsibility, reliable trading relationships, fair prices for growers, and preference for the local acquisition of raw goods. At BioFach, the fair trade organisations dwp and BanaFair are to present the first of Naturland’s international products certified to fair trade standards, namely Rooibos tea from South Africa and bananas from Ecuador. Milk from the Milchwerke Berchtesgadener Land dairy is the first of Naturland’s product certified to fair trade standards in Germany. The products are available with the familiar Naturland logo but with the addition of the word “Fair”. “With the addition of fair trade standards to their organic and social standards, Naturland is the first organic association to cover all three dimensions of sustainability”, Hans Hohenester, Naturland farmer and chairman of its steering committee, comments on this landmark project.
Advantages offered by new certification
In contrast to what is currently available on the market, Naturland’s fair trade certification offers a whole range of advantages: certification of either a single product or of a whole enterprise, endorsement both of products from marginalised and from OECD states, the convenience of one single inspection for compliance to organic and fair trade standards, and respect for the proximity principle. A new feature is that such activities of the entity to be inspected as social involvement or corporate strategy and transparency are examined prior to product certification. “We hereby ensure that “Naturland Fair” logo is never applied to products derived from trading structures which aim to sell foodstuffs as cheaply as possible without consideration for mankind and the environment,” explains Hans Hohenester.
Logical development
Voluntary certification is a logical development of “Naturland Criteria on Fair Partnerships” which five partners of Naturland already fulfilled in 2006. In co-operation with fair trade organisations, a set of rules and standards has been produced which, on the one hand, reflects the interests of smallholders and their co-operatives in marginalised areas, and on the other the concerns of producers and processors in OECD states.
Organic products from fair partnerships in demand
According to a consumer survey performed by The Nielsen Company, a growing number of consumers expect organic products to be linked with credible involvement in social projects and to derive from fair trading partnerships. The “Naturland Fair” logo is therefore a good opportunity for producers and manufacturers to distinguish their products clearly from others on the market.
For further information, visit: www.naturland.de/news.html
Naturland promotes organic agriculture throughout the world. With its 55,000 farmers and over 500 manufacturers as Naturland partners, it is one of the major organic farming associations. As befits a forward-looking association, Naturland regards organic competence and social responsibility as interdependent.
Naturland press release contact: Steffen Reese Naturland – Verband für ökologischen Landbau e.V. Kleinhaderner Weg 1 82166 Gräfelfing Germany tel.: +49 (0)89 898082-0 fax: +49 (0)89 898082-90 naturland@naturland.de www.naturland.de
Aquaculture in the EU Organic Regulation
Naturland Responds to the new EU Organic Regulation
After lengthy discussions, the EU Commission has approved the detailed Implementing Rules of organic aquaculture in the new EU organic regulation, on June 29th2009. Thus, a legal regulation of organic fish and seafood exists throughout Europe for the first time. The organic association Naturland had already developed a standard for organic aquaculture twelve years ago and played an important role in the process in Brussels. „Naturland welcomes these measures of the EU to encourage organic fish production. However, the new standard is only the lowest common denominator, important points were defined too weakly,“ emphasized Hans Hohenester, organic farmer and chair of the board of directors of Naturland.
First Naturland Certification for Living Crafts
Highest organic standards at each stage of the textile chain
Selbitz/Gräfelfing - Naturland and Living Crafts have announced their new co-operation project to coincide with the BioFach 2009 from 19th – 22nd February in Nuremberg, Germany. Living Crafts cotton, produced by an Indian co-operative of about 6,000 smallholders, is to be certified as organic by Naturland. All the subsequent processing stages, too, from ginning to finishing, are to be inspected and certified to Naturland’s strict standards. “The textile sector in particular, with its intensive use of pesticides in cotton cultivation and its complex processing stages, is crying out for organic alterna-tives which can be applied from field to fashion”, declares Hans Hohenester, a Natur-land farmer and chairman of Naturland’s steering committee. Living Crafts, with its many years of experience in the field of organic textiles, was looking to develop its or-ganic standards further, within the context of its quality assurance programme, and found the ideal partner in Naturland, an international organic association. This new co-operation means that consumers will shortly be able to choose from baby clothes to men’s and women’s fashions, produced under organically and socially impeccable conditions.
