EUROPE GOING ORGANIC

(ENS)-Agriculture ministers from 12 European countries have called for a plan to boost organic farming, marking a breakthrough for the European organic movement. The ministers signed what is being called the Copenhagen Declaration, which acknowledges a �growing consumer interest for certified organic products.� The German ag minister targeted 20 percent organic agriculture in his country within ten years. Germany�s initiative virtually guarantees that the issue will have a much higher political profile at the European Union level. The action plan will cover environmental protection, animal welfare, consumer behavior, market development, food safety, food quality, regulation, certification and labeling and research and international trade. For a discussion of organic farming in Germany visit www.verbraucherministerium.de