Organic farms achieved a higher balance than conventional farms during the period 2011-2020. This is evidenced by a CBS study on financial data for those years.
In 2020, organic companies’ balance sheets averaged €110,000, almost a quarter higher than conventional companies, which averaged €89,000. The average return for an organic company that year was €819,000 versus €599,000 for a conventional company, a 37 percent difference.
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Unlike additional crops, the organic farmer does incur more costs: an average of €709,000 for an organic company versus €510,000 for a conventional farmer in 2020.
With an average of €108,000, organic dairy farmers had a balance sheet 20 percent higher in 2020 than conventional farmers. 2015 was a good year for organic dairy at 42 percent.
2019 – The best year of arable farming
Organic agricultural farms achieved an average balance of 82,000 euros in 2020, which is 13 percent more than conventional farms, where the balance was 73,000 euros. Between 2011 and 2015, organic farmers were less successful. They then overtook their regular counterparts and 2019 was the best year yet. Then the biological balance here was on average 45 percent higher.
When comparing organic and traditional horticultural companies, the picture has changed a lot over the years. The balance sheet of organic gardening companies shows a peak of 50 percent in 2014 compared to the conventional sector and a decline of 30 percent in 2020. This changing picture is caused by large differences in the types of activities and the average size of the company.