Naturland textiles are 100% organic Growing cotton organically is the first major step towards avoiding great quantities of pesticides from poisoning the environment. Behind cultivation methods also the complete textile from chain ginning, spinning, weaving or knitting and finishing has to be observed. Bearing this in mind, Natur-land took the step of formulating its own processing standards - with benchmark to the main inter-national standards for organic textiles - as long ago as 2005. Naturland fulfils all the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) requirements and even surpasses them in many cases, such as with its standards on processing procedures. Naturland prohibits mercerisation and optical brighteners, for example. Besides this, in the course of its organic certification procedure Naturland also scrutinises the social conditions under which Naturland items are produced and processed. “We are happy to see certifi-cation by Naturland come to fruition after a long period of careful planning,” says the general man-ager of Living Crafts, adding “In this way we are now able to communicate more clearly to the gen-eral public the high demands we make of our products.“ Living Crafts – a tradition of sustainability Living Crafts is an innovative leading supplier of fashionable natural textiles in the basic segment for the whole family. For almost 25 years now, production of their organic textiles has been con-fined to certified factories only, employing eco-friendly and socio-economic manufacturing proc-esses, with production facilities in Germany, Turkey and India. Sustainability, as Living Crafts un-derstands it, is not just important in the manufacture of the garments themselves. Packaging mate-rials and transport are also major environmental factors for Living Crafts, the choice of which is de-termined by attempting to achieve the greatest sustainability possible. At the BioFach you find Living Crafts at hall 6, booth 234 and Naturland in hall 6 (booth 263).
Further details are to be found under:
www.livingcrafts.de or www.naturland.de
First Naturland Certification for Living Crafts
14 th November 2008: Food security and organic agriculture - two sides of the coin
Herculean task for Germany’s new minister of agriculture
Munich – The secretary of state in Germany’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Gert Lindemann, is convinced that organic agriculture can present strong arguments as a solution to global food problems. As he said last week at the autumn convention of BÖLW, the German Federation of the Organic Food Industry, in
Berlin, organic farming is a sustainable form of agriculture which conserves precious natural resources such as soil and water, the climate and diversity of species, giving it a distinct advantage over capital-intensive agriculture. “Naturland appeals to the new minister of agriculture to put her money where her mouth is,” declares Hans Hohenester, a Naturland farmer and chairman of Naturland’s steering committee. “The Federal Ministry for Development and the Ministry of Finance should co-operate quickly to produce a plan of action facilitating global investments in organic agriculture,” he demands.
Several speakers at the BÖLW conference on the topic “Can organic feed the world?” made the point that in recent years investments in agriculture, especially in Africa and Asia, have been on the decline. This is why Naturland demands first of all that concerted aid be invested in agriculture in the fields of research, consulting, education and infrastructure schemes, for rural areas to be given a new chance. Almost three quarters of the world’s undernourished live in the countryside and not, as often assumed, in cities. Secondly, all aid schemes must be linked to alignment with organic farming practices.
However, it is asking too much of any one agricultural cultivation method to shoulder the whole burden of alleviating world hunger. Nevertheless, organic agriculture can nourish the whole world’s population if the causes of hunger and poverty are removed at the same time. The report of the IAASTD (International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development), which was published in April 2008, points the way: only organic farming practices which are adapted to local conditions and preserve their precious resources can provide sustainable food guarantees. This does not apply to developing and emerging nations only, but also to Europe and the USA. Frauke Weissang, a Naturland farmer in Italy, reported at the BÖLW conference that the humus content in the Italian region of Marken has dropped from 3% to 0.8%. Meanwhile it has become clear that only organic agriculture can put a stop to the dramatic depletion of the soil, and this has lead to the conversion of over 40% of the farms in this area to organic.
