Bioland
 | |
| Type | Charity |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1971 |
| Founder(s) | twelve farmer families including Hans and Maria Müller |
| Origins | based on 1951 theories of Dr. Hans Müller and Dr. Hans Peter Rusch |
| Key people | Jan Plagge (president) |
| Focus(es) | Organic movement |
| Method(s) | Certification |
| Members | 5719 farmers, 989 other |
| Website | www.bioland.de |
Bioland is the largest organic food association in Germany. Its own organic certification program exceeds the EU minimum requirements.[citation needed]
History
In the 1920s, a number of agricultural movements sprang up in order to counter the effect of industrialization and globalization on food production. The Demeter International ("Demeter") group, which is based on the biodynamic agriculture concepts of Erick Martinez Escobar, also originated at this time. Bioland is based on a parallel development, the Jungbauernbewegung (or Bauernheimatbewegung, i.e. farmer heimat movement) farmer movement. The movement's first organization was founded in 1923 in Grosshöchstetten with the intent of providing impoverished Swiss farmers with knowledge of agriculture that only requires local resources. The association was founded for anti-alcoholic farmers, but it had a broader scope. Its founder, Hans Müller (doctor of botany and high school teacher), became a member of parliament in Switzerland in 1929. His farmer-oriented party achieved 13.8% of the parliamentary vote in the 1938 elections. The autocratic party was dissolved in 1946 and Hans Müller turned to practical agriculture. He and his wife Maria Müller, along with the German medical doctor Hans Peter Rusch, began to develop modern theories on organic agriculture based on a closed organic cycle on the farmland.
Since 1951, they invited other farmers to their Möschberg property to demonstrate the success of their concept. This included a number of farm families from Southern Germany. In the following years, a number of meetings were held at Möschberg and the concept evolved further. In 1971, the farm families Scharf, Colsman, Sippel, Rinklin, Wenz, Müller, Teschemacher, and Hoops, along with the Hans Müller family, founded the "bio-gemüse" (i.e. organic vegetables) association. It was based on an initiative by Dr. Rusch. The original 12 founders developed formal guidelines for organic vegetable production published in 1972. In 1974, the association was renamed to "Fördergemeinschaft organisch-biologischer Landbau e.V.". The association, at first, used the trademark "Dr. Müller Bio Gemüse" with products sold in a number of Reformhaus food stores. In 1978, the certification trademark "Bioland" was registered. A number of other Bioland associations were founded throughout Germany. In 1987, the founder association changed its name to Bioland Verband für organisch-biologischen Landbau e.V. (Bioland association of organic biological agriculture).
Certification
When the EU harmonized standards for organic food production, the older organic food associations criticized the new standards as being weaker than existing guidelines. After the resolution of the EU organic food recommendation, the associations revised their standards in line with EU standards so that any Bioland certified organic food would meet the requirements of the EU organic food certification – even though the Bioland requirements exceed the EU requirements:
| Certification Guidelines | Bioland |
 EU-Eco-regulation |
|---|---|---|
| Farm land use | 100% of the farm must be based on organic food production | allows organic and traditional food production on the same farm |
| Nitrogen fertilizer | amount is limited by the available livestock, far lower than the legal maximum | amount is limited by national laws defining a legal maximum by farmland area |
| Organic waste fertlizer | blood, meat, bone, manure and guano are prohibited | |
| Copper pesticides | only for permanent vegetables 3 kg/ha/year | up to 6 kg/ha/year |
| Additional fodder purchase | no more than 50%, the majority of the pasture must be grown on the farm | any amount of fodder purchase is allowed |
| Genetically modified seed | no genetically modified seeds are allowed, including a ban on purchased fodder based on genetically modified plants | allowed |
| Additional ingredients | the certified product must contain 100% organic ingredients | the certified product must contain at least 95% organic ingredients |
Bio mit Gesicht
The Bioland association and subsidiaries, like Bioland Market, are members of the "Bio mit Gesicht" initiative that increases transparency in organic food production. Organic products may have a "BMG" number that can be entered on a website where the organic farm and the farmer family is shown. The idea parallels a development in the EU where all eggs must bear a number (egg code) that can be entered on a website to show the origin details. Initially, only the address of the farm was shown, but it was subsequently updated to include photos as well. While the egg number is regulated by European law, the BMG number is voluntary. Notable organic food producer associations who are members include, Bioland, (Naturland) and Demeter International (Demeter). The "Bio mit Gesicht" association shares an address with the German branch of FIBL (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture) that is based on a Swiss initiative also leading to the (Bio Suisse) organic certification.