Based on the Regulation (EC) No 2092/91 the use of herbicides is not possible for organic farming systems since such active substances are not listed in Annex II thereof. Furthermore most of German organic growers organisations emphatically prohibit the use of chemical-synthetic herbicides. However, at a global view herbicides are applied by organic farmers in some other countries outside of the EU. This meets the criteria of the guidelines of IFOAM and the FAO/WHO respectively (Codex Alimentarius). Some substances are listed here having a herbicide potential e.g. corn gluten, natural acid or plant oils.
There are some natural substances available which can fulfil the principles of organic farming as stated in Annex I of the Regulation mentioned above. These are for example plant extracts like acetic acid, allelochemicals and mycoherbicides. Benefits and risks of a potential herbicide use for organic farming are discussed