Over 50,000 Naturland farmers throughout the world have demonstrated that organic agriculture is an opportunity, especially for smallholders, to increase their yield and to protect their environment. Traditional knowledge combined with modern scientific insights have made organic farmers independent of expensive materials such as pesticides, mineral fertilisers and agro-genetic engineering from external suppliers.
Naturland press release: Food security and organic agriculture - two sides of the coin
23.04.2008: Organic agriculture safeguards farmland for food production
Urgent need to reform agriculture policy
Graefelfing – The rise in the cost of food in recent weeks has caused dramatic situations in developing countries. According to a United Nations (UN) report, the current figure of 850 million already suffering from starvation is increasing at a rate of four million a year. The reasons are manifold and are not simply a question of the cultivation methods employed. Absurd export subsidies, barriers to trade, unfair land distribution, speculation on international agricultural commodity markets, human rights abuse and civil wars are just some of the factors which lead to starvation. Other aspects, such as soil depletion, erosion and salinisation caused by mismanagement can mean land lost to food growing. This is where organic agriculture comes in: by combining modern organic science with local experience, it preserves arable land in all parts of the world. “Sustainable treatment of the environment provides long-term guarantees for those areas needed so urgently for food production,” comments Hans Honester, chairman of the steering committee of Naturland, Munich. “For this reason we demand a reversal of the current agricultural policy so as to provide truly sustainable solutions, especially for smallholders. The idea propounded by Volker Kauder, the chairman of Germany’s conservative alliance, CDU/CSU, this week, that the food crisis can be solved by means of genetic engineering, should not even be countenanced,” he adds.
Organic agriculture can increase yields
It is the smallholders who have born the brunt of misguided agricultural policy over the past decades. Over eighty per cent of those suffering from starvation live in rural areas! However, this is where the potential for protest is weak, with not a television camera in sight. “The agricultural reforms so strongly recommended in last week’s report by the World Food Council must be implemented immediately. Attention should again be called to the fact that farmers are the backbone of any society. “Without nature, there can be no culture, and without agriculture, no food!“ – this was Hans Honester’s reaction to the report. The conclusion of the over 400 scientists and development experts involved was that organic and social aspects of agriculture were currently given short shrift and that farmers‘ traditional knowledge must again be taken seriously. Friedrun Sachs of Naturland’s International Department adds, “Advisory services must pick up from the farmers‘ own experience. Specialised local knowledge should blend with the scientific insights gained in organic research.“ Depending on initial conditions, organic agriculture can also lead to increased yields. A study by the University of Cardiff as early as 2002 concluded that, by converting to organic agriculture the yields of e.g. maize, potatoes or coffee leads to stable and increased yields. Reasons cited were the build-up of humus, green manuring, mixed cultivation and the improved water absorption and retention capacity of organically farmed soils. Conversion can improve their income situation and the rural population becomes more self-sufficient. On a global level today, 49,000 farmers, mostly in smallholders’ co-operatives, are already working to Naturland’s standards. According to the figures supplied by IFOAM, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, over 31 million hectares world-wide are currently under organic cultivation.
Agricultural genetic engineering is leading nowhere
Modern agriculture has no need of genetic engineering. The rejection of this irresponsible and unsustainable technology is a tenet of all legislation on organic agriculture and of the standards of organic associations. Seed manipulated to be resistant to total herbicides, which the farmer has to buy anew every year, leads to new dependencies and the disappearance of traditional knowledge. Bio-diversity is one of the pillars of indigenous, organic agriculture. Besides this, a new study by the University of Kansas shows that genetically engineered soya yields ten per cent less than conventional soya seed. It is comforting to know that the report of the World Food Council does not regard agricultural genetic engineering as a solution, despite the fraught situation on the agricultural market today. It is high time that governments throughout the world curtail the propagation of agricultural genetic engineering. Naturland demands that Horst Seehofer, Germany’s Minister for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, put a stop to the cultivation of MON810 genetically modified maize in Germany.
