OF&G :: The blog

An interesting report has appeared that suggests that spiralling costs of fuel and fertilisers could make organic farming increasingly the most cost-effective option. You could say that this is not rocket science, but it is perhaps something that many of us could only envisage in a kind of apocalyptic, post-oil future.

Not so, according to farm business consultants, Andersons. Its research arm has come up with findings that suggest we could be heading for this state of affairs in the next ten years…

• Farmers Guardian report
• Telegraph report

It’s something positive to hear as we go through the current pain of impending recession and all the doom-and-gloom that’s being peddled because of it. It all goes in cycles, remember. Keep thinking of the cycles!

We all know that TV chefs love to introduce us to new ingredients. You only have to look at the ‘Delia effect‘ to see that an endorsement from these cooking icons can send sales into overdrive.

However, magazine Healthy & Organic Living has been forced to write to subscribers to apologise after Anthony Worral Thompson got a bit carried away and recommended the weed henbane for spicing up salads. Let’s hope the ‘Delia effect’ doesn’t occur here because, as the magazine editor points out in her letter, “henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) is very toxic and is a Schedule III poison, under the Medicines Act”.

The letter goes on to point out that when using wild plants in cooking you should “consult an expert first”. So, a top chef perhaps? Say, Anthony Worral Thompson…?

A new group has been formed in Brazil to promote non-GM grain production, as well as to collectively invest in the development of non-GM breeds. Not speaking Spanish Portuguese (thanks for pointing that out, Nicola!) very well, it’s been hard to find any links to them on the web, but here’s their news release, with a phone number at the end if you’re interested. Good luck to them!

BRAZILIAN NON GMO GRAIN PRODUCERS LAUNCH ASSOCIATION IN BRAZIL

Iguazu Falls, 14th August 2008. It was officially launched and constituted the Brazilian Association for the Producers of Non Genetically Modified Grains (ABRANGE), congregating grains and seeds producers, cooperatives, crushing industries, transport and warehousing companies, certification companies as well as research laboratories and others. “The entity is launched aiming to encourage the plantation, production development and processing of non GM grains in Brazil”, says the recently elected President Mr. Borges de Sousa of Caramuru Alimentos.

The new board of directors is also formed the Executive Vice President - Paul Perk, from AMaggi; Vice President for International Affairs - Enrique Traver, from Imcopa; Vice President for South Region – Frederico Busato, from Imcopa; Vice President for South East and Northeast Regions – Guilherme Define, from Brejeiro; and Vice President for Middle West and North Regions  - Otaviano Piveta, from Vanguarda.

One of the most important action strategies is to promote iniciatives focusing the increase of consumption as well as to develop and improve the quality of Non-GMO products. Also, to enhance its sustainability in terms of production and environment along with social responsibility and to inform the customers about the regular and consistent supply of the Brazilian Non-GMO grains and it derivatives.

“Moreover, ABRANGE is articulating the creation of a reference consulting centre for new demands for national and international clients, as well as promoting the necessity of the certification of all production and supply chain connections”, informs the Executive secretary Mr Tatesuzi de Sousa.

For more information:
Ricardo Tatesuzi de Sousa
Executive Secretary

+55 (11) 7666-3739

The team at the Northwest Organic Centre have pulled out all the stops to produce a very nice little guide to organic products and services in their area, namely Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. It’s agnostic in terms of certification bodies and you’ll find plenty of UK2 entries in there - should you have a preference…

Here’s the news release the Centre put out:

You are probably already buying more food which has been grown nearer to where you live. It can be fresher, healthier and more nutritious than produce which has been in cold storage for days and transported hundreds of miles to large retail outlets.

If you are also wanting to have the extra reassurance of your food being organic—then all the information you need is included in the new, updated version of the ‘Local and Organic’ Directory, produced by the Northwest Organic Centre.

As well as including entries from the old familiar favourites there are plenty of new kids on the block in the world of organic retailing.

The free guide is chock full of useful information about what organic production actually means, how to tell if a product is genuinely organic and how to get the best value for money when buying organic produce.

