Organic production in Finland

In the recent years, organic production has grown steadily in Finland. Nearly 225000 field hectares – almost 10% out of the total cultivated area – are cultivated organically. There are about 4300 organic farms altogether, slightly more than 800 of them are livestock farms. (year 2015)

Finland produces a significant amount of organic crops, both for foodstuffs and fodder. The most important livestock products are milk, eggs and beef.

The world’s largest area, which is certified for organic wild food collecting, over 12 million hectares of forests and peat bogs, is a Finnish specialty. Most of this area is situated in Lapland, the northern parts of the country. Bilberry and lingonberry are the most important wild foods.

The amount of organic exports is small, only about 10 million euro. The most important exported products are organic oat and the products made of it, such as flakes and flours. About 70% of organic oat is exported. Moreover, Finland exports organic flours made of rye, wheat and potato, as well as bread, wild berries, lactose-free milk and licorice.

Statistics about Finnish organic production & consumption: Organics in Finland 2015 (pdf)
Action plan for Finnish organic sector: More organic – naturally!

Supervision of organic production

Organic production and manufacturing are supervised by the Finnish authorities. The Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira steers and the local Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment carry out the monitoring duties.

National organic programme

Finland aims to increase organically cultivated area to 20% of all cultivated land and to diversify the selection of domestic products by 2020. This aim has been documented in the Development Programme for the Organic Product Sector drafted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

To reach the aim, the subsidies of organic production have been raised, for example. Project funding and PR-campaign are used to increase the awareness of organic products and their demand.

Organic markets

Consumption of organics has increased in Finland during the recent years as the supply has diversified. The market share of organics in the retail is about 1.8%. About 55 % of the organic products sold in Finland are domestic production.

The most popular organic product is organic milk: the share of dairy products is about 15 % of organic retail sales in Finland. Other large product groups are fruits and vegetables, flakes, flours and eggs. Organic consumption is concentrated in the Helsinki city area, where organic products are bought more than in small municipalities. Most organic foodstuffs are bought at ordinary grocery shops.

So far, restaurants use relatively little organics. Less than 1% of wholesales in Horeca sector comes from organic products. The share of organics in the public catering, e.g. in the hospital and daycare kitchens is about 5% of the raw materials used. Public catering uses “Steps to Organics” programme produced by EkoCentria as their tool for developing the supply of organic food.

What is Pro Luomu?

The Finnish Organic Food Association Pro Luomu is an association for the cooperation of actors in the organic sector. Pro Luomu promotes the development of organic production and growth of organic consumption in Finland. The association has over 50 member organizations, which cover different actors of the field: enterprises that produce organic foodstuffs, central corporations, restaurants, farmers’ associations, scientific bodies and information organizations.

Pro Luomu was founded in the spring 2011. It is financed by the government project funding and membership dues.

Pro Luomu is a member of IFOAM EU, the European organisation advocating organic food and farming.

Pro Luomu develops the organic sector by drafting statements and commenting on important current issues. In addition, the association organizes expert seminars and educational events and arranges consumer events with other actors of the field.

Pro Luomu cooperates closely with scientists, administration, the control system of organic production and other actors and interest groups of the field. The value chain working groups for each product groups are essential tools in cooperation. At the moment, there are four working groups for meat, milk, vegetable and Horeca sectors. In the working groups, the experts of each field discuss the problems and solutions of supply and demand for organic goods.

Other actors in organics

Finnish Organic Research Institute (Luomuinsituutti)
Finnish Organic Research Institute (FORI) is a multidisciplinary research organization. The Finnish Organic Research Institute’s expert network operates under the University of Helsinki and Natural Resources Institute Finland Luke. FORI promotes organic food production and consumption throughout the Finnish food chain by the means of research, science communication, education and development projects.

The Finnish Organic Association (Luomuliitto)
The Finnish Organic Association is an interest group representing organic farmers and a member of Pro Luomu. The organization has 13 local associations and private individuals, other associations and business organisations as members.