Report by the World Food Council (IAASTD-Report): 
http://www.agassessment.org/
IFOAM’s global statistics: http://www.ifoam.org/press/press/Statistics_2008.html
Naturland promotes organic agriculture throughout the world. With its 46,000 farmers, it is one of the major organic farming associations. As befits a forward-looking association, Naturland regards organic competence and social responsibility as interdependent.
Naturland press release "Organic agriculture safeguards farmland" (pdf-Datei, 100KB)
15.02.2008: The rewards of top-class quality
Naturland celebrates its 25th anniversary at the BioFach, pavilion 6, booth 261
Graefelfing – At the world’s leading trade show for organic produce, the BioFach in Nuremberg, Germany, from 21st – 24th February, 2008, 52 Naturland partners will be presenting top quality organic products from all parts of the world. At the Naturland booth, occupying a total of 1,800 square metres, Naturland’s certified producers will be displaying meat and sausage, fruit and vegetables, milk and dairy produce, bread and pastries, spices, coffee, tea, beer and wine, fish and seafood, as well as delicacies and convenience products for the rapidly growing organic market. Naturland and its partner organisations have been among those shaping organic agriculture in Germany and on a global level for 25 years now. “The ideals of Naturland’s founders are more relevant today than ever before,” stated Hans Hohenester, himself a Naturland farmer and chairman of Naturland’s steering committee, on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, adding the following comment on Naturland’s requirements: “Naturland’s high quality is maintained on the dynamic international organic market by such measures as strict standards, constant quality assurance and independent certification. This applies both to organic milk from Germany to organic + fair-trade bananas from Ecuador.”
Exploring new avenues - Naturland aquaculture
One of Naturland’s characteristics is that it identifies requirements and enables the organic food industry to offer a wide range of products by developing new standards. In the year of its 25th jubilee, a focal point of its attention will be on organic aquaculture, an example of Naturland’s role as a pioneer and driving force behind new developments. All ten of its partners in the field of fish and seafood will be presenting their specialities to the visitors at the fair. The first enterprise to place salmon certified by Naturland on the market was Aran Salmon, in 1996. Their fish are farmed on the west coast of Ireland, where they are kept in spacious offshore cages under similar conditions to their natural habitat. They can move about freely, which means their flesh is firmer and less oily. Today, shrimps, trout, charrs, tilapia, pangasius, sea bass, gilthead seabream, spotted bass and cod round off Naturland’s range of organic fish. Michael Stienen, general manager of Naturland Zeichen GmbH, is delighted at this development: „In Germany, the Naturland logo is the only one used to distinguish organic aquaculture products of this quality and such a wide range“. He added, „At the trade fair „fish international“ which took place this week in Bremen, Naturland was the big attraction for the buyers and all those interested in the topic of organic fish.“
Organic+Fair
As last year, the fair-trade veterans GEPA, dwp and BanaFair are exhibiting at Naturland’s joint booth. For Naturland, „organic“ and „fair“ are inseparable, because organic agriculture only has a future if the farmers can earn a livelihood. This is why Naturland’s strategy will continue to be determined by the principle of striving to top organic quality paired with fair conditions of production. With its history of 25 years experience, the association feels well equipped to accommodate the requirements of the new EU organic regulation which is to come into force in 2009. Looking towards the future, Hans Hohenester comments, „Naturland will always stand for a combination of organic and social quality, which makes us far superior to the EU benchmark.“
25th anniversary celebration
Naturland has invited guests to its bumper celebration at its booth on Friday, 22nd February, starting at 6 p.m. Organic diversity combined with enjoyment and passion are the leitmotif of the evening. The spotlight will be turned on the first farmers to join Naturland and on celebrity chef, Johann Lafer. His motto, „Dedication to flavour“ will be an incentive to hosts and guests alike. The compere for the evening will be Rudi Brueckner.
