Through the new organic law, the European Union has opened the door to organic products all over the world, and local small farmers are facing fierce challenges.

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Just before the birth of Taiwan's first Organic Agriculture Promotion Act, the European Parliament passed a new organic law to adjust outdated laws to cope with the rapid development of the organic industry.

Organic lettuce, organic eggs, organic flour and organic biscuits are not uncommon. In European supermarkets, organic soy milk, organic tofu and organic vegetarian meat can be seen everywhere. From the edge of the grass-roots movement, "organic" thrived in the 1970s. In recent years, with the rise of consumer awareness and the promotion of large supermarket chains, organic products have broken the niche market pattern in the European Union.

The turnover of the EU organic industry exceeded 30 billion euros (about NT $1 trillion) in 2016, growing by 112% in a decade; the land for organic production has doubled from 6 million hectares to 12 million hectares, but it still accounts for only 6.7% of agricultural land, which is not enough to meet the huge consumer appetite. Imports take advantage of the opportunity to hitchhike.

Small farmers who protect biodiversity may not benefit from the new organic law (Photography / Zheng Jieyi)

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