Abstract
One of the most rapidly growing areas of the organic agricultural system is egg production. However, the price premium often decreases the affordability of organic foods. In this study, the production and sales of organic eggs in Europe were compared, the prices of organic and conventional eggs in Poland were analyzed, and the price premium on the Polish market was evaluated. This study relied on data of Eurostat, Statistics Poland, Agricultural and Food Quality Inspection and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Poland. The prices of organic and conventional eggs on the Polish wholesale market were analyzed based on the monthly price registers. The production and sales of organic eggs in Europe were characterized by a steady increase. The nominal and real prices of organic eggs were higher than the prices of conventional eggs throughout the entire analyzed period. The nominal prices of organic eggs tended to decrease. However, an upward trend was observed in the real prices of both organic and conventional eggs. The average price premium for organic eggs exceeded 128% (median of 121%). The price premium was characterized by moderate variation (Vc = 33%). In Poland, the price premium was on a downward trend by around 1% per month in the examined period.
Highlights
In recent years, conventional farming and the food processing industry have witnessed several changes, in particular a rapid increase in output and productivity
23 September 2016, the “Organic egg market” newsletter published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was suspended until further notice due to the small number of producers submitting information on the prices of organic eggs to the Integrated Agricultural Market Information
The production and sales of organic eggs continue to increase in Europe
Summary
Conventional farming and the food processing industry have witnessed several changes, in particular a rapid increase in output and productivity. These processes can be attributed to the introduction of modern technology and the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Modern agriculture and food production exert growing pressure on natural resources and have a negative impact on the environment. The total area under organic farming, including fully converted land and area area under under conversion, conversion, has been increasing steadily around the world. The percentage of organically farmed land in total agricultural land is low, but it continues to increase steadily. Based on the available data, organic agricultural areas are likely to increase by around 2.5 million hectares hectares per per year year (Figure (Figure 1)
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