As every year, the best organic+fair cappuccino is to be had at Naturland’s „Fairwöhn-Bar“.
Test it for yourself: come and see us in pavilion 6, at booth 261!
Naturland promotes organic agriculture throughout the world. With its 46,000 farmers, it is one of the major organic farming associations. As befits a forward-looking association, Naturland regards organic competence and social responsibility as interdependent.
13.12.2007: Naturland calls for organic criteria for biogas
Corrections to legislation required
Graefelfing – At today’s press conference in Munich, Germany, Naturland demanded from the German government and the EU to link the production of biogas to organic criteria. Undesirable developments, such as those witnessed in the past when maize monocultures received encouragement, must be avoided. “Were one to apply the strict criteria observed in the food industry, the prefix “bio” would not be allowed for biogas”, stated Hans Hohenester, chairman of Naturland’s steering committee. Organic agriculture, the most sustainable form of farming, should serve as a role model for the basic parameters pertaining to biogas generation.
Correcting undesirable developments
Naturland presented its position paper on biogas to the general public in Munich, in which it gave a summary of the undesirable developments which have become apparent in recent years. Its prime targets were the growing numbers of maize monocultures with their negative effects on the soil, water and biodiversity, and the reduction in the number of crop rotation cycles which has lead to increased pest pressure. There are other effect too: e.g. the conversion of wet grasslands to arable land, and the intensification of grassland to provide missing forage for animal husbandry or co-substrate for biogas plants.
Exploiting positive incentives
“Since it does without easily soluble mineral fertilisers and pesticides, organic agriculture consumes much less energy than conventional agriculture,” explained Dr. Kurt-Jürgen Hülsbergen, a professor at Munich’s technical university (TUM). Carbon dioxide is bound in the humus layer. In organic agriculture, the humus layer is deliberately built up, so consequently organically farmed soil can absorb a greater amount of CO2. The production of biogas has to be aligned to the standards of organic agriculture so that this basically positive development, the generation of energy from biomass, does not hit a brick wall.
Naturland therefore demands that farms managed according to organic guidelines are awarded a bonus. To earn it, they would have to do without pesticides and agricultural genetic engineering, and would be prohibited from ploughing up grassland. Furthermore, their crop rotation cycles must be properly balanced and the humus balance well adjusted. Renewable energy should serve as a complement to agricultural production, and not supplant it. Only waste material from the production of foodstuffs and discarded products from landscape cultivation should be used. Small plants of up to 100 kilowatts should receive higher compensation, and local heat networks should be established to avoid the unnecessary transport of substrate and to provide economic support to rural areas.
Naturland promotes organic agriculture throughout the world. With its 46,000 farmers, it is one of the major organic farming associations. As befits a forward-looking association, Naturland regards organic competence and social responsibility as interdependent.
Naturland press release •responsible: Steffen Reese
approx. 3.080 characters • publication free of charge • Please send us a specimen copy
Naturland – Verband für ökologischen Landbau e.V.
Kleinhaderner Weg 1 • 82166 Gräfelfing •
Tel.: +49(0)89-898082-0 • Fax +49(0)89-898082-90 
naturland(at)naturland.de
24.09.2007: New Coffee Code on the Wrong Track
Fair trade organisations Gepa, dwp and El Puente and the organic agricultural association Naturland have criticisms to make of the 4C initiative
Wuppertal/Graefelfing/Ravensburg/Nordstemmen. A voluntary code of conduct, the Common Code for the Coffee Community (4C), which was presented last Friday is, in the eyes of Gepa – The Fair Trade Company, the fair trade organisations dwp and El Puente, (the import and wholesale organisations of the “Forum Fairer Handel”) and the organic agricultural association Naturland, not the right answer to the problems facing coffee growers. Low level standards are a marketing instrument employed by the coffee industry, for which involvement with 4C entails making no commitments at all towards the world’s coffee growers, estimated at 25 million. As the fair trade organisations and the Naturland Association see it, there is a danger that the consumer may be deceived as to its purpose, given the lack of evident distinction between 4C coffee and fair trade coffee. Moreover, coffee bearing reference to “4C” may partially be conventional coffee.
