This webinar studies the effects of new EU rules on organic farming and deforestation for smallholder cocoa farmers and develops practical solutions to help secure a stable supply of Fairtrade organic cocoa for the future.
Abstract:
Why did organic cocoa imports into Europe drop by around 40% between 2023 and 2025? A new study by FiBL and Fairtrade International, supported by the SWISSCO Peer Learning and Collaboration Programme, went to origin to find out.
Survey data from 287 smallholder organisations in 34 countries, surveyed together with CLAC and Fairtrade Africa, including 76 cocoa groups representing more than 52,000 EU-organic farmers, reveals no single cause, but a pile-up of pressures that pushed costs down the chain while the money didn’t follow.
You’ll learn:
• What drove the shortage: price volatility, the new EU Organic Regulation, EUDR, climate impacts and contamination risk
• Latest organic cocoa market data, including Switzerland as a key processing hub
• What EU compliance really costs producer organisations, and who pays
• How producers adapted without abandoning organic
• What buyers, brands and donors can do to secure supply
Speakers:
• Fairtrade International Senior Advisor Climate and Environment, Brenda Mariana Huerta (moderator)
• Florentine Meinshausen (FiBL, researcher/consultant)
• Fairtrade International Cocoa Manager, Johanna Schmidt (Panelist)
Who should join:
Cocoa traders, chocolate brands, producer organisations, organic and Fairtrade sector bodies, development organisations, donors, and anyone sourcing organic smallholder crops.
This study is funded through our Peer Learning and Collaboration Programme, supported by SECO Wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung.
