Group certification: the future of bio-districts

The pilot scheme for group certification preceded EU Regulation 2018/848 and involved the bio-districts of the Veneto Region, with the aim of enabling even small businesses to ‘go organic’ and promoting organisational and institutional innovation. Group certification makes it possible, in fact, to reduce the costs of joining the control, inspection and certification system, as well as the associated administrative burdens, with a view to strengthening local networks. The experimentation with group certification preceded EU Regulation 2018/848 and concerned the biodistricts of the Veneto Region, to allow even small farms to ‘go organic’ and promote organisational and institutional innovation.