The terms ecological agriculture or biological agriculture designate the production of food and other agricultural products on the basis of naturenear a production methods as possible and with consideration of the realizations of the ecology.

Products of ecological cultivation are produced without chemical plant protection agents (fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and others, together frequently undifferentiatedly than Pestizide designated), chemical growth promoters, chemical-synthetic fertilizers and genetic engineering and processed without taste amplifiers, artificial flavours and irradiation.

Products of ecological agriculture are marked by the bio seal and frequently by the label out control for biological cultivation, shortened kbA.

Legal regulations

The international combination of the ecological agriculture movements IFOAM as a world-wide controlling body, in which about 750 cultivation federations are organized over one hundred nations out, developed basis guidelines for the ecological cultivation, at which the legislation of the European union and the national regulations of many further states orient themselves world-wide.

The European of 1991 defines for its range of validity, how agricultural products and food, which are characterized as products, must be manufactured and marked.

In order to guarantee a clear distinction too "conventionally ", thus not after their guidelines manufactured food, the European protects explicitly the terms , biologically/ecologically, controlled ecologically/biologically, biological/ecological agriculture, biological-dynamically as well as biological-organically. These protected terms may be used exclusively for products, which correspond to the criteria of the European at least.

1999 were supplemented the European by an auxiliary regulation, which regulates the raising, marking and control of the most important animal species. Genetically changed organisms and from it manufactured products may not be used in the agriculture and in the processing of bio food.

With controlled bio products except - not always existing - cannons additives in the product name such as bio Kefir above all ecological rural economy EEC control system and the indication of the number point the marking (e.g.: ) and/or the name of the searching board of control, which must be present on the label, whereupon that the food was manufactured in accordance with the and which recognized European of control it regularly controlled. On the label additionally an illustration of the bio seal can refer to the bio cultivation and/or be indicated the name and the Logo of the bio cultivation federation, if the manufacturer is member of such.

The cultivation federations take partly still stricter yardsticks as a basis for the assignment of their seal than the European Union regulation.

Production ways and - cost in the ecological agriculture

With the ecological plant production Monokulturen and the employment of chemical synthesis products such as fungicides, herbicides and insecticides (these three are generalized of the media frequently as Pestizide), to artificial fertilizers, growth modulators and antibiotics as well as genetically changed means and products are done without, instead by muck or liquid manure gifts and if possible from own means nutrients are supplied to the soil. For the fight against diseases and parasits one sets apart from the cultivation of proven, durable sorts and good growth causing also on the methods of the biological

Procedure

By means of special cultivation methods such as Ecofarming or Permakultur partly one tries to approach in the cultivation of culture the growth samples of nature in order to obtain with as small an outside fund employment as possible a if possible high Ernteertrag. In the biological Viehwirtschaft an extensive production form is preferred. The additional purchase of feeds is reglementiert, those feed of animal flour and long living person transportation of slaughter cattle over large distances is forbidden, the paragraph of the products takes place after possibility under the criteria of a regional cycle.

Bio federations in the FRG

The majority of the ecological producers in different cultivation federations united like e.g. bio country, bio park, nature country or Demeter in Germany, which guarantee product security to the consumer by their regulations and controls again stricter in the comparison to the European Union legislation additionally.

Costs of final consumers and economical cost balance

The end prices for products of the ecological agriculture are first higher for the consumer compared with those for products from conventional agriculture: Since within the ranges cultivation, harvest, to be able to manage transport and storage due to stricter laws for in many points a higher work and management achievement is necessary, higher costs fall on, which to the consumer be passed on must, in order profitably. Also the average sizes of company are usually clearly with bio producers, processing plants and dealers under those conventionally keeping house enterprises, which brings frequently a disadvantage regarding scale yields with itself. However the signs consolidate themselves that the actual totaleconomical costs of the are to conventional production on the same level or even under those, if one includes the indirect subsequent costs of the latters of the taxpayer or future generations into the calculation also: One thinks e.g. of the rising costs of the dressing of the drinking water, the surface losses by soils eroding world-wide or of the costs of the long-term supply of the producers and consumers, confronted resulting in the health system, with toxic materials.

Reasons of the rising sales development with bio products

The quantity of ecological produced products constantly increased in the close past in nearly all regions of Europe, whereby tendentious a positive correlation between the prosperity of the society and the size of the market is recognizable. Nevertheless a large part of the consumers reacts sensitively to price adjustments.

The increasing social relevance of topics such as health, Fitness, beauty, and youth as well as a not tearing off number of negative medium reports on different products of conventional production and the conditions of their production could have strengthened and have also in the future further affected that the desire of the consumers for healthy nutrition. In many states the policy reacted to the increasing interest of voter in ecological topics, by presenting programs for the promotion of the ecological agriculture for its part. The regional and national differences are every now and then considerable nevertheless in the range bio cultivation. While e.g. in Austria the ecological agriculture began as grass root movement and still usually on smaller yards one operates, for example also many larger enterprises could be induced to the change to the ecological agriculture in Denmark by a purposeful national subsidy program. In Germany the ecological agriculture became in the time of the Red-Greens coalition government among chancellors (SPD) and particularly promoted under the green minister Renate strongly. The new Secretary of Agriculture refuge Seehofer (CSU) shows so far no signs for a fundamental course change, even if he represents other opinions in specifics question than its

Arose this form of the agriculture particularly into the 80ern of the last century due to the environmental awareness generally grown. At the beginning stood isolated small bio shops, which had specialized for a small buyer circle in ecological products. Today one finds also in most conventional supermarket chains, many of it in the meantime own own brands ("filling horn ", "ALNATURA ") established.

In order to make a better distinction possible of conventional and ecologically manufactured food, to Germany in the year 2001 the bio seal was introduced, by which all may be marked after manufactured products voluntarily.

Articles in category "Ecological agriculture"

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