The booklet is split up into sections covering the Northwest region; so whether you live in Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire or Merseyside, you will be able to find your nearest organic retail outlets, farms to visit, cafes, vegetable box schemes, accommodation and even mail order companies- supplying everything from beauty products to baby food.

Don’t miss out! Get a copy of your free ‘Local and Organic’ directory by calling the Northwest Organic Centre on 01995 642206, or e-mail; enquiries@nworganiccentre.org.

Rex Humphrey, a man we have a lot of time for at OF&G, is quoted in an interesting piece from the Belfast Telegraph about the positives still to be found for farmers in organics, even in these cost-sensitive times. Well worth a read.

Our CEO, Richard Jacobs, sits on the Organic Action Plan Group for Northern Ireland, of which Mr Humphrey is vice chairman.

We don’t tend to think of ourselves as a particularly reactionary bunch at OF&G. In fact, you’ll hear the phrase ‘business-focussed’ and the word ‘practical’ uttered more than once in the course of many conversations with some of our people!

But one thing that does get us exercised is genetic modification because we can’t see a single positive side to it, other than profits for the biotech companies which have invested heavily in the science. Given the business model and the best available research to-date, it really is impossible to see any other realistic winners from the spread of this technology (and from the organic side of farming we can see an awful LOT of losers!).

That’s why Prince Charles’s no doubt carefully considered but controversial outburst (Guardian analysis, BBC video) on the matter earlier this week should be applauded. He has to know that it will bring condemnation from many quarters, not just business and political but also constitutional, yet he felt strongly enough to say his piece anyway. All credit to anyone in a position of influence or with a loud public voice who can keep this debate alive before it’s too late.

A geographically convenient abattoir is a critical thing in so many ways. It keeps costs down for farmers and processors, it reduces stress on animals, it can support communities - I could go on.

South Shropshire lost such a key site when Bishops Castle Abattoir was forced to shut some time ago. Fortunately it has been maintained in a state of good repair and now a collaborative scheme is under way to get the doors re-opened.

Here are the details courtesy of the Shropshire Rural Hub newsletter:

BISHOPS CASTLE ABATTOIR PROJECT (BCAP)

Overwhelming public demand for high quality locally produced and traceable meat was revealed in a survey at Bishops Castle Agricultural Show carried out by the Bishops Castle Abattoir Purchase Project (BCAP).

“There’s no doubt that local food initiatives are supported by the majority of people living in rural areas,” said BCAP spokesman Matt Mellor, “but if we don’t have an abattoir there’s simply no way of delivering anything meaningful for meat and meat products.”

“South Shropshire and the Welsh Marches are amongst the best stock producing areas of the country, so the opportunities for farmers to benefit from local food branding are excellent, but again it cannot be done without a local abattoir.”

“The facility at Bishops Castle has been closed but maintained in a state of operational readiness for a year now. It is an optimum sized abattoir capable of handling cattle, sheep and pigs, and therefore ideal for a business with a local food emphasis.”

“Realistically, if this project to purchase and re-open the abattoir is not successful within a few short months, we are unlikely ever to see a facility in this area again – once it’s gone, it’s probably gone forever.”

BCAP is raising funds from local investors and is currently around half way to its initial target of £400,000. Investors would receive shares in a new limited company, and the opportunity is open to anyone. For further details contact the BCAP project through localmeat@abccomms.co.uk, or by calling Matt Mellor on 01694 731915.

The best of luck to them!

We seem to be plagued in the organic sector with a growing number of studies (often government funded) which claim to be measuring the benefits, or otherwise, of organic farming.

While genuine scientific study is a good thing, and we’re all in favour of having good data, quite what some of the recent studies are out to prove is yet to be determined. But what many have in common is that they seem to be missing the point of organic farming. In comparing organic with non-organic farms they are, in many ways, comparing oranges and apples when they come up with their figures for nutrition, or carbon impacts, or methane from cows…

This situation appears to have got under the skin of OF&Gs’ normally thoroughly calm (!) Development Officer, Steven Jacobs, causing him to put fingers to keyboard and produce the following. Definitely worth a read for anyone who has forgotten the ‘basics’…

One connection between the many reports from reputable sources across the planet over the years on the critical denuding of the worlds soil supply is an apparent lack of preparation by us for the eventuality that agricultural yields have and will continue to drop significantly.

