Europe: Current Statistics

In this article, key area and operator data about organic farming in Europe and the European Union are presented. > In Europe, 11.2 million hectares were under organic agricultural management, constituting 2.2 percent of the agricultural area. Compared with 2003 (6.3 million hectares), the organic land has almost doubled. In 2012, the area increased by 0.63 million hectares or six percent. > In the countries of the European Union, there were almost 10 million hectares in 2012, constituting 5.6 percent of the agricultural land. Compared with 2003 (5.7 million hectares), the organic land increased by 75 percent. In 2012, the area increased by 0.54 million hectares or six percent. > The country with the largest organic agricultural area is Spain (1.6 million hectares), followed by Italy (1.2 million hectares), Germany and France (both slightly over 1 million hectares)

The Organic Market in Europe 2012

In 2012, the organic market continued to grow in the European Union, even though some countries were still affected by the economic crisis, leading to stagnation or even decline. According to data provided by the EU-funded project OrganicDataNetwork(www.organicdatanetwork.net), the organic market in Europe increased by approximately 6 percent in 2012. It now amounts to approximately 22.8 billion euros (European Union: 20.9 billion euros). In this article, key developments of the organic market as well as tables and graphs are presented

Zahlen zum Schweizer Biolandbau interaktiv aufbereitet

Das FiBL sammelt seit längerem die globalen Zahlen zum Biolandbau und stellt diese als interaktive Grafiken online zur Verfügung. Nun hat das FiBL auch die Zahlen zum Schweizer Biolandbau, die das Bundesamt für Statistik jährlich erhebt, entsprechend aufbereitet

Report on organic protein availability and demand in Europe = Deliverable 1.2 of the CORE Organic project (ICOPP)

The aim of this study, carried out as part of work package 1 of the project “Improved Contribution of Local Feed to Support 100% Organic Feed Supply to Pigs and Poultry” (ICOPP), was to assess feed availability and demand throughout the countries of the ICOPP project and Europe. The ICOPP project is funded by national funding bodies that are part of the CORE Organic II project (Coordination of European Transnational Research in Organic Food and Farming Systems, www.coreorganic2.org). Partners from the following ten European countries were part of the project: Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. All partners provided information from their country on feed production, livestock numbers and feeding strategies. The Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), the Swiss project partner, conducted the survey and made the calculations on the supply and demand of concentrate feed, crude protein as well as essential amino acids from certified organic origin. Consequently, the self-sufficiency regarding organic feed for monogastrics was calcu-lated for each of the countries participating in the project

Gene expression of adenosine receptors along the nephron

Gene expression of adenosine receptors along the nephron.BackgroundIn view of the multiple effects of adenosine on kidney function, this study aimed to determine the expression of adenosine receptors (AR) along the rat and mouse nephron.MethodsFor this purpose, we semiquantified mRNA abundance for adenosine A1-, A2A-, A2B-, and A3 receptors by RNAse protection and by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in the kidney zones and in the different nephron segments of mice and rats.ResultsWe found very similar expression patterns for rat and mice. For the kidney zones A1-AR mRNA and A2A-AR mRNA abundance displayed a marked difference, with an increase from cortex to the inner medulla. This was not seen for A2B receptors, which showed in general a rather weak expression. Along the nephron, A1-AR was strongly expressed in the thin limbs of Henle and in the collecting duct system and to a lesser extent in the medullary thick ascending limb. A2A-AR mRNA was clearly detected in glomeruli but not in other nephron segments. A2B-AR mRNA was strongly expressed in the cortical thick ascending limb of Henle and in the distal convoluted tubule. A3-AR mRNA was not found in any nephron segment.ConclusionOur data demonstrate a distinct mutual expression of the AR subtypes along the nephron. A1 receptors are expressed in medullary tubular structures, while A2B receptors are predominant in cortical tubular structures. A2A receptor expression in the kidney appears to be restricted to vascular cells

Phylogenetic group- and species-specific oligonucleotide probes for single-cell detection of lactic acid bacteria in oral biofilms

Background: The purpose of this study was to design and evaluate fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) probes for the single-cell detection and enumeration of lactic acid bacteria, in particular organisms belonging to the major phylogenetic groups and species of oral lactobacilli and to Abiotrophia/Granulicatella. Results: As lactobacilli are known for notorious resistance to probe penetration, probe-specific assay protocols were experimentally developed to provide maximum cell wall permeability, probe accessibility, hybridization stringency, and fluorescence intensity. The new assays were then applied in a pilot study to three biofilm samples harvested from variably demineralized bovine enamel discs that had been carried in situ for 10 days by different volunteers. Best probe penetration and fluorescent labeling of reference strains were obtained after combined lysozyme and achromopeptidase treatment followed by exposure to lipase. Hybridization stringency had to be established strictly for each probe. Thereafter all probes showed the expected specificity with reference strains and labeled the anticipated morphotypes in dental plaques. Applied to in situ grown biofilms the set of probes detected only Lactobacillus fermentum and bacteria of the Lactobacillus casei group. The most cariogenic biofilm contained two orders of magnitude higher L. fermentum cell numbers than the other biofilms. Abiotrophia/Granulicatella and streptococci from the mitis group were found in all samples at high levels, whereas Streptococcus mutans was detected in only one sample in very low numbers. Conclusions: Application of these new group- and species-specific FISH probes to oral biofilm-forming lactic acid bacteria will allow a clearer understanding of the supragingival biome, its spatial architecture and of structure-function relationships implicated during plaque homeostasis and caries development. The probes should prove of value far beyond the field of oral microbiology, as many of them detect non-oral species and phylogenetic groups of importance in a variety of medical conditions and the food industry

