Organic must play a key role in the future
WHAT will UK farming be like in 15 years’ time? That was a question the BBC put to some of the leading lights in the industry back in 1985.
I kept a transcript of that programme and have referred to it many times since.
It’s difficult to predict what the future brings, but at that time concerns of a collapse of the CAP, oil becoming so scarce it would be too expensive to put in tractors or farmland prices falling below £100/acre thankfully never came to fruition.
There are only two people who can feel justifiably proud of their contribution to the discussion that day.
One is Patrick Holden, who predicted a rise in organic farming, maybe not quite the “20% by 2000” he had hoped for, but now – at well over one million acres – it is far bigger than the county of Lancashire.
However top marks for astuteness must go to Nick Saphir, who at that time was founding chairman of Food From Britain, a ministry body promoting food exports.
He foretold how the growing power of supermarkets (or “hypermarkets” as they were called back then) would substantially impact on farm gate prices to a far greater extent than most farmers realised.
In 2003 Nick became chairman of the Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative (OMSCo) and transformed it into what it is today.
With a turnover in excess of £100m/ year, OMSCo has successfully entered markets such as America, Australia, China and Europe.
Nick is a guest speaker at the Organic session of NFU Conference and I look forward to asking him: “What will UK farming be like in 15 years’ time?”
As a country we may have come to appreciate the true value of the EU, but with uncertainty of what trade looks like with the world after we leave Europe, I believe that organic farmers are well placed to prosper.
Organic farming certainly has resonated well with European consumers.
Organic sales in France are double that of the UK and Germany’s market is three times as big; neither show any signs of slowing.
In Denmark, the organic market grew by 18% in last year, while the UK grew by 5.6%.
Demand is clearly growing for organic produce, yet production is faltering.
My concern is that this will be met with imports and UK producers will not benefit as a result.
It’s pleasing to see therefore that the Organic Trade Board has joined up with Organic Denmark and won a grant of €10.4m (£9.14m) to promote further growth for the organic sector; £6m of which will be spent in the UK.
Food standards, such as the Organic Regulation and the Red Tractor logo ultimately need to meet consumer expectation.
Organic regulations currently sit under EU legislation, so once we leave the EU in two years’ time, we must make sure these remain under law.
I will be meeting farming Minister George Eustice, along with other representatives from the organic sector to call for Government support in this, as well as other areas such as marketing and production initiatives.
We, at the Organic Forum, will continue to ensure sensible, pragmatic regulation allows for good market access for members who wish to farm organically.