The news about the EASY-CERT group AG

Global challenges facing (organic) agriculture were discussed at the 21st Organic World Congress in Taiwan. One of the biggest is and remains climate change, reports Georg Gerharter from Ramsau.

Ramsau am Dachstein, 13 December 2024  – Around 1,200 delegates from over 100 countries met from 30 November to 6 December at the 21st Organic World Congress 2024 in Taiwan to discuss key issues for the future of organic farming. The major event was organised by IFOAM - Organics International, the world umbrella organisation for organic agriculture. This association represents the interests of around 2.5 million organic farmers and is globally committed to the development of sustainable agricultural practices. Georg Gerharter, Chairman of Biolandwirtschaft Ennstal and member of the Board of Directors of the globally active EASY-CERT group AG, brings back groundbreaking insights from Taiwan: "Just being organic will no longer be enough in the future," he emphasises. "Modern organic farming must respond to the challenges of the global markets with clever strategies and, above all, actively address the issue of climate change."

Focus on innovative carbon footprint tool
At the congress, particular attention was paid to the "World-Climate Farm Tool" developed by the EASY-CERT group. This instrument enables agricultural businesses to precisely calculate their carbon footprint and identify and implement improvement measures. The tool, which is based on the World-Climate Farm Standard, met with great interest internationally. "I was able to hold many discussions with international organic experts - and all of them confirmed that the 'World-Climate Farm Tool' is probably regarded as an international benchmark in this field," says Gerharter.

Organic farming Ennstal
The organic association "Biolandwirtschaft Ennstal" was founded as a regional initiative back in 1989. Today, every third farmer in the Liezen district runs their farm according to the strict rules for organic farming. The association currently has 520 members. Due to the alpine location and the associated harsh climate, the focus is on livestock farming (cattle and sheep) and the production of organic milk and meat. Other economic mainstays are the accommodation of holiday guests and the management of mountain huts.

By Rainer Hilbrand | published on 13 December 2024

On 13 June, 2024, Adèle Thorens Goumaz led the Annual General Meeting of bio.inspecta AG for the first time as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors. Following this, Michael Stelzl also celebrated his premiere as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors of EASY-CERT group AG. The minutes from the previous year and the 2023 Annual Report were approved by the shareholders. Last but not least, a small lunch was served in at the FiBL restaurant.

We would like to thank the participants for the pleasant exchange and are already looking forward to the coming year.  

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Personnel changes

Günter Ebner and Manfred Fürst have left the committee of impartiality and we would like to thank them for their input and the time they spent for and with the committee.

We are delighted about the new composition with Peter Jossi as head and the new members Der Sandor and Ludwig Gruber.

Thank you very much, we look forward to working with you.

Ennstal organic farmers calculate carbon footprints

More than 60 member farms of Biolandwirtschaft Ennstal are already actively participating in an Austria-wide pilot project for calculating carbon footprints in agriculture.

With the help of the "World-Climate Farm Tool" from Switzerland, farms can determine their current status and identify suitable measures for improvement.

Georg Gerharter, Chairman of the Ennstal Organic Farming Association, is one of three Austrian representatives on the Board of Directors of the EASY CERT group, the company behind the tool. Mr Gerharter was also part of a delegation that recently attended the North American Biochar Conference in Sacramento (California, USA). More than 600 experts met there to discuss past and future developments in biochar.

Gerharter summarises his impressions: "The production of biochar opens up enormous potential for curbing global warming. This technology improves the carbon footprint and is particularly promising for use in agriculture, but also for industrial projects."

By Rainer Hilbrand | Published on 28 February 2024

Personnel changes in the administrative board of EASY-CERT group AG: 

The long-serving Chairman of the Board of Directors, Peter Jossen, has handed over management to Michael Stelzl. In addition, Susanne Küffer-Heer, Marc Schärrer and Robert Holzer have left the Board of Directors. Georg Gerharter, Elvira Bieri, Felix Müller and Knut Schmidtke are new to the Board of Directors. Christina Ritter, Hans Matzenberger und Ueli Steiner remain as members of the Board of Directors. 

As part of a worthy celebration, Peter Jossen was thanked for his commitment - especially when it came to founding the EASY-CERT group - and the members who have left were said goodbye. The new President, Michael Stelzl, and the members of the Board of Directors were warmly welcomed. 

See Team - „Board of Directors“  

We are pleased to present the financial statement 2022 of the EASY-CERT group AG in our annual report. You can find the annual report in the «About us» section in the «Annual reports» accordion or right here.

After more than a decade the Romanian branch of Austria Bio Garantie GmbH - AUSTRIA BIO GARANTIE GmbH Enzersfeld Sucursala Bucuresti - has changed its organizational form into a subsidiary, so the current name of the control body is Bio Garantie SRL and the body code is RO-ECO-029.

Visit the website to learn more: click here

BIOFACH and VIVANESS took place again in Nuremberg from 14 to 17 February 2023. 36'000 trade visitors from 135 countries visited the exhibition during these 4 days.

The EASY-CERT group AG represented by bio.inspecta, Austria Bio Garantie and CERES was also on site. We were able to welcome many customers and interested parties and hold inspiring discussions.

Many thanks to the organisers for these exciting and eventful days. We are already looking forward to the 2024 fair from 13 to 16 February. You can find detailed information about the fair here.

We are pleased to inform you about the new website of bio.inspecta shpk, Albania and Kosovo. There you will find an overview of all activities and services of the Albanian branch of bio.inspecta. 

Visit the website to learn more: click here

We are very pleased to inform you that bio.inspecta AG has just opened its new office in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. With this step, bio.inspecta AG will also be a big step closer to Italian-speaking customers. bio.inspecta is now looking forward to being present in all three parts of the country with a local office. The office is located in Lugano and is easily accessible by public transport. 

Address and opening hours can be found here. 

The logos as well as the certification marks of bio.inspecta and q.inspecta are changing after 24 years. The rebranding has started in these days. Here you can find more information. 

bio.inspecta Pty. Ltd. in Australia now has its own website. There you will find clearly arranged information about the services offered, the team, the worldwide audit dates and much more exciting information about aquaculture and fisheries. Take a look and find out more: www.bio-inspecta.com.au