A recent conference organised by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on producer organisations (POs) for the fruit and vegetable sector provided an overview of the regulation which governs this activity, including details of the requirements to establish POs, recent developments at EU level and how the regulation is implemented in Ireland, including its role and benefits.
Producer organisations became the cornerstone of the EU regime for the fruit and vegetables sector in the 1996 reform, with a key aim being to strengthen the position of producers in the face of greater concentration of demand and to integrate environmental concerns in the production and marketing of fruit and vegetables. For the first time, recognised POs could receive EU support to implement approved operational programmes. A reform of the regulation in 2007 aimed to strengthen POs further.
In 2010, there were 1,599 recognised POs in 23 EU member states. In this period, EU data indicates that about 43% of the value of EU fruit and vegetable production was marketed by POs, which involved 16.5% of the EU producers. The level of organisation of producers into POs varies from one member state to another (for example, Italy has high organisation rate while some countries have no POs) which is due to a variety of different factors. Ireland currently has two recognised POs (i.e. mushroom and protected vegetable sectors).
For further information on POs and the relevant regulations, see links below:
Terms and conditions of the scheme of EU aid for producer organisations in the fruit and vegetables sector (2014)
European Commission Fruit and Vegetables: Producer Organisations
Source: BordBia – Producer Organisations in Fruit and Vegetable Sector – Roles and Benefits
