Organic Production Falls

Latest statistics show that organic farming in the UK continues to contract.  We wrote in the March Bulletin about the ongoing decline in the organic food market, highlighted by the annual Soil Association survey.  Now statistics released by DEFRA demonstrates that the production base shows the same trends.  ‘Organic Statistics 2012’ reports that the total areaof fully organic and ‘in-conversion’ land fell by 8% year-on-year to 605,000 hectares in 2012.  This is a 19% reduction form the high point of 743,000 hectares  in 2008.  The area of in-conversion land, at 32,000 hectares, is at its lowest level since the survey started in 2002.  Organic land now stands at around 3.5% of the total UK farmed area.  Of the 605 thousand hectares, some 512 thousand are grassland (85%).  The number of organic livestock in the UK also declined across all categories between 2011 and 2012.  The most notable change was for pigs, where the number being reared according to organic standards fell by 34%.  The full statistics can be found at – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/organic-farming-statistics-2012