H2020 Organic-PLUS Project: Pathways to phase out controversial inputs from organic farming in Europe

Organic-PLUS has generated new knowledge for the phasing out of many controversial inputs used in organic and conventional agriculture. To minimize the need for copper and mineral oils, it has built on previous research (e.g., Blight Mop, RepCo, Co Free) and extended it to crops that have been poorly managed until now, particularly Mediterranean tree crops (e.g., citrus and olives) and greenhouse horticultural crops (e.g., tomatoes). Its use in potatoes in Northern Europe was also investigated, particularly in combination with decision support systems (DSS) and cropping system redesign. The use of copper, mineral oils, and sulfur for crop protection in Europe was mapped (Katsoulas et al., 2020) and the available alternatives (Andrivon et al., 2020). With this knowledge, it was possible to demonstrate in field and greenhouse trials that, with a combination of methods—especially decision support systems, input substitution, and redesign—legal copper limits can be halved as a first step, and the phasing out of mineral oils and sulfur is feasible. For the investigated inputs for livestock systems, the complete elimination of antibiotics and anthelmintics is not feasible. Further research at TRL level 6 (technology readiness level) is needed to improve our understanding of the use of anti-infective and immunostimulating molecules from natural plant sources as alternatives to synthetic products. The research published several examples of promising results (e.g., with spruce bark) and also expanded to include zinc used in pig production. Alternatives to straw bedding were found to be viable, although cost and availability remain problematic. In the work related to soil inputs (alternatives to animal manure from non-organic farms, animal-based fertilizers, peat, and plastic mulch) were investigated. Elimination of all inputs is feasible and the TRL was increased, but more innovation action research is needed. The feasibility of elimination, including LCA (life cycle assessment) analysis, was investigated for all controversial inputs using a common framework with clear policy recommendations, including the identification of knowledge gaps. The exploitation of DSS and novel concepts was carried out on stakeholder farms and through patent research on alternatives to bioplastics. This included systems modeling to assess cost-benefit, feasibility, and operational management options for the different pathways, using on-farm scenarios across Europe with economic, technical, and operational feasibility. As a unique feature of Organic-PLUS, the technical and socioeconomic research was complemented by social science studies on consumer conceptions of controversial inputs. This included the largest representative public opinion survey on controversial inputs conducted to date, with over 15,000 participants in seven European countries. In addition, research on public participation was conducted using innovative hybrid citizen-farmer competition forums in the United Kingdom. Italy and Norway have deepened our understanding of the dialogue between science and society regarding controversial inputs in agriculture (see the dedicated website: www.improvingorganic.life). All findings were widely disseminated through on-farm meetings, academic outreach, conferences, and policy documents.