No comprehensive plan
«According to the law, organic meat can only be sold packaged. This is a provision that protects the consumer from having conventionally raised meat mixed in with the organic. However, the average consumer isn’t used to buying packaged meat,» said Ilias Rondoyiannis, representative of the Bioellas certification organization. The head of the DIO certification organization Spyros Sgouros also admits there is a problem. «A percentage of producers is not oriented toward commerce. They entered the subsidy program and yet have still not set up links with the market,» he said. However, he added that if we really want organic production to develop and not just have some people get paid subsidies for five years, there needs to be a comprehensive national action plan. «The increase in subsidies was an important incentive. However, there has to be an overall plan so that the various programs complement one another in such a way as to advance organic production,» he said.