Recently, near Shrewsbury in Shropshire a gathering of over 150 farmers, merchants, advisors and scientists from right across the UK looked positively at many of the credible reasons for converting to organic food production.

These included the economics of soil maintenance and the market opportunities for organic food. Ideas that have been around only a few decades together with those that are almost as old as the Shropshire hills.

Why then do some say they did not see the current production and economic crises coming?

My assumption is, although rather cynical, based on many years experience working in the farming and food industries that short-term gain is seen as more of a priority than sustained growth.

On the farm non-renewable input cost rises are helping those that have the luxury to do so to choose not to grow food on their farms. Others are facing bankruptcy whilst elsewhere whole communities face starvation.

Inputs often rely as do plants on the soils ability to soak up liquid. The soil holds liquid by virtue of both its fibrous content and worm activity. The fibre holds the water. The worms, amongst many other duties, aerate the soil. There was written a rather long and detailed study of phylum annelida (worms) stating their importance in no uncertain terms. It describes at great length the different and complex inter-activities between worms and their neighbours who include plant, animal as well as bacterial life forms.

This inter-relationship was apparent, measurable and key to each component not just surviving but their ability to thrive. The work is well read and yet it seems that others have mislaid their copies. The author, Charles Darwin, was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, 1809.

Good work by the OGA to report. It seems their plea to the Health and Safety Executive, the Food Standards Agency and the Pesticides Safety Directorate for a ban on the use of the hormone herbicide aminopyralid has been a success.

The PSD has put a hold on the sale and use of products containing it and the approval will now be reviewed. Click here for more details from the PSD…

The Organic Growers Alliance has kicked off a battle to keep a hormone herbicide, that apparently distorts vegetable growth, out of the countryside.

As I couldn’t find a link to this online, I’ll reproduce the text of the OGA press release here. It’s worth a read:

Growers angered by toxic manure threat

The Organic Growers Alliance has this week written to the Health and Safety Executive, the Food Standards Agency and the Pesticides Safety Directorate calling for an immediate ban on the use of the hormone herbicide aminopyralid on UK farms.

Aminopyralid has been named as the culprit in the recent media reports of distorted growth in vegetable crops in many back gardens and allotments all over the UK, but it is becoming apparent that commercial growers, both organic and conventional are at risk of being affected.

Aminopyralid is a hormone herbicide cleared for use on UK farms to control broadleaf weeds on grassland. It has become evident however that the herbicide is very persistent and when the sprayed grass is consumed, either directly or as hay or silage, the product travels through the animals gut, persists in an active form in the manure and if the manure is then used to grow a vegetable crop causes distortion or failure of growth in susceptible species such as potatoes, tomatoes and the pea and bean families.

As aminopyralid is not cleared for use on crops intended for human consumption it is unclear as to whether contaminated crops are safe to eat. The latest comment on the PSD website posted on 11th July states that produce SHOULD be safe to eat. Does this mean if there was a case of contamination in commercial crops that they are safe to sell? The Organic Growers Alliance has asked each of the agencies for a public comment on the safety of contaminated crops and how land that manure has been spread on should be treated.

Alan Schofield, Chair of the Alliance said “ At the moment reports are coming in from amateur gardeners but aminopyralid has the potential to enter the human food chain through commercial vegetables grown using contaminated manures. Many vegetable crops are grown using manures and have been for millennia. The decision to allow this product to be used on UK farms has had the effect of turning an extremely valuable, recyclable resource into toxic waste. We call for its immediate withdrawal until the full extent of the contamination is known.”

Dow AgroSciences were warning farmers in November last year to be careful when ‘disposing’ of manures as there were instances of damage to potato crops in 2007 crops resulting from failure to observe the label warnings regarding following crops on grassland herbicides.

Alan Schofield added “American gardeners have been suffering for years and it is ludicrous that the Pesticide Safety Directorate has licensed this product for use in the UK, without fully warning all growers of the potential dangers.”

