MEP Catherine Bearder listens to NFU concerns on the proposed European organic regulations.
Early on in February, the NFU wrote to various MEPs who sit on the Agriculture and Enivironment Committees of the European Parliament. The NFU and respective organic members asked the MEPs to visit their organic farms to discuss the impact that the 2014 European proposals will have on their businesses should the regulations go through unchanged.
Catherine Bearder, Lib Dem MEP took up the invite and visited NFU Poultry Board and Organic Group member Martin Humphreys site in Hampshire to discuss poultry specific issues as well as wider part of the proposals which will affect organic producers.
High on the agenda were the issues surrounding higher levels of sourcing feed from region, the introduction of residue threshold limit, the discontinuation of mixed conventional and organic holdings and 100% organic inputs.
Catherine Bearder commented on her website - "The visit to Humphrey Feeds has really brought home the challenges facing the organic farming industry to me.
"Farms across the EU must be allowed to produce both conventionally and organically.
"Obstacles that discourage farmers from producing organically must be investigated and resolved quickly.
"I hope the amendments will alleviate the problems that are likely to arise in the production of organic farming."
Tom Lander, NFU Food Chain Adviser covering organics said, "Having Catherine visit an organic NFU members farm is really encouraging. We discussed at length what impacts the proposals will cause on the UK organic sector should they not be changed significantly and Catherine took on board our comments. She expressed a genuine desire to help in her role on the European Parliaments Environment Committee to ensure that the impending regulation will mean UK producers are able to continue producing organic products and still remain a viable option for new entrants into the sector".