Bioland  Bioland is the largest organic-food association in Germany. Its organic certification standards exceed EU minimum requirements. During the 1920s, a number of agricultural movements began with the goal of countering the effect of industrialization and globalization on food production. One of these was the "Jungbauernbewegung" (or "Bauernheimatbewegung", "farmer "heimat" movement") farmer movement, which influenced Bioland. The "Jungbauernbewegung" was founded in 1923 in Grosshöchstetten to provide poor Swiss farmers with agricultural techniques requiring only local resources. Its founder, Hans Müller, was an accredited botanist and high-school teacher who joined the Swiss parliament in 1929. His farmer-oriented party gathered 13.8 percent of the parliamentary vote in the 1938 elections. When the party dissolved in 1946, Müller turned to agriculture. With his wife Maria and German physician Hans Peter Rusch, Müller began developing agricultural theories based on a closed, organic cycle. In 1951 they invited other farmers to their Möschberg farm to demonstrate the success of their methods, which had been adopted by a number of farmers in southern Germany. In subsequent years, similar meetings were held at Möschberg. In 1971 the Scharf, Colsman, Sippel, Rinklin, Wenz, Müller, Teschemacher, Hoops and Müller farm families founded a "bio-gemüse" (organic vegetable) association based on an initiative by Rusch. The original 12 founders developed formal guidelines for organic-vegetable production, which were published in 1972. In 1974, the association was renamed "Fördergemeinschaft organisch-biologischer Landbau e.V.". At first, it used the brand name "Dr. Müller Bio Gemüse" for products sold in Reformhaus food stores. In 1978, the certification trademark "Bioland" was registered. A number of other Bioland associations were founded throughout Germany. In 1987, the original association changed its name to "Bioland Verband für organisch-biologischen Landbau e.V."("Bioland association of organic biological agriculture"). When the EU harmonized standards for organic food production, the older organic food associations criticized the new standards as weaker than existing guidelines. After the resolution of the EU organic-food recommendation, the associations brought their standards in line with the EU's so any Bioland-certified organic food would meet the requirements for EU organic-food (although Bioland's requirements exceed those of the EU).