Counting the Cost of the Organic Revolution

by M. Bird, P. Riva, R. Zamfira, V. Odobescu | 02.02.2022

Organic food sales are booming in Europe, and agriculture in the continent is changing to satisfy this demand

0 k
Organic producers in 2019
2019 2010 343.000 220.000

No. of organic produceres:

Italy 70561 France 47196 Spain 41838 Malta Luxembourg Slovakia Cyprus Ireland Netherlands Estonia Belgium Lithuania Slovenia Denmark Latvia CzechRepublic Finland Hungary Croatia Portugal Sweden Bulgaria Romania Poland Austria Greece 24 105 802 1252 1725 1867 2060 2394 2417 3823 4109 4178 4694 5129 5136 5153 5637 5730 6213 9277 18655 26042 30124 Germany 34136
0 bil €
Value of EU Organic Food Market in 2019
2019 2010 41 bil € 18 bil €

Value of local organic food markets:

Germany 11970 mil.€ France 11295 mil.€ Italy 3625 mil. € Malta Cyprus Slovakia Portugal Hungary Bulgaria Romania Slovenia Lithuania Latvia Estonia Greece Croatia Luxembourg CzechRepublic Ireland Poland Finland Belgium Netherlands Austria Denmark Spain 1 mil. € 4 mil. € 21 mil. € 30 mil. € 30 mil. € 40 mil. € 48 mil. € 50 mil. € 51 mil. € 61 mil. € 66 mil. € 99 mil. € 160 mil. € 164 mil. € 206 mil. € 314 mil. € 368 mil. € 779 mil. € 1211 mil. € 1920 mil. € 1978 mil. € 2133 mil. € Sweden 2143 mil. € -
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Per capita spending average în 2018
2019 2010 84 49

Per capita spending averages (2018):

Denmark 344€ Luxembourg 264€ Austria 215€ Malta Portugal Slovakia Cyprus Romania Hungary Bulgaria Greece Latvia Poland CzechRepublic Lithuania Croatia Slovenia Ireland Estonia Spain Italy Finland Belgium Netherlands Germany France - - - 1 2€ 3€ 4€ 5€ 6€ 8€ 16€ 17 24€ 26€ 43€ 46€ 46€ 59€ 66€ 68€ 71 144€ 173€ Sweden 214€
Germany Denmark Italy 11970 mil.€ 344€ 70561 France Luxembourg France 11295 mil.€ 264€ 47196 Malta Cyprus Slovakia Portugal Hungary Bulgaria Romania Slovenia Lithuania Latvia Estonia Greece Croatia Luxembourg CzechRepublic Ireland Poland Finland Belgium Netherlands Austria Denmark Spain Italy Malta Portugal Slovakia Cyprus Romania Hungary Bulgaria Greece Latvia Poland CzechRepublic Lithuania Croatia Slovenia Ireland Estonia Spain Italy Finland Belgium Netherlands Germany France Austria Malta Luxembourg Slovakia Cyprus Ireland Netherlands Estonia Belgium Lithuania Slovenia Denmark Latvia CzechRepublic Finland Hungary Croatia Portugal Sweden Bulgaria Romania Poland Austria Greece Spain 1 mil. € 4 mil. € 21 mil. € 30 mil. € 30 mil. € 40 mil. € 48 mil. € 50 mil. € 51 mil. € 61 mil. € 66 mil. € 99 mil. € 160 mil. € 164 mil. € 206 mil. € 314 mil. € 368 mil. € 779 mil. € 1211 mil. € 1920 mil. € 1978 mil. € 2133 mil. € 3625 mil. € - - - 1 2€ 3€ 4€ 5€ 6€ 8€ 16€ 17 24€ 26€ 43€ 46€ 46€ 59€ 66€ 68€ 71 144€ 173€ 215€ 24 105 802 1252 1725 1867 2060 2394 2417 3823 4109 4178 4694 5129 5136 5153 5637 5730 6213 9277 18655 26042 30124 41838 Sweden Sweden Germany 2143 mil. € 214€ 34136 - No. of organic producers: Value of local organic food market: Per capita spending average in 2018: Italy 70561 Italy Italy 3625 mil. € 59€ France France 11295 mil.€ 47196 France 173€ Spain Spain Spain 2133 mil. € 41838 Germany 11970 mil.€ Germany 144€ Germany 34136 Greece Greece Greece 66 mil. € 5€ 30124 Austria Austria Austria 1920 mil. € 215€ 26042 Poland Poland Poland 314 mil. € 8€ 18655 Romania Romania Romania 40 mil. € 2€ 9277 Bulgaria Bulgaria Bulgaria 30 mil. € 4€ 6213 Sweden 5730 Sweden Sweden 2143 mil. € 214€ Portugal Portugal Portugal 21 mil. € - 5637 Croatia Croatia Croatia 99 mil. € 24€ 5153 Hungary Hungary Hungary 30 mil. € 3€ 5136 Finland Finland Finland 368 mil. € 66€ 5129 CzechRepublic CzechRepublic CzechRepublic 164 mil. € 16€ 4694 Latvia Latvia Latvia 51 mil. € 6€ 4178 Denmark 344€ Denmark Denmark 1978 mil. € 4109 Slovenia Slovenia Slovenia 48 mil. € 26€ 3823 Lithuania Lithuania Lithuania 50 mil. € 17 2417 Belgium Belgium Belgium 779 mil. € 68€ 2394 Estonia Estonia Estonia 61 mil. € 46€ 2060 Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands 1211 mil. € 71 1867 Ireland Ireland Ireland 206 mil. € 43€ 1725 Cyprus Cyprus Cyprus 1 mil. € 1 1252 Slovakia Slovakia Slovakia 4 mil. € - 802 Luxembourg 264€ Luxembourg Luxembourg 160 mil. € 105 Malta Malta Malta - 24 -

