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Last year, Flemish people purchased 350 million euros in organic products. Driven by COVID-19, consumption rose by 14% in 2020 compared to 2019. Production of organic products also expanded, but the increase was less significant. The number of organic farmers increased by 6%. The organic area increased by 5% in 2020 to a total of 9,124 hectares. In relation to the total Flemish agricultural area, organic remains a very small sector at just 1.5%.
172 of the 593 Flemish organic farms (29%) keep animals under organic control, whether or not in combination with some form of plant production. That is an increase of almost 8 percent compared to 2019. The total organic livestock increased by four percent in one year. Especially the number of organic pigs (+59%) and the number of organic goats (+20%) has increased. In poultry farming, the increase was much more limited (4%). Organic beef cattle increased by 3 percent, organic dairy cattle by 1 percent.
With a share of 29%, vegetable cultivation is the most important specialization in the organic sector. Arable farming (18%), followed by specialized animal production (17%) and fruit growing (14%). In animal production, the two most common industries are specialized laying hen and dairy farming, both of which account for 5% of all organic farms.
July 5, 2021/ Vilt/ Belgium.
https://vilt.be
