Third issue of the OrganicDataNetwork newsletter

In this issue Readers will find the full text of the final statement on organic market data collection and  EU regulation, discussed and approved by our network after the first European Workshop held in Newbury earlier this year. We believe the statement is a balanced and realistic position on how better organic data could be collected by small changes to existing regulations, and how the organic market will benefit from improved harmonization of data collection procedures.  

In the next months we will be engaged in preparing the Code of Practice for the initiation and maintenance of good organic market data collection and publication procedures (OrMaCode).

The Code of Practice will consist in a list of principles/objectives and related indicators covering the different key areas of organic market data collection, processing, storage and publication/dissemination.

It will be consistent with the European Statistics Code of Practice (COM(2005) 217 final). OrMaCode is intended to be a tool for guiding future organic market data collection, processing and dissemination in Europe. Associated to the OrMaCode we will produce a practical Manual. The Manual will contain specific guidelines for applying OrMaCode.

It will also contain guidelines on the collection of relevant set of data (price data, custom data, production data, trade data, retail and consumption data), and on the way to ensure that quality criteria specified in the Code of Practice will be met.

The OrMACode and the Manual, together with the enhanced database produced throughout the project, are the core outputs of our OrganicDataNetwork project, and we want them to be thoroughly “crowdsourced” and discussed among all partners and stakeholders participating in our network.

To achieve this aims, we will be using our online Organic Data forum, and we will hold our 2nd European Workshop in Bari (Italy) on July 10-11, 2014.
The workshop will concentrate on finding practical solutions to the identified problems, such as data quality improvement measures and the development of model pathways for the implementation of organic market data collection procedures.

During the workshop:

• we will provide a training session on the OrganicDataNetwork database for data collectors
• we will provide together suggestions for the Code of practice and the Manual for organic market data collectors, on the basis of the draft prepared by the OrganicDataNetwork team
• we will discuss how information exchange between data collectors could continue after the end of the OrganicDataNetwork project.

To make all this process the most participatory as possible, we have already prepared a specific section of our Organic Data Forum (http://www.organicdatanetwork.net/odn-organicdataforum.html) to discuss and crowdsource the principles/objectives and related indicators covering the different key areas of organic market data collection, processing, storage and publication/dissemination, to for part of the OrMaCode. We hope to read your contributions there!

Prof. Raffaele Zanoli, Coordinator, OrganicDataNetwork

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Prof. Raffaele Zanoli, Coordinator, OrganicDataNetwork

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Download OrganicDataNetwork Newsletter no. 3 (891.4 KB)

Contents

• Editorial by project coordinator Raffaele Zanoli 
• Statement on data collection and EU regulation
• OrganicDataNetwork develops methodology for collecting organic data -
• Report from the fourth project meeting  Kai Kreuzer 
• The OrganicDataNetwork case studies Catherine Gerrard 
• OrganicDataNetwork workshop in July 2014 in Italy  Robert Home and Daniela Vairo
• News in short 
• Upcoming events