What does organic farming mean?

Natural fertilizers for the soil such as compost and seaweed
Natural pesticides made from plants, animals, microorganisms, or minerals
No products made from genetically modified crops used in the process of growing food and livestock
Using antibiotics as a last resort in raising animals
Better animal welfare, such as ensuring animals have access to outdoor space.

Which countries grow the most organic food, and what is their potential for the future?

0 mil
Total organic farmland (ha) in 2019
0 %
Current Status of Agricultural Land in EU
0 %
EU’s Target for Agriculture Across the 27 Member Bloc by 2030

Agriculture-rich Italy in Prime Position to See Organic Upswing

0 mil€
CAP support for organic agriculture
0 mil ha
cultivated organic land
0 k
Organic operators
VineyardsCerealsPlants harvestedgreenPermanentgrasslandOther31%17%5%15%613k ha397k ha330k ha243k ha109k ha370k ha20%Olive groves12%CalabriaSardegnaSicilia129k ha85k ha61k haBasilicataSiciliaPuglia60k ha51k ha37k haToscanaPugliaSicilia30k ha17k ha15k haToscanaSiciliaEmilia-Romagna65k ha62k ha43k haSiciliaCalabriaPuglia73k ha71k ha39k haCalabriaPugliaSicilia61k ha49k ha24k ha

Source: Sistema d'Informazione Nazionale sull'Agricoltura Biologica

613kha 397kha 330kha 243kha 109kha 370kha Permanentgrassland 31 % Calabria Sardegna Sicilia 129k ha 85k ha 61k ha Cereals 17% Basilicata Sicilia Puglia 60k ha 51k ha 37k ha Vineyards 5% Toscana Puglia Sicilia 30k ha 17k ha 15k ha Plants harvestedgreen 20 % Toscana Sicilia Emilia-Romagna 65k ha 62k ha 43k ha Olive groves 12% Sicilia Calabria Puglia 73k ha 71k ha 39k ha Other 15% Calabria Puglia Sicilia 61k ha 49k ha 24k ha

Source: Sistema d'Informazione Nazionale sull'Agricoltura Biologica

Agriculture’s Total Dependence on Mobile Workers

The number of migrants working in agriculture in Italy has increased by 90% in the past decade

1%Macedonia(11k) 0.2%China(2k) 0.2%China(2k) 10.5%Romania(110k) 1%Macedonia(11k) 1.1%Senegal(11k) 1.2%Bulgaria(12k) 1.2%Tunisia(13k) 1.3%Poland(14k) 3%Albania(31k) 3%India(33k) 3%Morocco(33k) 10.5%Romania(110k) 3%Morocco(33k) 3%India(33k) 3%Albania(31k) 1.3%Poland(14k) 1.2%Tunisia(13k) 1.2%Bulgaria(12k) 1.1%Senegal(11k) 1%Macedonia(11k) 0.2%China(2k) 0.2%China(2k)

