an inspiring tid bit

[The Korrows]

Excerpted from- BioFach Newsletter 17.3.2003 +++ This newsletter is a free service from N�rnbergMesse (http://www.nuernbergmesse.de) for BioFach 2004 (http://www.biofach.de) +++ STRONG GROWTH OF ORGANIC FARMING IN SLOVENIA The organically farmed area in the former Yugoslavian subrepublic Slovenia has experienced a jump of 50 % in the past year. The number of hectares increased from 10,000 to 15,000 and the number of organic farms to 1,150. A large share of the farmers is organized in two organic associations: the "Union of Slovenian Organic Farmers Association" (BIODAR) and the "Union for Biodynamic Husbandry" (AJDA). Direct land subsidies have been available for organic farming since 1999. The statutory basis corresponds to the EU Organic Agriculture Regulation 2092/91. There are also private standards, which are in line with the IFOAM guidelines and form the basis for the BIODAR certification label. Bio-dynamic farms conform to the international Demeter guidelines. The Agricultural Institute in Maribor is the only officially approved organic certification centre. The State Development Programme 2004-2006 has been prepared with the involvement of the organic industry, but a specific organic action programme is still called for.