Study on Producer Organisations and their activities in the olive oil, beef and veal and arable crops sectors

The ‘Study on Producer Organisations and their activities in the olive oil, beef and veal and arable crops sectors’ aims to deliver an analysis of producer organisations from these three sectors. The analysis is mainly based on a survey conducted for a representative sample of 203 POs and 23 APOs. The sampling of the surveyed organisations builds on an inventory of existing organisations in the 28 Member States. The study reveals that there are many more non-recognised POs than recognised POs: there are estimated to be over five times as many non-recognised POs as there are recognised POs. The survey results confirm that producer organisations engaged in commercial activities also carry out other potentially “efficiency enhancing activities” (i.e. organisation of quality control, distribution and transport, input procurement, packaging, waste management etc.). The most important perceived benefits for the farmers include (i) market and price stability, (ii) reduced costs and economies of scale, (iii) higher price and ensuring a fair standard of living for the members and (iv) improved market access. The activities of producer organisations are widely perceived by survey respondents as contributing positively to CAP objectives.