No pricing commitments
The most important factor, fair payment of the growers, is overlooked by 4C. Today’s global market situation means that the growers cannot rely on a calculable price, besides which the one actually paid is often too low to allow them to make a decent living. No-one can say whether the growers will be paid more for 4C coffee in future. Only under fair trade is a fixed minimum price offered, thereby guaranteeing the producers an income independent of the extreme fluctuations of the global market. In addition there are price premiums to promote social development and for organic coffee. “We do want to grow sustainable coffee but how can we if we are not paid a fair price?”, was a question the president of Llano Bonito, a coffee co-operative in Costa Rica, posed Gerardo Arias Camacho during a meeting of Forum Fairer Handel, a German network of organisations and participants in fair trade (www.forum-fairer-handel.de).
Inadequate environmental standards
The minimum standards of the code, as far as the environment is concerned, are geared to avoiding the worst environmental excesses such as the clearing of primary forests and the use of proscribed agrochemicals, but do nothing towards guaranteeing sustainable coffee production. Organic coffee grown in intercropping systems, i. e. between fruit trees, spice trees and other trees, is the right way to ensure sustainable agriculture with a future. These shade trees protect the soil, so it does not dry out, shield the coffee plants from too much sun and their leaves reduce soil erosion. The starting point of Naturland’s standards for organic coffee growing is a closed nutrient cycle adapted to local conditions, enhancing soil fertility and thus the growers’ coffee yield. Organic agriculture employs no mineral-based artificial fertilisers or synthetic chemical pesticides.
Voluntary self-assessment instead of supervision
In the 4C system there is no provision for regular unannounced checks by independent inspectors. This flaw in the inspection system is clear evidence of what this initiative really is, at least so far: a voluntary code of behaviour, and not the certification system which is needed to guarantee that coffee is produced in a sustainable manner.
Social standards ignored
Important social standards, such as that workers are allowed to join trade unions, that they receive employment contracts and overtime pay, and the problem of exploitative intermediary trade, are mentioned nowhere in the 4C standards catalogue. The coffee producers are asked to meet various standards but they receive little in return: neither a guarantee that the coffee corporations will buy as much of their coffee as possible, nor a fixed price premium to cover supplementary expenses. The coffee growers have to put money up front, until further notice.
Fair trade is quite another matter: for over 30 years now, fair trade organisations have been offering their partners in the southern hemisphere not only fair prices and advance financing upon request, but also long-term reliable trading relationships, help with conversion to organic farming, as well as further education and advisory services.
Consumers can find fair-trade organic coffee in worldshops, in groceries, organic and health food stores. The logos of these fair trade organisations (Gepa, dwp, El Puente) and the international fair trade mark all stand for fair trade, whilst organic quality is identified by the Naturland logo.
Further sources of information: www.naturland.de www.gepa.de www.dwp-rv.de www.el-puente.de
Naturland promotes organic agriculture throughout the world. With its 46,000 farmers, it is one of the major organic farming associations. Among its members there are over 30,000 coffee growers producing 29,900 tonnes of organic coffee a year. As a forward-looking association, for Naturland organic competence and social responsibility belong together.
Naturland press release •responsible: Steffen Reese
approx. 5.100 characters • publication free of charge • Please send us a specimen copy
Naturland – Verband für ökologischen Landbau e.V.
Kleinhaderner Weg 1 • 82166 Gräfelfing •
Tel.: +49(0)89-898082-0 • Fax +49(0)89-898082-90 naturland(at)naturland.de / www.naturland.de
