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NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.

2022

To document

Abstract

The Expert Group for Technical Advice on Organic Production (EGTOP) was requested to advise on the use of several substances in organic production. The Group discussed whether the use of these substances is in line with the objectives and principles of organic production and whether they should therefore be included in Annex III of Reg. (EU) 2021/1165. With respect to feed the Group recommends the following: - Leonardite should not be included in Annex III. - Sepiolitic clay should be included in Annex III, part B. - Peat should not be included in Annex III. With respect to pet food, the Group recommends the following: - Locust bean gum should be included in Annex III, part B with the following conditions/limits: only for pet food and obtained only from the roasting process and from organic production, if available. - Acacia-Arabic gum should be included in Annex III, part B with the following conditions/limits: only for pet food and from organic production, if available. - Carrageenan should be included in Annex III, part B with the following conditions/limits: only for pet food. - Ammonium chloride should be included in Annex III, part B with the following conditions/limits: only for pet food intended to be used for special nutritional purposes for cats. - (Ortho-)phosphoric acid should not be included in Annex III. - Taurine should be included in Annex III, part B with the following conditions/limits: only for cats and dogs, not from GMO origin and if possible not from synthetic origin. - Methionine should not be included in Annex III. - Disodium dihydrogen diphosphate (SAPP) should be included in Annex III, part A with the following conditions/limits: only for pet food. - Pentasodium triphosphate (STPP) should be included in Annex III, part A with the following conditions/limits: only for pet food.

To document

Abstract

The Expert Group for Technical Advice on Organic Production (EGTOP) was requested to advise on the use of several substances in organic production. The Group discussed whether the use of these substances is in line with the objectives and principles of organic production and whether they should therefore be included in Annex III of Reg. (EU) 2021/1165. With respect to feed the Group recommends the following: - Calcium hydroxide should not be included in Annex III. - Calcium pidolate should not be included in Annex III. - Algal oil should be included in Annex III, part A. - The trace elements; Copper (II) chelate of protein hydrolysates, Iron (II) chelate of protein hydrolysates, Manganese chelate of protein hydrolysates and Zinc chelate of protein hydrolysates should be included in Annex III, part B. - The feed for special nutritional purposes; Propylene glycol should be included in Annex III, part A. - The feed for special nutritional purposes; Calcium chloride should be included in Annex III, part A. - The feed for special nutritional purposes; Calcium propionate should not be included in Annex III. - The feed for special nutritional purposes; Iron dextran should be included in Annex III, part B. - The feed for special nutritional purposes; Iron (II) fumarate should not be included in Annex III. - Vegetable charcoal should not be included in Annex III. - Selenised yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae cncm i-3060, inactivated, should be included in Annex III, part B. With respect to pet food, the Group recommends the following: - Algae flour should not be included in Annex III. - Papain should be included in Annex III, part B.