Source: CREA - Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria - Il contributo dei lavoratori stranieri all'agricoltura italiana

10.5 % Romania(110k) 3 % Morocco(33k) 3 % India(33k) 3 % Albania(31k) 1.3 % Poland(14k) 1.2 % Tunisia(13k) 1.2 % Bulgaria(12k) 1.1 % Senegal(11k) 1 % North Macedonia(11k) 0.2 % China(2k)

Source: CREA - Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria - Il contributo dei lavoratori stranieri all'agricoltura italiana

Mistreatment of Farmworkers has Shameful Record

Agriculture is one of top economic sectors in Italy where workers are at risk of labor exploitation

0 %
Increase in migrant workers in agriculture in the past decade (2009-2019)
0
agriculture workers are exposed to the risk of expoitation in Italy (2019)
0
agriculture workers died in Italy because of exploitative working conditions (2013-2019)

Workers are subject to:

Harsh Living Conditions
Seziure of ID by bosses
Unpaid overtime
Pesticide poisoning
Sexual Exploitation
Harsh Living Conditions
“I have a case of a shepherd who died at work. We are suing the employer for exploitation. He was forced to sleep in a shack in December, without a bed, without a mattress, without extra clothes, without anything. He was from a village in Vrancea, near Focșani, in Romania. You wouldn’t treat a stray dog like that. They didn't even do an autopsy on him, but an external examination, put him in the coffin and sent him home. And now we are trying to dig up the corpse in Romania to determine the cause of death.”

Camelia Cutolo, Lawyer, Italy
Seizure of ID by bosses
“Alas, there are people with an illiteracy of rights. They’re not informed, they don’t sign contracts and find themselves in a delicate situation. There are workers who told me: ‘I work on the black market. [the bosses] took my ID, I wasn’t paid, I work 12 hours in the field, without water. I am afraid to denounce the boss, because I accepted to work like this and I’ll be put in jail.’”

Emilia Bartoli Spurcaciu, Italian Union FLAI-CGIL Romania Branch
Unpaid overtime
“We worked 25 Euro a day in conditions when we worked ten hours, because we were told we would receive 2.5 Euro per hour. The problem was that we worked 12-13 hours It all depended on the demands that were made of us - rains came, but it didn’t matter, as we had to finish the job. There were things that were not respected. The program was not respected.”

Maria N, ex-farm worker Iasi, Romania
Sexual Exploitation
“One dramatic story was about a single woman with two children, living on the farms, with no transport, in the middle of nowhere. The children wanted to go to school, so the employer offered to drive them, but, in a way, bringing them to school became a way to blackmail the woman into sexual abuse. At first, she accepted, because she didn’t have alternatives, but when she understood this was too much, she tried to escape. But the reaction was very violent by the employers who would not give water and food to the family. She escaped and reached a local NGO.”

Letizia Palumbo, Research Fellow, the Migration Policy Centre
Pesticide Poisoning
“In greenhouses, many workers die due to intoxication, because of inhaling pesticides,” according to lawyer Camelia Curtolo. An European Parliamentary report from 2018 on vulnerability of women, also stated that there are “100s” of migrant children in Ragusa, Sicily, without schooling, who live around the greenhouses, where their parents work all year round. Many of these children have not been vaccinated and have a high frequency of illnesses, such as bronchitis, skin diseases and alimentary poisoning, which is due to the presence of pesticides.

The vulnerability to exploitation of women migrant workers in agriculture in the EU: the need for a Human Rights and Gender based approach
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Because organic farms don’t use pesticides and herbicides, the work to maintain the fields can require more manpower and longer hours than conventional farming

But many of the these farms treat workers badly

Here is how migrant workers are exploited at organic farms in Italy:
Migrants Accept Exploitation as Price of Right to Work
“I have always accepted to be exploited for the simple reason that otherwise I would not have been able to renew my residency permit. My employers demand that we always remain at their disposal and that we are always ready to go to the fields when they call us. ... All my compatriots are in this situation but no one rebels for fear of losing their residency.”

Ouedraogo, worker on organic farm in Saluzzo (CN), Piedmont, Italy
Migrants Must Pay for their own Gear, Water and Rent to Employers
“I worked in the field and in the factory. I bought gloves with my own money. I bought socks with my own money. I bought water with my own money. I worked from six am to sometimes eight pm, sometimes nine, sometimes 11 o’clock. I had to pay the company six Euro every day for accommodation.”

