Going Organic Will Save the Family Farm?

Poland's traditional 2 million-strong family farm sector has prospered since the country joined the EU in 2004. Direct EU farm subsidies have injected much-needed cash into impoverished rural areas and provided farmers with the funds necessary to boost production.

Poland has some of the most environmentally pristine regions in Europe, perfectly suited for organic farming. Poland's first organic food brand presented a food fair in Warsaw this week. The spread was set out at Poland's Ministry of Agriculture where nearly a dozen Polish organic food producers joined forces to launch the new O!eko certified organic food brand in the hope of gaining marketing clout both in Poland and European Union neighbour Germany.

Marketing coordinator Waldemar Sadowski said, "We have more European storks than any other country on the continent - and these birds will only nest in ecologically clean regions." This explains why the O!eko brand chose the bird known in Western folklore as the bringer of babies as its marketing symbol.

A quarter of European storks - roughly 52,000 couples - nest in Poland each year, according to statistics compiled by Poland's Bird Protection Association.

"The stork knows best," says Sadowski, hoping the popular symbol for health and happiness will win over consumers in both Poland and Germany and allow the new brand entry into competitive hyper-market retail food chain-stores.