How New EU Regulations Will Affect African Farmers
Uncertainty looms as farmers and importers are unsure of whether they are sufficiently prepared to meet the stricter compliance requirements introduced by the European Union Regulation 2018/848
The Organic Regulation will affect rural livelihoods, food production, and equitable trade relations across Africa hence call for feedback to the EU to safeguard the interests of African producers.
The proposed amendments that govern organic production and labelling, have sparked significant debate, especially across the African continent. The major concerns focus on Africa’s future participation in the European organic market, currently valued at approximately €54.7 billion and expected to continue growing.
The European organic food sector is the world’s strongest and most innovative in the organic food sector.
If adopted, these measures will take immediate effect whereby the European Parliament and the Council aim to ensure that increasing consumer demand for organic products supports sustainable growth and expansion of the sector.
The revised legal framework seeks to guarantee fair competition, strengthen market functioning, preserve consumer confidence in organic labelling, and align policies with evolving production and market dynamics.
The introduce significantly tighter requirements for organic imports from non-EU countries, replacing the previous “equivalence” system with full compliance to EU standards. This shift seeks to strengthen market integrity, transparency, and harmonization by emphasizing enhanced traceability, certification, strengthened audits, and having strict labelling rules. While these protections are aimed to safeguard credibility, they present considerable challenges for smallholder farmers, cooperatives, importers, and exporters in Africa. The heightened administrative burden, increased certification costs, and adoption of strict inspection and production systems, will have considerable strain on limited resources.
The revised standards aim to strengthen consumer trust but will significantly impact African producers, who export roughly 70% of the continent’s organic produce to Europe. Key changes affecting these producers include the reforms such as reorganized group certification structures, improved internal control systems, and mandatory use of EU recognized control bodies further complicate compliance. Without targeted support, smaller producers risk exclusion from the lucrative European organic market, highlighting the critical need to balance market integrity with equitable access for global suppliers.
The Strict group certification requirements risk decertifying farmer cooperatives and associations, threatening millions of livelihoods. These groups must now implement rigorous internal control systems, including detailed documentation, traceability, and unannounced inspections for each member farm. Compliance will demand heavy investments in database systems, GPS mapping, tracking technologies, and qualified personnel, resources many producers currently lack.
Since group certification reduces costs, tighter rules may exclude numerous smallholder farmers. The certification and audit demands will increase, with more frequent farm visits by external auditors and likely consultancy fees to navigate complex regulations. Enhanced laboratory testing for inputs and products, expanded traceability infrastructure, and professional training will further raise compliance costs, potentially increasing margins by 30–50%, which many producers may find unsustainable.
The removal of the “equivalence” clause means imported products must fully meet EU organic standards instead of regional standards. Farmers will need to abandon some traditional agro ecological practices in favor of EU-approved methods. Extensive documentation and traceability requirements will be required for inputs, production, cultivation, handling and storage, contamination prevention, and standardized reporting.
The expected mandatory record keeping and multilingual labeling, will add administrative burdens. Thus, data collection will be challenging in rural areas, especially in remote places with limited electricity and internet access. Market exclusion for most African small holder farmers group is high. Producers who will fail to comply fully by January 2026 may lose access to the EU organic market. Farmer groups unable to meet new standards will not be certified, thus this will destabilize rural economies and affect livelihoods across Africa.
The Commission has opened a call for evidence until 18 November 2025, giving cooperatives, farmers’ organizations, exporters, and individuals an opportunity to submit input to the EU consultation. African countries can use this platform to highlight the socio-economic implications for smallholder farmers. Regional bodies such as the African Union, ECOWAS, and the Pan-African Farmers’ Organization (PAFO) also have the opportunity to advocate for extended transition timelines.
Regionally, as a continent, significant capacity building will be essential. African countries will need to invest in training programs to help farmers understand and meet the new compliance requirements, as well as strengthen internal control systems within farmer groups. Governments may need to provide financial support through subsidies or co-financing mechanisms. Technical assistance will also play a critical role, and African states may benefit from partnering with organizations such as the Africa Organic Network (AfrONet) to navigate the transition. Governments can as well engage in strategic advocacy and policy dialogue to reduce barriers and facilitate smoother adaptation.
With the stringent new measures, the continent must adopt to long-term resilience strategies that reinforce both farmers and institutions. Developing alternative markets is essential, including strengthening regional markets for organic products and enhancing local organic certification schemes while maintaining access to international certifications.
Innovation and technology adoption will be equally important, particularly in documenting farm operations and implementing consistent data collection systems, potentially supported by block chain technology to enhance transparency.
