Biokontroll: Not everyone passes the test

Zsolt Kanyó
head of development
Biokontroll Hungária

According to Zsolt Kanyó, the head of Biokontroll Hungária Nonprofit Kft.’s development department, the size of land used for ecological farming is approximately 300,00ha in Hungary – about 6 percent of the land used for agricultural production – and the value of the output is HUF 145 billion. As for profitability, taking into consideration the fact that in crop farming the basis of profitability is the land-based funding provided by the EU, we can say that ecological farming must be quite profitable as the government supplements this sum if ecological farming is done on the land; what is more, in the case of arable land the EU subsidy is doubled.

The legal background of ecological farming hasn’t changed since 2009. However, new EU regulation on organic farming, which will enter into force on 1 January 2021, might bring about small changes. Mr Kanyó told about financial resources available for technological development that the Rural Development Programme, which had started in 2016, not only tripled the budget of land-based subsidies, but also offered various advantages to organic farmers in grant programmes for development projects.

Mr Kanyó made it clear: Accredited certification organisation Biokontroll performs a comprehensive audit at every contractual partner minimum once a year, and not everyone passes the test. He believes that the biggest challenge ahead of the sector is to increase efficiency and safety. Operating the control system is costly and requires a high level of concentration. The system’s efficiency lays the groundwork for consumer trust, as eco-certification works a bit like an independent brand. //