It probably comes as no surprise that potloads of cash have been washed down the drain by the Rural Payments Agency as it tries to deal with the Single Payment Scheme.

Figures are being bandied around now because of the scrutiny of the powerful House of Commons Public Accounts Committee. This process has highlighted the fact that farmers are still suffering from the failure of the payments to be properly administered.

Some of the figures are downright depressing: nearly 20,000 entitlements assessed wrongly for the 2005 and 2006 schemes; around £37million in overpayments in those two years, with many farmers still unaware if they were overpaid (and many of those who are aware apparently don’t yet know by how much they were overpaid and when they’ll have to give it back).

On top of this there is likely to be a substantial fine from the EU for the failures. I’m sure I read something yesterday that said the cost of making single payments amounted, in many cases, to about the same as the value of the actual payment. If I can find that piece again, I’ll post the link.

It beggars belief.

There are MANY well-worn debates that rage around organics, flaring up again from time to time. For instance, can we feed the world???

Every time we get some long-awaited piece of scientific evidence about the positives in organics, someone seems to find a way to try and knock it down or spoil the party. Take cows. Organics brings many benefits for their welfare, allows milk to be produced without the use of routine antibiotics and other chemical inputs - and then we get panned over methane. Someone comes along and says: “Ah yes, but organic cows produce more methane.” Unless we have hard data, how can we argue. What we don’t, as a sector, seem to be too good at so far is pulling all this info together.

However, there’s a great piece that’s been done by The Ecologist that does attempt to grab all of these threads and answer some of the arguments. It’s very upbeat and very encouraging. It should also be read (and perhaps kept for future reference) by anyone who finds themselves extolling/defending organics on a regular basis.

Just as would be done by big business (read ag chem companies) we need everyone ‘on message’, and this piece would be a good start…

10 reasons why organic can feed the world - The Ecologist

The Estonian government has apparently become the first to tax its farmers for the methane and CO2 emitted by their cows. Now, we know governments will stop at nothing to get their hands on tax income but this seems to be a tricky one to get the head around.

Estonian farmers could cut down their herds, or even give up beef and dairy - but then a lot of Estonians would probably starve…

We’re all conscious of the need to control ‘emissions’, though you can’t help but think we should be targeting some of the less natural sources first. One can only hope the Estonian government is putting every single Kroon (for that, apparently, is their currency) back into environmental projects, not into building more roads!!!

While we attend plenty of shows each year, it’s been some time since OF&G was at Natural and Organic Products Europe. So, with a renewed vigour we addressed that this year and set up a not insubstantial stand along with three of our licensees.

Our visit to this year’s show, at Olympia, London, was a roaring success. It was great to get face-to-face with existing licensees as well as to meet many, many potential new ones. The whole show team, Steven, Ruth, Joanna and (for one day only) Mark, found the whole experience very positive. The same could be said of the licensees who set up their displays with us and managed to give the whole thing the feel of a small OF&G marketplace!

They were: Miller, farmer and bread and cake mix maker, Rebecca Rayner, who heads her successful Glebe Farm brand; Brenda and Lucy Clarke with their team from Trevarno Organic Skin Care who showed of a great range of high quality products; Al Sharif, of Harrisons and Crosfield, purveyors of carefully selected, and beautifully packaged, teas.

Here are some pictures to sum up the show (click on them for bigger versions):

And the really good news? We’ll be back next year!

It’s very heartening to see the Welsh Assembly taking a strong stand on GM as it moves towards adopting a ‘polluter pays’ principle.

At OF&G we’ve been calling for this all along. It makes perfect sense that if you introduce GM to the countryside and end up contaminating crops of your neighbours (or even further afield) you should bear the costs.

For some reason Westminster seems dead against this and determined to make it as easy as possible for GM companies to pollute our countryside.

If an organic farmer gets GM contamination in their fields, their crop can no longer be called organic, meaning the loss of any premium and no return on the extra costs and efforts they have incurred. How can it be right that the person or company causing this should not be held responsible?

If the Welsh Assembly Government puts the onus on the ‘polluter’ it is effectively banning GM from being grown within its borders - that’s a brave and principled move which we support wholeheartedly.