To document

Abstract

The Expert Group for Technical Advice on Organic Production (EGTOP) was requested to advise on the use of several substances with plant protection or fertilising effects in organic production. The Group discussed whether the use of these substances is in line with the objectives and principles of organic production, and whether they should therefore be included in Reg. (EU) 2021/1165. With respect to Annex I to Reg. (EU) 2021/1165, the Group recommends the following: - Aqueous extract from the germinated seeds of sweet Lupinus albus should be included in Annex I, part 2 (low risk active substances). - Low risk active substances of plant or animal origin should be authorised generically in Annex I, part 2, provided that they are not of GMO origin. This would mean that they can be used in organic production as soon as they are approved under pesticide legislation, without the need for evaluation by EGTOP and without explicit mentioning in Annex I to Reg. (EU) 2021/1165. - Ferric pyrophosphate should be included in Annex I, part 2 (low risk active substances). - The entries for deltamethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin should be modified as follows: (i) for both substances, the authorisation should be limited until 2026; (ii) for the time period until 2026, deltamethrin should also be authorised against Rhagoletis completa with the same restrictions as for other uses, i.e. ‘only in traps with specific attractants’. With respect to Annex II to Reg. (EU) 2021/1165, the Group recommends the following: - The entry on ‘Composted or fermented household waste’ should be changed to ‘Composted or fermented bio-waste’. - Recovered struvite and precipitated phosphate salts should be included in Annex II with the following restrictions: (i) Products must meet the requirements defined by Reg. (EU) 2019/1009, for products derived from waste materials. (ii) Animal manure as source material cannot have factory farming origin. - Bone charcoal should not be included in Annex II. - Potassium chloride (muriate of potash) should be included in Annex II with the following restriction: Only of natural origin. - Phosphogypsum should not be included in Annex II. - Comment on widespread environmental contamination: In the Group’s opinion, circular economy is important and should be widely adopted also in organic production. However, recycled materials may be contaminated with undesirable substances such as microplastic, heavy metals, veterinary drugs or pesticides. The Group does not recommend any changes in the organic legislation at the moment. However, the Group highlights these risks and recommends that the European Commission and Member States take them into consideration within the framework of policies and regulations concerning organic farming development, circular economy and environmental protection. Moreover, these risks should be continuously monitored and preventively managed in the use of pesticides, veterinary drugs, plastic or any other potentially polluting materials and in the production of organic fertilizers from recycled materials. Finally, the organic sector should be aware that the proposed measures can reduce contaminations (in frequency and in amounts), but may not always completely eliminate them from the organic production chain. Under these circumstances, a certain level of contamination can be difficult to avoid in organic products. The issue of how to handle such residues is hotly debated at the moment. The Group would welcome harmonization among EU member states of control practises and on actions taken in case of detections of residues of non-allowed products on organic products and in organic farms.

To document

Abstract

The Expert Group for Technical Advice on Organic Production (EGTOP) was requested to advise on the use of several substances in organic production. The Group discussed whether the use of these substances is in line with the objectives and principles of organic production and whether they should therefore be included in Annex III of Reg. (EU) 2021/1165. With respect to food the Group recommends the following: - Magnesium carbonate should be included in Annex V B as processing aid. - Lecithin should be included in Annex III as a food additive in animal origin products. - Potassium sodium tartrate tetrahydrate (E337) should be included as a food additive. - The extension of the use of ascorbic acid (E300) should be included in ‘meat preparations’, but the EGTOP sub-group suggests a new mandate for a comprehensive assessment of the substance.

Abstract

Norwegian sheep production is based on the use of free outfield grazing resources in the mountains and forests in summer. Lamb prices are strongest at the beginning of the slaughter season in August and then begin to gradually decline, reaching a lower plateau in mid-October. Seasonal pricing provides incentives to get slaughter lambs to market early. The objective of this study was to examine how outfield summer pasture quality, time of collection from the outfields, and inclusion of annual forage crops in the diet of finishing lambs influence optimal farm plans and profitability in Norwegian forage-based sheep production systems at varying levels of farmland availability (varying from 15 to 25 ha with 20 ha as the basis). A linear programming model was developed for sheep production systems in the mountainous areas of Southern Norway. Input-output relationships incorporated into the model included data from field experiments with grasses for annual and perennial use, observed performance of lambs and ewes at pastures, a feed planning tool for the indoor season, and expert judgements. The model maximised total gross margin of farms with a housing capacity of 200 ewes. The results suggested that with more land available, drafting older and heavier lambs for slaughter was profitable. The lighter lambs at weaning were usually drafted much later and at the same or heavier carcass weights than the heavy lambs at weaning because of seasonal pricing. Higher quality outfield summer pastures increased lamb live weights at weaning. Annual profits improved considerably with rich summer pastures compared to poor summer pastures. Early collection was always less profitable than normal time of collection because greater prices for lambs sold could not offset losses from the additional feed costs incurred and a possibly smaller flock. Speeding up the growth rate of finishing lambs by offering annual forage crops in addition to grazed grass was usually more profitable than grass only. Only for rich summer pastures and normal time of collection at low land availability was use of annual forage crops unprofitable.