Tom writes...
Organic produce sales continue to grow – and one of the forum’s 2018 priorities will be making sure more of that demand is met by British farmers.
The UK organic market grew 7% last year compared to the EU average of 13%, 11% in the US and 17% in China. However, the growth is not being met by an increase in UK production and we continue to suck in ever more imports, especially of animal feed. Many EU countries aim to get 20% of land into organic production (Austria is targeting 50%), while in the UK we languish around 3%.
When we held a workshop for NFU commodity board chairmen to identify impediments to organic conversion, some common themes were evident. Many centred around perception and the knowledge gap between conventional farmers’ understanding of organics and the reality.
To help bridge the gap we hosted three on-farm events for members, all of which were over-subscribed. We plan to do more in 2018, starting at John Pawsey’s in Suffolk this spring. Keep an eye on NFUonline for details.
Uncertainty remains over organic support payments post-Brexit. CAP reforms propose more money for targeted environmental schemes, especially organic schemes, and we have explained to Defra it is important our farmers are not disadvantaged when we leave.
It’s also important tenant farmers are able to synchronise the dates of their organic scheme with the dates of their tenancy agreements.
Other sector-specific issues include the commercial availability of blight-resistant potatoes. Excellent varieties are waiting in the wings, but the organic market is not yet sufficient to justify the costs of getting them on the approved list. Either the market has to grow, or conventional growers have to be persuaded of the advantages they offer. If you are an NFU member wanting to discuss organic farming, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
- Content from the NFU's British Farmer & Grower members' magazine. Find out more about our award-winning publications here.
- Visit the NFUonline Organics pages here.