Ekonekazaritza – Ecological Agriculture of the Basque Country.
Ekonekazaritza is the Federation of Organic Agriculture of the Basque Country. It is the coordinating body for three territorial associations of Organic Agriculture, Biolur-Gipuzkoa, Araba and Bionekazaritza-Ekolur-Bizkaia, and it is the interlocutor of the sector with the Basque Government.
Ekonekazaritza provides an infrastructure that seeks to respond adequately to the needs expressed by the sector and the public, and this plays an educational and care, coordination, defense industry, training, research, dissemination and promotion and offers various services such as editing the magazine Ekolurra, sales of publications and information material or making available to the public.
Ekonekazaritza is ultimately a vehicle for rapprochement and better understanding between the three associations, their members and the general public, as well as an element of promotion and development of organic agriculture in the Basque Country.
Organic Agriculture
Organic Agriculture (EA) is a system of production whose main objective is to get healthy food and high quality, respecting the environment and conserving soil fertility, all through the optimal use of natural resources, excluding the use of synthetic chemicals and ensuring sustainable development.
Organic Agriculture in Europe is regulated by Regulation R Community (EEC) No. 2092/91 of June 24th, on production of agricultural products and on agricultural products and foodstuffs.
To making these regulations defined, previously there was an awareness and a way to see agricultural production with the green revolution and the massive use of synthetic chemical products. This awareness led farmers implement this special way of treating the soil, plants and animals that now is called Organic Agriculture. However, the Organic Agriculture cannot be considered merely a way of producing food. Care is also based on the economic and social production as an element of creating a more equitable, sustainable, complex, and even morally acceptable society.
Organic Agriculture is therefore a way of producing food with all their properties, without using poisons or toxic chemicals for their production, and thereby promoting the health of people in a safe and sustainable way, both economically and environmentally.
Body Control
Organic production is governed by the European Regulation No. 2092/91 of June 24th. This regulation is a comprehensive framework that spans from the cultivation and animal husbandry to organic processing, labeling and marketing of products derived from organic production. The ultimate goal of these rules is to ensure the authenticity of consumer products with references to Organic Agriculture methods.
The Basque Country is governed by the EA Decree 229/1996 of the Basque Government and Policy Directorate and the Food Industry in charge of exercising the control functions to monitor the operators comply with Regulation 2092 / 91, to authorize, where appropriate, the use of the stamp identifying organic agricultural products.
Associations
Ekonekazaritza federates three territorial associations of Organic Agriculture:
Biolur Gipuzkoa
Urteaga Kalea, 23
CP: 20570
Bergara, Gipuzkoa
Bionekazaritza
La Paloma Kalea, 6
CP: 01002
Vitoria-Gasteiz, Araba
Ekolur Bizkaia
B Low 23 º Garaioltza
CP: 48196
Lezama, Bizkaia