There was a 1.9% decrease in organic food imports to the EU last year compared to 2019, a European Commission brief on organic imports shows.

Imports of organic beef dropped by 43.3% last year, albeit a tiny market compared to conventional beef, from 486t to 275t: “Bovine and sheepmeat, as well as non-edible animal products, were imported, mainly from the Mercosur, while very small amounts of dairy products (cheese and yoghurt) were shipped from the US,” the Commission said.

The EU imported 5.4% more organic soybean meal for livestock production last year at 137,000t compared to 2019.

In terms of volume, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, China, Ukraine and Peru were the top exporters of organic agri-food to the EU in 2020.