Organic farming brand identity : meeting trends, building trust

Anna

Description

Abstract
The Organic Farming (OF) concept plays a significant role in contemporary market competition in European and other economies. This issue is the main target of the paper. The OF certification mark is dealt with as a specific brand and its meaning is presented from different points of view. The author puts special emphasis on creating customer benefits and trust due to the OF certification mark. The mark can become an effective tool of building strong relationship between supply and demand sides of the market.
Resumen
El concepto de Agricultura Ecológica (AE) tiene un papel importante en la competencia del mercado contemporáneo tanto en la economía europea como en la de otros países. Este aspecto es el objetivo principal de este artículo. La certificación de AE se considera como marca específica y su significado se presenta desde diferentes perspectivas. El autor centra su atención en la creación del beneficio del consumidor y confianza debido a la certificación de marca de AL Ésta puede convertirse en una herramienta efectiva para la creación de una estrecha relación entre la oferta y la demanda del mercado.

Sujets

• Agricultura ecológica
• Unión Europea
• Confianza del consumidor
• Organic food
• Organic farming
• European Union

Informations

• Publié par: erevistas
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 8
• Langue: English

Extrait

Pecvnia, 8 (2009), pp. 263-275
Organic Farming Brand Identity:
Meeting Trends, Building Trust
Anna Maria Nikodemska-Wo łowik
[e-mail]
University of Gdansk
Faculty of Economics
Institute of International Business
Recibido: Noviembre 2008 Armii Krajowej 119/121
Aceptado: Septiembre 2009 81-824 Sopot (Polonia)

El concepto de Agricultura Ecológica (AE) The Organic Farming (OF) concept plays
tiene un papel importante en la competencia del a significant role in contemporary market
mercado contemporáneo tanto en la economía competition in European and other economies.
europea como en la de otros países. Este aspecto This issue is the main target of the paper. The
es el objetivo principal de este artículo. La OF certification mark is dealt with as a specific
certificación de AE se considera como marca brand and its meaning is presented from different
específica y su significado se presenta desde points of view. The author puts special emphasis
diferentes perspectivas. El autor centra su atención on creating customer benefits and trust due to
en la creación del beneficio del consumidor y the OF certification mark. The mark can become
confianza debido a la certificación de marca de an effective tool of building strong relationship
AE. Ésta puede convertirse en una herramienta between supply and demand sides of the
efectiva para la creación de una estrecha relación market.
entre la oferta y la demanda del mercado.

Palabras clave: producto ecológico, agricultura Key words: organic food, organic farming,
ecológica, Unión Europea, identidad de marca, European Union, brand identity, consumer trust.
confianza del consumidor. 264 Organic Farming Brand Identity: Meeting Trends, Building Trust





INTRODUCTION
In contemporary business, so called certifying brands enable
adopting a uniform approach and constituting fair rules of competition,
protecting brands from misuse and imitation. The noble marks express
reputation and distinctiveness. This sort of protection gives valuable
intellectual property rights as well as added value owing to distinguishing
given goods from those of competitors. As buyers pay more for the
products, they require the same quality all the time, so after the control
non-complying products are withdrawn from the market.
Therefore, an international phenomenon is worth indicating
here. In highly industrialized states, interest in eco-food is increasing, and
the answer to consumers' expectations is certification of those products in
order to guarantee certitude of natural and traditional production. It is
one of the fastest developing sectors of agricultural as well as food and
beverages fields in the world, with the growth of sales e.g. in the EU-15
1on average by 30% in 1998 – 2005 . Similarly, the growing importance of
the supporting production of eco-food (also the traditional one) and
promoting the dietetic habits based on them is expressly exemplified by
the international undertakings.
The paper examines the problem mainly from the demand
side perspective. However, the key issues connected with the supply side
point of view are also considered to a necessary extent.
OF AS A CONCEPT
In the context of the issues discussed, it is worth paying
attention to the EU certificate, namely Organic Farming (OF). In introducing
Council Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91 in 1991, the Council shaped a
Community framework defining in detail the requirements for agriculture

1
Organic Farming, European Commission Documents [http://europa.eu.int/comm/
agriculture/qual/organic/index_en.htm; access: 03.04.2006].
Pecvnia, 8 (2009), pp. 263-275 Anna Maria Nikodemska-Wo łowik 265

