BRUSSELS, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-five percent of the European Union's (EU) agricultural land will be dedicated to organic farming by 2030, European commissioner for agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said Thursday.

The target is embedded in the European Commission's Organic Action Plan, adopted on Thursday.

To date, only 8.5 percent of agricultural land is farmed organically in the bloc, according to the commissioner.

According to a press release, the plan puts forward 23 actions structured around three axes: boosting consumption, increasing production, and further improving the sustainability of the sector to ensure balanced growth of the sector.

"To achieve the 25 percent of organic farming target, we need to ensure that demand drives the growth of the sector while taking into account the significant differences between each Member State's organic sectors," said Wojciechowski.

Given the differences between EU countries in terms of organic farming, each member state is encouraged to develop its own action plan to meet its specific need while working toward the European target.

Austria is the bloc's champion, with 26 percent of its farming land already dedicated to organic farming, thus already exceeding the EU's target.

Underperforming countries include Bulgaria, Romania, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, and Malta, with three percent or less of farming land dedicated to organic farming.

The action plan is in line with the European Green Deal and will help achieve the EU's decarbonization ambitions. The EU aims at cutting green gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030, and to be carbon neutral by 2050. Enditem

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