Organic agriculture

WHAT IS ORGANIC AGRICULTURE?

The public at large identifies ecological, organic or biological agriculture with the production of so-called health food, i.e. agricultural production without the use of agrochemicals (mineral fertilizers, pesticides, hormones and the like). Although the best known, this is only one of the features of this kind of production.

Organic agriculture is a concept of agricultural production which is much more complex and whose essence lies not only in avoiding agrochemicals, but also in the overall management by which this goal can be reached. Organic agricultural production strives to use in the greatest possible measure the potentials of a certain ecosystem, i.e. an economy, by stimulating, strengthening and harmonizing the biological processes of its individual parts.  

The ideal of an eco-economy is a mixed-type economy, with plant and cattle-raising, which is organized in a way that represents a harmonious whole which satisfies most of its needs from its own sources, and keeps imports, i.e. inputs from sources outside the eco-economic unit, to a minimum.

The purpose of organic agriculture is not to deny or reject the positive achievements of conventional agriculture, but in finding environmentally acceptable solutions where such solutions are needed and feasible. Organic agriculture is also not a step back in time, a step into the agriculture of our forefathers. Quite the contrary, organic agriculture is a part of modern agricultural production, trade and agronomic science, and is based on its most recent insights and achievements.

The basic concepts  

Organic production of agricultural products and foodstuffs is defined as a separate system of sustainable management in agriculture and forestry which encompasses the cultivation and rearing of plants and animals, the production of food, raw materials and natural fibres, and the processing of primary products. It includes all ecologically, managerially and socially justified production and technological methods, interventions and systems, using in the best possible way the fertility of the soil and available water sources, and the natural characteristics of plants, animals and landscapes. It also involves increases in the yield and resistance of plants by means of natural forces with the prescribed use of fertilizers and agents for the protection of plants and animals, in accordance with internationally accepted norms and principles.

The producer
- in organic production is a legal entity or physical person who produces organic products, processes them or trades them, and is registered in the Register of Producers in Organic Production of Agricultural and Food Products.

An organic product
- is every product produced and marked in accordance with the provisions of the Organic Production of Agricultural and Food Products Act and regulations adopted on the basis of this Act. Organic production is subject to technical inspections, which are carried out by the competent supervisory body for organic production. After the mandatory technical inspection and the issuing of a report, the legal institution for the implementation of the process of certification issues a certificate.

A certificate
- is a document whereby the competent legal institution for the implementation of the process of certification in organic production confirms that the organic production, process or service of a production unit in organic production conforms to the prescribed basic requirements for organic production.

The mark of an organic product should be given to the end-product in organic production and has a corresponding declaration. These are both issued upon the request of the producer after the duly performed procedure. The mark is issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development.