The Organic Farmers & Growers (OF&G) has written to Daniel Zeichner, Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs at Defra, urging for the development of a robust cross-sectoral land use framework that integrates organic farming as a solution to the UK’s agricultural and environmental challenges.
This call to action follows the second-worst harvest results reported by the Energy Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) and a stark warning of an ‘irreversible climate disaster’ recently published in the BioScience journal. This new data reinforces the need for a strategy that balances food security, cleaner waterways, a zero-waste economy, nature restoration, and farming while mitigating flood risks.
Roger Kerr, chief executive of OF&G, stresses the urgency of the situation; “This year’s climate shocks have laid bare the vulnerabilities of our food systems.
“Organic farming presents a sustainable, resilient and evidenced solution that can address all five of the priorities that have been laid out by MP Steve Reed. Supporting an increase in organically farmed land area would make a meaningful contribution to the Government’s goals.”
The letter outlines how organic farming directly supports each of Defra’s core focus areas by showcasing how an expanded organic land area would buffer against both environmental and market volatility while delivering a more stable, sustainable food production model.
Mr Kerr highlights the role organic systems play in protecting the environment: “Organic farming minimises water pollution by eliminating synthetic inputs as well as by reducing soil erosion by 22% compared to conventional systems.
“Organic builds healthier soils, stores 25% more carbon, and has a greater capacity to improve water infiltration and retention to enhance the land’s resilience against extreme weather events. These benefits are critical in helping the UK achieve its environmental and agricultural goals,” adds Mr Kerr.
A biennial report published by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) warns of a ‘point of no return’ for biodiversity loss.
OF&G state that organic promotes practices that support 50% more wildlife and 34% more species diversity than conventional counterparts.
“Our natural environment is reaching a tipping point. If we are to protect and enhance it in the face of increasingly frequent and extreme weather events, we will need to progressively adopt restorative practices such as crop rotation, agroforestry and mixed farming systems.
“Organic farming embodies this approach while reducing dependency on external inputs, whose availability and price will become more volatile in the face of greater global supply chain disruption. Expanding organic land use would buffer against both environmental and market volatility and support a more stable, resilient food production model” says Mr Kerr.
“Our proposed target of having 10% of UK agricultural land farmed organically is a strategy that aligns with the Government’s ambitions. We call on Defra to collaborate with industry leaders in implementing a long-promised land use framework and ensuring organic farming plays a central role in future policies.”