West African worker, ex-worker for organic agricultural farm (2017-2018), Foggia
Payslips Claim Workers are Paid More than in Reality
“I receive about 750 euro per month. My pay is calculated according to the hours I work: for each hour of work I get 4.5 euros. However, I noticed that my payslip says that I get 6.5 euros per hour.”

Aboubabcar, worker on organic farm in Zapponeta (FG), Apulia, Italy
Cash Workers Receive is Less than Employers Promise
“In May, for the days I worked, according to the attendance records, were 19 days for a total of 178 hours, minus two test days on which I worked 18 hours, a total of 160 hours multiplied by 4.5, I should have received 720 euros. Instead, I received 661 euro.”

​​Abdulai Mohamed, worker on organic farm in Cassina de’ pecchi (MI), Lombardy, Italy
Migrants Must Pay Back Cash to Employers to Work Legally
“[If I wanted to pay tax legally, the boss said:] I would have to give him 100 Euro every month. And from that 100 Euro he would pay for me the tax. If I want to work, it’s OK. If I don’t want to work, he let me leave. This is the way they work”

West African worker, ex-worker for organic agricultural farm (2017-2018), Foggia
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How Organic Farms Can Grow With an Ethical Hiring Policy

Some farms recognise that organic agriculture should not only benefit the food chain, but also those working in the fields. We visited Italian farms with a policy to respect ethics not only in what they grow, but also in how they treat their employees. Even in a competitive industry of low margins and labor intensity, this shows that profits and fairness at work can coexist.
AquamelaCerignola, FoggiaPugliaSiciliaMoliseLazioCampaniaCalabriaBasilicataAbruzzo

An Opportunity for Social Integration

Olive and grape farm Acquamela bio in Cerignola, in the Foggia province, switched to organic twenty years ago.

“It was a way of rebelling against the system,” says Vito Merra, one of the sons of the original owner, who obtained the land after World War II.

During the grape harvest, Acquamela bio employs a dozen workers, who are both Italian and foreign, mainly from Africa. 

“Having a mix of workers helps with social integration,” adds Merra. 

Because the farm chose to go organic, it can attract subsidies and ask for higher prices for its goods, making the business sustainable.

Merra is now looking to invest and expand.

Profiting from social integration: Aquamela Bio
Cooperativa Sociale AlterEcoCerignola, FoggiaPugliaSiciliaMoliseLazioCampaniaCalabriaBasilicataAbruzzo

A Symbol of Breaking Free from a Legacy of Crime

Organic fruit grower Cooperativa Sociale AlterEco has become a symbol of breaking free of both the influence of gangmasters on agriculture, and of organised crime.

Based in Cerignola, Foggia, the farm is centred on a rural building, which the state confiscated from the local mafia.

Here the cooperative organises cultural initiatives, legal training, especially in anti-mafia law, while also growing tomatoes, cherries, grapes, lemons, olives and pomegranates. 

“In a land where farming seems impossible without gangmasters (caporalato), this is a symbol [of the exception],” explains Vincenzo Pugliese, one of its members. 

The farm chose to go organic “as a matter of conscience” he adds.

AlterEco has also hired African workers as part of an NGO Terra! project to counteract exploitation, and one of them has since become a member of the cooperative. 

“We have a small level of production, but it is sustainable,” says Vincenzo Pugliese.

Small-scale but sustainable: AlterEco (co-op member Vincenzo Pugliese pictured with produce)
Prima BioRignano Garganico, FoggiaPugliaSiciliaMoliseLazioCampaniaCalabriaBasilicataAbruzzo

When growers become food processors, working ethically is easier

Vegetable producer PrimaBio in Rignano Garganico, Foggia, has been growing organic tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, broccoli and asparagus for over 20 years. The mid-sized company sells mostly to non-Italian markets, especially in central and northern Europe and mainly to big retail.

The increase in the number of producers has made the industry more competitive.  

“In the past, there were fewer organic companies and it was easier,” says Maria Luisa Terrenzio, daughter of the founder Giovanni Terrenzio. 

Since 2019, PrimaBio has also hired African workers recruited by the NGO No Cap, which seeks to combat gangmaster (caporalato) and exploitation through an ethical supply chain. 

“If you process the products you grow, as we do, it is possible to work ethically,” says Terrenzio.

Moving from growing to production: PrimaBio

Illustrations by Andrei Cotrut, Photography by Diego Ravier