Fruit & Vegetable
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Some data:
. 12 million t/yr the production of apple . 4 million t/yr the production of peaches and nectarines . 6 million t/y the production of oranges . 7 million t/yr the production of tomatoes |
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In 2023, fruit and vegetables continued to represent a pillar of European agriculture, accounting for 12.6% of total EU agricultural output, equivalent to EUR 68 billion. The sector produced around 59.8 million tonnes of vegetables (including pulses) and 41.2 million tonnes of fruits and nuts, confirming its central role in the European food supply chain.
The European Union is among the world’s largest producers of fruit and vegetables, with a diverse production base that spans Mediterranean orchards, continental farms, and northern greenhouse systems. EU produce is directed both to the fresh market and to the processing industry (juices, canned products, frozen foods, and prepared meals), guaranteeing that consumers across Europe — and international markets — have access to safe, high-quality and nutritious products all year round.
Beyond its economic weight, the sector contributes to dietary diversity, public health, and rural employment, while also playing a growing role in sustainability policies, climate change adaptation, and innovation in farming techniques.
The European Union is among the world’s largest producers of fruit and vegetables, with a diverse production base that spans Mediterranean orchards, continental farms, and northern greenhouse systems. EU produce is directed both to the fresh market and to the processing industry (juices, canned products, frozen foods, and prepared meals), guaranteeing that consumers across Europe — and international markets — have access to safe, high-quality and nutritious products all year round.
Beyond its economic weight, the sector contributes to dietary diversity, public health, and rural employment, while also playing a growing role in sustainability policies, climate change adaptation, and innovation in farming techniques.
Background
Role of Producer Organisations (POs)
POs are voluntary groups of producers aimed at:
Recognised POs can:
Associations & Interbranch Organisations
CAP Strategic Plans & Support
🔗 Fruit and vegetables in the CAP
🔗 eco-schemes,
🔗 coupled income support,
🔗 rural development interventions
Promotion Policies
Sustainability & Climate Change
Producers adapt through:
Market Monitoring
Marketing Standards & Conformity Checks
Crisis Measures
Legal Framework
Basic regulation
Implementing regulations
Delegated regulation
- Production of fruit and vegetables in the EU is highly fragmented (average orchard size: 2.5 ha; vegetable farms: 2.7 ha – Eurostat).
- Due to perishability, producers face weak bargaining power.
- Producer Organisations (POs) were introduced in the 1970s as a policy instrument to strengthen producers’ position.
Role of Producer Organisations (POs)
POs are voluntary groups of producers aimed at:
- Concentrating supply,
- Marketing members’ products,
- Strengthening bargaining power,
- Ensuring fairer value distribution in the chain.
Recognised POs can:
- Plan production & optimise costs,
- Negotiate contracts,
- Operate in fresh and processed sectors.
Associations & Interbranch Organisations
- Associations of POs: several POs may group together nationally or transnationally.
- Interbranch organisations: include actors across supply chains, promoting dialogue, best practices and transparency.
CAP Strategic Plans & Support
- CAP support mainly via sectorial interventions implemented by POs’ operational programmes.
- Goals: business strategy, adaptation to climate change, sustainability, quality, risk prevention.
- At least 15% of PO expenditure must go to agri-environment-climate objectives.
🔗 Fruit and vegetables in the CAP
🔗 eco-schemes,
🔗 coupled income support,
🔗 rural development interventions
Promotion Policies
- EU promotion campaigns: Enjoy, it’s from Europe!
- School scheme: School fruit, vegetables and milk scheme
Sustainability & Climate Change
Producers adapt through:
- Better soil & crop management,
- Renewable energy (e.g. solar over orchards),
- Energy-efficient greenhouses & storage,
- Waste reduction.
Market Monitoring
- EU Market Observatories: pip fruit, citrus fruit, tomatoes, stone fruit
- Agri-food data portal: Prices & transparency.
Marketing Standards & Conformity Checks
- Specific EU marketing standards apply to 11 products (apples, citrus, kiwifruit, lettuce, peaches/nectarines, pears, strawberries, peppers, grapes, tomatoes, bananas).
- Must align with UNECE standards.
- Legal basis: Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2429.
Crisis Measures
- POs integrate crisis management into programmes: market withdrawals, green harvesting, harvest insurance, orchard replanting.
- Funded via the EU agricultural reserve.
Legal Framework
Basic regulation
- Regulation (EU) 1308/2013 – establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products.
Implementing regulations
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/892 on the rules for the application of EU regulation 1308/2013 on the fruit and vegetables and processed fruit and vegetables sectors.
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2430 on rules concerning checks on conformity to marketing standards for the fruit and vegetables sector, certain processed fruit and vegetable products and the bananas sector.
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1185 on rules for the application of Regulations (EU) No 1307/2013 and (EU) No 1308/2013 on notifications to the Commission of information and documents and amending and repealing several Commission Regulations.
Delegated regulation
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/891 supplementing EU regulation 1308/2013 on fruit and vegetables and processed fruit and vegetables sectors and supplementing EU regulation 1306/2013 on penalties to be applied in those sectors and amending EU implementing regulation 543/2011.
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2429 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 on marketing standards for the fruit and vegetables sector, certain processed fruit and vegetable products and the bananas sector, and repealing Commission Regulation (EC) No 1666/1999 and Commission Implementing Regulations (EU) No 543/2011 and (EU) No 1333/2011.
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