2products or foodstuffs bearing a reference to organic production methods .
Although the OF may not be tied with region or tradition, it has quite a
lot in common with so called Quality Agricultural Products: PDO –
Protected Designation of Origin PGI - Protected Geographical Indication
TSG – Traditional Speciality Guaranteed.
The definition of organic farming given below is proposed
by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius for organic food:
Organic agriculture is a holistic production management
system which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem
health, including biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil
biological activity. It emphasizes the use of management
practices in preference to the use of off-farm inputs,
taking into account that regional conditions require
locally adapted systems. This is accomplished by using,
where possible, agronomic, biological, and mechanical
methods, as proposed to using synthetic materials, to
3fulfil any specific function within the system .
According to the definition, the OF is a method for
producing foodstuffs, owing to which the consumers who perceived the
products as beneficial buy them and in consequence finance OF, so it is
governed by market rules. The EU Strategy for Sustainable Development
includes the idea as common agriculture policy (CAP) encourages the
4ecological farming . The standards are connected for instance with listing
the permitted additives, processing aids for processed animals products,
minimising pollution, improving the conditions of animal welfare, soil
protection, biodiversity. The farmers who develop the OF concept can
receive investment support from EU as all other groups of farmers.
Moreover, GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and/or any product
derived from such organisms must not be used in OF (except of veterinary
5medicinal products) .
Some Member States have applied their own rules of OF
(for example: Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden, the

2
EU Document (2004) European Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming.
Commission Staff Working Document, Annex to the Communication form the Commission [COM (2004)
415 final], Brussels 10.06.2004, SEC (2004) 739, p. 7.
3
EU Document (2004) European Action Plan for Organic..., op. cit., p. 3.
4
ment (2001) A Sustainable Europe for Better World. Commission's
proposal to the Göteborg European Council [COM (2001) 264].
5
Article 6. of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91 on Organic Farming.
Pecvnia, 8 (2009), pp. 263-275 266 Organic Farming Brand Identity: Meeting Trends, Building Trust

UK) but their programmes should be compatible with the European Action
Plan. Similarly, in 1998 International Federation of Organic Agriculture
Movements (IFOAM set up in 1972) adopted fundamental standards for
organic farming and processing. The Federation cooperates with European
6Commission .
MARKET FACTS AND DATA - SUPPLY SIDE
In 2004 organic food held a market share of circa 2% (i.e.
the share of organics in total food sales) in the EU-15, while the USA
72.3%, Latin America less than 0.5% . The old continent with 21.8% in
EU25 of the organic area belongs to three largest in the world winning the
third place, while Oceania is number one with 43.2% and South America
8as number two with 23.7% .
In 2005 the OF constituted 4% of the total Utilised Agricultural
Area (UAA) in EU-25 with such leading countries as: Austria, Italy (the
major regions – Sicily, Sardinia), Greece, Czech Republic, Latvia, Finland
and Sweden. While Austria had the highest share of organic area over
total UAA (11%), Latvia became the most dynamic country with imposing
growth of 354% (another EU newcomer, Slovakia, also noticed an impressive
growth of circa 76%). In terms of total organic area measured by country,
in 2005 Italy accounted for almost 18% of total organic area in EU-25
(then Germany and Spain with about 14%), and Czech Republic was the
9leader among the EU newcomers (more than 4%) .
The number of organic holdings in EU-15 increased from
29,000 in 1993 to more than 140,000 in 2003. It should be stressed that in
2005 Austria reached the highest position in the rank of organic producers

6
G. Le Guillou & A. Scharpe (2001) Organic Farming. Guide to Community
Rules. Luxembourg: European Communities, European Commission Directorate-General for
Agriculture, p. 6.
7
EU Document (2004) European Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming, op.
cit., pp. 7-9.
8
Report: Organic Farming in the European Union. Facts and Figures,
Commission Europeenne. Direction Generale de L'Agriculture et du Developpement Rural, Bruxelles,
03.11.2005, p. 6.
9
L. Llorens Abando & E. Rohner-Thielen (2007) "Different Organic Farming
Patterns within EU-25. An Overview of the Current Situation", Statistics in Focus. Agriculture and
Fisheries, 69. European Communities: Eurostat, pp. 1-2.
Pecvnia, 8 (2009), pp. 263-275 Anna Maria Nikodemska-Wo łowik 267

out of the total number of agricultural holdings (12%), followed by Denmark
10and Finland (however their shares showed decreasing tendency) .
In 2004 Germany was the biggest national market with a
share of circa 30% of the total EU market volume, follo