NFU supports organic farming

The National Farmers Union (NFU) has given its backing to organic agriculture through the publication of Focus on Organic Farming. Tony Pexton, deputy director of the NFU, launched the report at an organic breakfast also attended by Patrick Holden of the Soil Association.
    Mr Pexton said: "Consumer awareness of organic farming is growing at a rapid pace and in representing all farmers and growers the NFU is highlighting the opportunities."
    The Focus on Organic Farming document looks at three successful organic farms in Wiltshire, Wales and Cornwall. It also gives details of organic conversion and aims at providing farmers with the facts to help them make an informed choice. The initiative forms part of a wider involvement, including the setting up of an NFU working group specifically to look at the whole issue of organic farming.
    More than 2,000 NFU members have registered or are involved in organic farming. The UK market for organic food rose in value from £40 million in 1987 to over £225 million in 1996. All this adds up to organic production becoming "increasingly viable as an alternative to conventional farming" according to the NFU.
    A Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) help line recently created to encourage farmers to convert to organic farming receives about 50 requests a week for information. In addition the Soil Association has about 1,000 calls a week from consumers wanting sources of organic food.
    In summing up the NFU's position, the president, Sir David Naish said: "Organic farming offers farmers an alternative agricultural system that once established, has ready domestic markets and extensive potential export opportunities. Our intended organic working group will be well placed to help meet market demand." (DB)

Organic facts up-date

Organic farming makes up 0.3% of British farm output with 880 farms covering 49,000 ha.
The potential for organic production is huge as 70% of produce currently sold in the UK is imported.
A recent MORI poll for the Soil Association has shown that if the problems of price and availability were overcome, 61% of consumers would prefer to buy organic food.
In the European Union as a whole, there are more than 55,000 organic farms managing more than 1.25 million ha (1.2% of farming area).
In Austria 200,000 ha (5.8%) are farmed organically, and in Germany the figure is 430,000 ha, or 2.5% of the total area.
Several European countries have set targets to turn 10% of their total land area to organic farming by the year 2000.

[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 36, June 1997, page 15]