CONDITION AND PROSPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIC FARMING IN THE EUROPEAN UNION.

In recent years, the policy of reducing negative human impact on the natural environment and the fashion for eating high-quality food influenced the development of organic farming. However, that organic crops in the world currently only cover approx. 0.9% of agricultural land, mainly in developed countries. Europe, particularly the European Union countries, besides the North America, is a leader in terms of both the area and the number of farms, and the development of organic products market. The aim of the paper is to present both the status of organic farming in the European Union in the years 2000-2012, and synthetic prospects for the development by the year 2020. Information was analysed on the organic farming i.e. the area and structure of organic crops, and the number of certified farms. An analysis of the basic data concerning the level and rate of the development of organic farming in the European Union confirmed an increase in the significance of this method of agricultural production. As a result of the support under the CAP so far, both the number of organic farms and the area of organic agricultural land have been on the increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]