| Yubljana,
SLOVENIA, June 12, 2003 -- CropChoice news: The
presidents of organic farmers associations from Slovenia:
Union of Slovenian Organic Farmers` Associations (USOFA),
Austria: Bio-Ernte Austria from Carinthia and Styria,
Italy: APROBIO from Friuli-Venezia Giulia and AVEPROBI
from Veneto signed a declaration to create a bioregion
dedicated to the growing of organic food. The bioregion
should comprise the whole of Slovenia, the Austrian
provinces of Carinthia and Styria and the Italian provinces
of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto.
Agriculture Ministers from Slovenia, Carinthia and
Friuli-Venezia Giulia were present at the ceremony and
expressed their support to this initiative.
"Organic farming in Austria is already very important
agricultural practice and its potential to grow is big.
We want to preserve and extend this potential also to
future EU Member States and to ensure farmers in the
newly established bioregion to be able to farm in an
environmentally and ethically acceptable manner and
to provide consumers healthy, locally and sustainably
produced food." said Stefan Merkac from Bio-Ernte
Austria.
Anamarija Slabe from USOFA added "In Slovenia
on average, every day we get new organic farm registered.
In 1998 there were 41 organic farms in the country in
the year 2002 total number was 1100 and they represented
1,3 % of total agricultural farmland in the country
in 2002. Our goal is to have 30 % organic agricultural
farmland in 10 years time."
For further information: Marjana Dermelj: + , Coalition of NGOs for GM free
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