The French Committee for Organic Agriculture (CNAB), an INAO body, has granted a new deadline for heated organic greenhouses. Initially, producers had until 2025 to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energies. The deadline has now been pushed to 2030, a postponement that is unjustified, given the number of producers concerned, according to FNAB, which is calling for annual monitoring of the actions implemented.
This deadline only applies to old heated greenhouses certified organic before January 1st, 2020. For all new heated greenhouses, the obligation to use renewable energies has already been in force for 5 years.
"This postponement only concerns around thirty producers"
According to the French Federation of Organic Farming (FNAB), this postponement is unjustified given the number of producers concerned. According to its "estimates, it only concerns around 30 producers out of the 14,000 organic vegetable growers in France who do not use heating for their greenhouses." FNAB deplores the fact that operators have not made the most of the last 5 years to move away from fossil fuels. This is why FNAB has filed a motion calling for an annual progress report on the actions taken by greenhouse operators to switch to renewable energies.
"Greenhouse heating incompatible with organic principles"
According to FNAB, heating greenhouses remains "incompatible with the principles of organic farming, as it respects neither the seasonal nature of production nor climate protection." The Federation believes that organic farming "must set an example in the transformations required of our agricultural and food system." FNAB will continue to "defend these principles with consumers, the INAO and European authorities, so that such practices are eventually abandoned."
For more information:
FNAB
40 rue de Malte - 75011 Paris
[email protected]
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