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Our Association

We are Naturland

Together, we aim to promote environmental protection and natural resource conservation through organic farming practices. We are already achieving this in around 60 different countries.

Naturland is making a difference both regionally and internationally.

Naturland was founded in Graefelfing near Munich in 1982. The work of our organic association is governed by the Naturland e.V. statutes. Naturland is represented in each of the German federal states by both full-time and volunteer staff members. Outside of Germany, Naturland is represented by volunteers on every continent and by local full-time staff in some countries.


Our Structure

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors is elected by and accountable to the Assembly of Delegates for a four-year term. The Board of Directors is responsible for all areas of the association. It can establish specialist working groups for various topics. The Board of Directors elects a president and a vice president from among its members to represent Naturland both internally and externally.

ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES

The Assembly of Delegates is Naturland e.V.'s highest-ranking committee. The Assembly of Delegates is made up of Naturland farmers. They are appointed as delegates to the Assembly of Delegates from the national assemblies and serve a four-year term. This assembly also includes international member delegates who are sent to represent the interests of their country. As the highest ranking committee, the Assembly of Delegates is responsible for determining the association's policies and objectives. Furthermore, the Assembly of Delegates adopts the association's standards and budget and elects the Board of Directors, the Certification and Standards Committees and Specialist Committees.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES

Within the Federal Republic of Germany, Naturland is represented by the National Assemblies and Boards. The members gather once a year for their National Assembly. Board members must be re-elected every four years.

REGIONAL GROUPS

Within the Federal Republic of Germany, Naturland is also represented on a regional level by Regional Groups and their chairs. The Regional Group chairs gather once a year for their assembly. Regional Group chairs must be re-elected every four years.

INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND ADVISORY BOARD

Outside of the Federal Republic of Germany, Naturland has an International Assembly and an International Advisory Board. The International Advisory Board advises the Board of Directors and Assembly of Delegates. The International Advisory Board and delegates are re-elected every four years.

SPECIALIST COMMITTEES

Naturland has Specialist Committees in place to address specific issues within various subject areas (livestock farming, arable farming, viticulture, and so on). The Specialist Committees advise the Board of Directors and Assembly of Delegates. The Specialist Committees are represented within the Assembly of Delegates by their respective chairs. Chairs are re-elected every four years.

CERTIFICATION COMMITTEE

The Certification Committee is elected every four years by the Assembly of Delegates and is divided into three subcommittees (German production, international production, and processing). The subcommittees are responsible for making decisions on farm/company certifications in their respective areas based on inspection reports. In the case of a positive decision, our Naturland contract partners receive a new certificate and notice of certification each year. The Certification Committee is not bound to any mandate within the scope of its expert decisions and makes its decisions based on the existing/current Naturland standards.

STANDARDS COMMITTEE

The Standards Committee is elected by the Assembly of Delegates every four years. This committee is responsible for establishing and developing the Naturland standards. The committee can appoint working groups made up of permanent or temporary members who are chosen for their expert knowledge on particular aspects of organic farming and production. The Assembly of Delegates has sovereignty over the standards. This means that it is ultimately responsible for any decisions about the standards and any amendments made to them.


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