21/5/09

New guide to upland organic beef and sheep production for farmers

The latest Farming Connect technical guide produced by Organic Centre Wales (OCW) provides farmers with information on organic livestock farming in the uplands. The guide has been produced in response to the increasing numbers of hill and upland beef and sheep producers who are turning to organic farming.

A farmer’s guide to organic upland beef and sheep production presents information from the experience gained at ADAS Pwllpeiran. The organic unit was set up in 1993 to see if organic farming methods could be adopted by hill livestock farms. It was one of the first organic beef and sheep hill farms in Wales.

The Guide, which is fully bilingual, also provides information on the financial performance of organic upland farms, drawing upon the latest results from a long–term Defra study. And there are more case studies of three further organic Welsh livestock farms. “Organic conversion presents a few challenges as well as opportunities for hill and upland farmers” said David Frost, one of the authors of the Guide.

“Compared to mixed lowland farms they have limited areas of improved grassland for grazing and forage conservation, they don’t very often have the chance to grow cereals and fodder crops and nowadays, unlike earlier converters, farmers going organic need to feed a 100% organic diet to their organic livestock. On the other hand, the experience of Pwllpeiran along with other evidence shows that many benefits come with organic conversion and that schemes like Tir Gofal and the new Glastir land management scheme complement organic farming and are an important additional source of income, particularly in the uplands.”

Figures from OCW show that there are around 480 organic beef and 500 organic sheep farms in Wales, which is higher than previous estimates, and reflects the high number of upland farms entering organic conversion. The latest Organic Market Report from the Soil Association shows that agricultural land in conversion to organic in Wales grew by 100% in 2008, well outstripping England where it grew by 35%. Overall, the number of organic producers in Wales grew by 9% in 2008 - more than anywhere else in the UK.

The guide can be downloaded from the farmer page of the OCW website (www.organic.aber.ac.uk/farmers) and it will be distributed at events.

Ends

Further information

David Frost, Senior Consultant, ADAS Pwllpeiran, Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 4AB. Direct Line 01974 272567 david.frost@adas.co.uk 

Notes for editors

1. Organic Centre Wales is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government to provide information on organic food and farming to producers, food businesses, consumers and others. It is based at Aberystwyth University and run by a partnership consisting of the ADAS, the Organic Research Centre Elm Farm, and the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences at Aberystwyth University.

2. ADAS is the UK’s largest independent provider of environmental consultancy, rural development services and policy advice. ADAS is a partner in Organic Centre Wales. ADAS Pwllperian is a 1,346 ha hill farm in the Cambrian Mountains. The organic unit comprises 239 ha of the total farm area.

3. The Organic Conversion Information Service (01970 622100) is funded by WAG to provide information to producers considering conversion – an information pack and up to three free on-farm visits are available.

4. Farming Connect, working closely with its partner organisations, provides one to one support, knowledge, expertise, training and advisory services tailored to the needs of farmers in Wales. Many of these services are fully funded or subsidised and the service is both flexible and accessible. You can register with the Farming Connect Service Centre on 08456 000 813 or contact Farming Connect directly at your nearest WAG Divisional Office. OCW is funded by Farming Connect to deliver the Organic Development Programme.

5. Farming Connect is funded through the Rural Development Plan 2007-2013, which is financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Assembly Government.

Download guide in English (PDF)

Download guide in Welsh (PDF)

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