CORE Organic funded research projects

The overall objective of CORE Organic has been to enhance the quality, relevance and utilisation of resources in European research in organic food and farming by gathering a critical mass and establishing a joint reasearch programme.

The eight joint research projects, which were selected for transnational funding by means of a virtual common pot approach, started in July 2007.

You can read more about CORE Organic and the research projects in this leaflet (PDF). A more elaborate description of each project can be found in the leaflets below.

It is a challenge to organic farmers, millers and bakeries to fulfil consumer expectations of providing healthy and safe products without impairing yield performance. The quality of organic grain can be modified by agronomic conditions such as crop management, crop rotation, and soil fertility. Therefore, food processing technologies such as the post-harvest handling of the grain and the flour processing are also key factors in producing bread of high nutritional value without contaminants. The overall objective of the AGTEC-Org project is to identify agronomical and food processing technologies that enhance the baking quality and the nutritional value of organic wheat and reduce mycotoxin contamination.

Further information at http://agtec.coreportal.org

It is a main goal for organic livestock farming that animals should always have excellent health and welfare. However, there are indications that this is not always guaranteed even though organic standards are being followed. On this background the ANIPLAN project aims at minimising medicine use in organic dairy herds through active and well-planned animal health and welfare promotion and disease prevention.

Further information at http://aniplan.coreportal.org

The market for organic products does not look the same throughout Europe and the cultural and behavioural backgrounds of European consumers vary a lot. Is it possible to develop communication strategies for organic companies and farmers that can be successful in all those different contexts and varying consumer approaches? Which are the most convincing arguments when communicating added values such as higher social responsibility? The project "Farmer Consumer Partnerships" will investigate marketing and communication strategies by which organic farmers try to include ethical values in their production methods that are higher than those set out in the governmental standards for organic production. The overall objective is to analyse and test innovative communication strategies and arguments that are related to the concept of "Corporate Social Responsibility" (CSR).

Further information at http://fcp.coreportal.org

The health of pigs varies a lot between different organic pig herds. This is likely to be caused by the different management routines implemented in the herd. Since the use of antibiotics and antiparasitic drugs is undesirable in organic pig production, the main focus is on prevention of diseases and parasites. It is therefore important to acquire knowledge of the correlation between management routines and disease incidence in organic pig production and convert this knowledge into a management tool that the individual farmer can use to improve livestock health on the farm. The overall objective of the COREPIG project is to promote animal health and welfare in organic pig herds in Europe.

Further information at http://corepig.coreportal.org

Governments, companies, producers and caterers are increasingly committed to public procurement of organic food, but many challenges remain. The iPOPY project will suggest efficient policies and instruments for increased consumption of organic products in public food serving outlets for youth.

Further information at http://ipopy.coreportal.org

As consumers strive to eat healthy diets, they show an increasing demand for uncooked and minimally processed vegetables preferentially from organic production lines. At the same time, outbreaks of disease have been traced back to the consumption of fresh plant produce contaminated with enteric pathogens. PathOrganic addresses the quality and safety of organically produced vegetables throughout the production chain. The project’s main concern is the contamination of fresh plant produce with bacterial pathogens. Thus, it examines how factors such as environment, plant genotype, fertilizer application technique or soil buffering affect pathogen spread and persistence in organic vegetable products.

Further information at http://pathorganic.coreportal.org

Due to a higher proportion of forage in the organic ration, with more legumes and other herbs, organic milk quality is more and differently affected by the forage than conventionally produced milk, which is often based on grass silage. But the knowledge of the chemical and sensory characteristics of organic milk is limited, and not much research has been carried out on organic grassland management and milk salutary properties. The PHYTOMILK project will give increased knowledge about the nutritional and salutary quality of organic milk. It will also increase the knowledge of the relationship between production systems, environmental conditions and milk properties.

Further information at http://phytomilk.coreportal.org

Consumer demand for healthy, safe and high quality food is increasing. Against this background, the demand for organic food has been rapidly growing. But health effects and sensory qualities of organic products need to be assured. The objective of the QACCP project is to improve product-related quality management in farming and processing.

Further information at http://qaccp.coreportal.org