The new world organic report records rising sales against a stable extension of agricultural land. The president of Federbio underlines the need to press ahead with the transition.
The consumption of organic products in Europe reaches an all-time high valued at 59 billion euros: so reports The World of Organic Agriculture 2026, covering 2024, presented at the Biofach trade fair by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture Fibl in collaboration with Ifoam, the worldwide federation of organic agriculture associations.
According to the analysis, land farmed organically in Europe remains stable at 19.6 million hectares. Of these, 18.1 million are concentrated in the European Union, where organic accounts for 11.1 per cent of total agricultural land, compared with 3.9 per cent for the continent as a whole.
Among the countries with the greatest extent of organic land, Spain stands out with nearly 2.9 million hectares, followed by France with 2.7 million hectares and Italy, which ranks third with 2.5 million hectares, but leads in terms of the percentage of organic utilised agricultural area (UAA), at over 20 per cent — almost double the European average. Italy also retains the top spot for the number of organic producers, with over 87,042 operators out of the 490,637 active across the whole of Europe.
In 2024 organic sales hit a record 58.7 billion euros, an increase of 4.1 per cent: Germany confirmed its position as the largest organic market in Europe (17.0 billion euros), followed by France (12.2 billion euros) and Italy (5.2 billion euros). Meanwhile Switzerland recorded the highest per-capita consumption in the world, at 481 euros per person.
At a global level, organically farmed agricultural land in 2024 remained broadly stable at 99 million hectares, while global retail sales of organic food and drink reached 145 billion euros. The United States confirmed their position as the most significant market with 60.4 billion euros, followed by Germany with 17 billion euros and China with 15.5 billion euros.
"European analyses give us a clear picture: citizens are increasingly steering their food choices towards organic," said Maria Grazia Mammuccini, president of Federbio. "The significant figure is that, for the first time in 2024, the percentage growth in consumption exceeded the percentage growth in organically farmed land."
For Mammuccini, the increase in organic sales must go hand in hand with a rise in production, and for that reason the objectives of the Green Deal must not be allowed to slow down: EU strategies supporting agroecological development, combined with significant investment in research and innovation, are the key to growing the sector. "The paradox is clear: while citizens choose sustainability, Brussels hits the brakes. What is needed instead is to press forward with determination towards a resilient agricultural and food system that respects ecosystems." For Federbio this is not only a matter of environment, climate and health, but of the real economy, the future of farming businesses and of future generations.