Eu organic awards: Get to know the finalists

The finalists for the first annual EU organic awards have been announced. 24 are shortlisted for 8 awards in 7 categories, such as best organic farmer male / female, best organic SME, retailer, restaurant, bio-district, region, city, coming from 11 different Member States. The finalists were chosen from a pool of over 200 submissions from 26 Member States.

The potential of the EU organic movement

Jan Plagge, IFOAM Organics Europe’s President, said: “The finalists to the EU Organic Awards showcase the innovative potential of the European organic movement and show inspirational and replicable examples of how the sector contributes to the EU Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies’ goals. The current climate crisis we experience with more extreme heat and rainfall across Europe shows the EU should seek to speed up its work towards an agroecological and social farming model which is more resilient, fairer, healthier, more knowledge-intensive and based on shorter supply chains. If anything, the combined crises we are facing expose the fragilities of the agro-industrial model, highly dependent on global imports and exports, fossil-fuels, and non-circular inputs. The EU Farm to Fork Strategy sets the right mid- and long- term objectives to ensure food security in an uncertain and volatile world”.

“The combined crises we are facing expose the fragilities of the agro-industrial model”

Eric Gall, IFOAM Organics Europe’s Deputy Director, adds that “These awards are a source of inspiration to all those making our food and farming system more sustainable, using organic’s potential and example. The awards’ criteria are based on the holistic principles of organic – care, health, ecology & fairness. Organic’s system approach should lead a re-think our food system, making it more independent from external inputs, less input-intensive and more resilient. The finalists’ inspiring achievements can serve as an example for many practitioners to switch to organic and be part of the solution”.

The winners of the eight awards will be announced at the official awards ceremony in Brussels on 23 September, as one of a range of events and activities to mark the new annual EU organic day.

Meet the finalists in each category

Best organic farmer (female)

• Katharina Lichtmannsperger (VLG Obervetterbachgut) – Thalgau, Salzburg, Austria
• Nazaret Mateos Álvarez (Entresetas) – Paredes de Nava, Palencia, Spain
• Sara Vezza (Azienda Agricola Sara Vezza) – Localitá Castelleto, Monforte d’Alba, Piemonte, Italy

Best organic farmer (male)

• Gianpaolo Mancini (Il Sentiero del Riccio) – Sicignano degli Alburni, Salerno, Campania, Italy
• David Pejic (Zrno eko imanje) – Dubrava, Zagreb County, Croatia
• Tom Kass (Kass-Haff S.àrl) – Rollingen, Luxembourg

Best organic region

• Occitanie, France
• Centre-Val de Loire, France
• Valencia, Spain

The winners of the eight awards will be announced at the official awards ceremony in Brussels on 23 September

Best organic city

• Gemeinde Seeham am Obertrumer See, Salzburg, Austria
• Municipality of Troyan, Bulgaria
• Stadt Wien, Austria

Best organic bio-district

• Associazione Bio-Distretto Cilento – Campania, Italy
• Association Biovallée – Eurre, France
• Centro Municipal Cultura e Desenvolvimento de Ihanha-a-Nova – Centro region, Portugal

Best organic SME

• Gino Girolomoni Cooperativa Agricola – Isola del Piano, Pesaro and Urbino province, Italy
• Goodvenience.bio GmbH – Magdala, Thuringia, Germany
• Labonca Biohof GmbH – Burgau, Styria, Austria

Best organic retailer

• Ecoveritas SA – Barcelona, Spain
• La ferme à l’arbre de Liège – Lantin, Liège, Belgium
• Bio MERCATO, seiVital GmbH – Kempten, Bavaria, Germany

Best organic restaurant

• Trattino – Lyon, France
• Lilla Bjers HB – Visby, Gotland Island, Sweden
• Kolariks Freizeitsbetriebe GesmbH Restaurant Luftburg – Prater – Wien, Austria

Further information about the candidates, the selection criteria, and the awards in general can be found on the EU organic awards webpage.

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