Organic Farming and Market Development in Europe and the European Union

In 2021, the organic sector’s development in Europe was characterised by continued growth in all key indicators. However, the organic market did not grow as fast as in 2020, when it increased double-digit due to the pandemic, whereas the organic area increased at a similar pace as in 2020. Both the organic farmland and market will need to grow at a faster rate to reach the 25 percent organic area share goal by 2030, as set out for the European Union by the European Commission (2020) in its Farm to Fork strategy

Organic Agriculture in Africa. Statistical Yearbook 2023

Data on organic agriculture in Africa showing the sector’s relevance are scarce, even though much needed. Data are essential for policymakers and donors to monitor and evaluate policy measures on organic production. Furthermore, they are necessary by market actors for informed decision-making. To make existing data on organic farming in Africa better accessible for African stakeholders, FiBL, based on its annual data collection on organic agriculture worldwide (Willer et al. 2023), provides several tools showing the current status of organic agriculture in Africa as a whole, by its five regions and by country

Langerhans cells in hypospadias : an analysis of Langerin (CD207) and HLA-DR on epidermal sheets and full thickness skin sections

Background: Hypospadias are among the most common genital malformations. Langerhans Cells (LCs) play a pivotal role in HIV and HPV infection. The migration of LC precursors to skin coincides with the embryonic period of hypospadias development and genetic alterations leading to the formation of hypospadias impact the development of ectodermally derived tissues. We hypothesized that this might be associated with a difference in frequency or morphology of epidermal and dermal LCs in hypospadias patients. Methods: A total of 43 patients from two centers were prospectively included into this study after parental consent and ethics approval. Epidermal and dermal sheets were prepared from skin samples of 26 patients with hypospadias, 13 patients without penile malformations and 4 patients with penile malformations other than hypospadias. Immunofluorescence staining of sheets was performed with anti-HLA-DR-FITC and anti-CD207/Langerin-A594 antibodies. Skin sections from 11 patients without penile malformation and 11 patients with hypospadias were stained for Langerin. Frequencies as well as morphology and distribution of epidermal and dermal LCs on sheets and sections were microscopically evaluated. Cell counts were compared by unpaired t-tests. Results: There was no difference in frequency of epidermal LCs, Neither on sheets (87361 vs. 940 +/- 84LCs/mm(2), p=0.522) nor on sections (32 +/- 3 vs. 30 +/- 2LCs/mm(2), p=0.697). Likewise, the frequency of dermal LCs (5,9 +/- 0,9 vs. 7.5 +/- 1.3LCs/mm(2), p=0.329) was comparable between patients with hypospadias and without penile malformation. No differences became apparent in subgroup analyses, comparing distal to proximal hypospadias (p=0.949), younger and older boys (p=0.818) or considering topical dihydrotestosterone treatment prior to surgery (p=0.08). The morphology of the LCs was not different comparing hypospadias patients with boys without penile malformations. Conclusions: p id=Par Cs are present in similar frequencies and with a comparable morphology and distribution in patients with hypospadias as compared to children without penile malformations. This suggests that patients with hypospadias are not different from patients with normal penile development considering this particular compartment of their skin immunity

Küstennahe Grundwassersysteme: Kartierung der Chloridverteilung aus Bohrdaten und Geophysik

Information on chloride (Cl) distribution in aquifers is essential for planning and management of coastal zone groundwater resources as well as for simulation and validation of density-driven groundwater models. We developed a method to derive chloride concentrations from borehole information and helicopter-borne electromagnetic (HEM) data for the coastal aquifer in the Elbe-Weser region where observed chloride and electrical conductivity data reveal that the horizontal distribution of salinity is not uniform and does not correlate with the coastline. The integrated approach uses HEM resistivity data, borehole petrography information, grain size analysis of borehole samples as well as observed chloride and electrical conductivity to estimate Cl distribution. The approch is not straightforward due to the complex nature of the geology where clay and silt are present. Possible errors and uncertainties involved at different steps of the method are discussed.Informationen zur Chloridverteilung im Grundwasserleiter sind für Planung und Management von Grundwasserressourcen in Küstengebieten sowie für die Simulation und Validierung von dichtegesteuerten Grundwassermodellen von wesentlicher Bedeutung. Es wurde eine Methode zur Ableitung der Chloridkonzentration aus Bohrungen und hubschrauber-elektromagnetischen Daten (HEM) entwickelt und für den Küstengrundwasserleiter des Elbe-Weser-Dreiecks eingesetzt. Die dort beobachteten Chloriddaten und elektrischen Leitfähigkeitsdaten zeigen eine ungleichmäßige horizontale Verteilung des Salzgehalts, die nicht mit der Küstenlinie korreliert. Der integrierte Ansatz verwendet HEM-Daten des spezifischen elektrischen Widerstands, Bohrloch-Petrographie-Informationen, Korngrößenanalysen von Bohrlochproben sowie beobachtete Chlorid- und elektrische Leitfähigkeitswerte, um die Chlorid-Verteilung abzuschätzen. Mögliche Fehler und Unsicherheiten bei den verschiedenen Schritten des Verfahrens werden diskutiert