Growers warn of casualties risk

9 February 2001

Growers warn of casualties risk

In their rush to grab organic

premiums new entrants

could destroy the very

market they want a share of,

say two long-term organic

growers. Charles Abel

reports from Lincs

IN 1983 Marjorie Stein and David Lucas started growing organic vegetables for local outlets in east Lincolnshire.

Eighteen years later the market is changing at such a rate that many producers could become casualties of the rush for premiums, the organic enthusiasts maintain.

Eden Farms is now a successful organic business on 24ha (70 acres) of grade two and three silt/heavy clay land at Old Bolingbroke and Stickney near Spilsby, Lincs.

Production includes up to 30 crops, mostly marketed as boxed produce to a range of outlets in the east Midlands, plus supermarket continuity programmes and wholesale.

But the fast moving market is set for big problems, particularly for smaller producers, predicts Ms Stein. New growers, many with substantial areas of fertile ground, are flooding the market.

At the same time regulations are becoming over-restrictive, paperwork is mushrooming and the supermarket desire for pristine produce is leading to hand-sorted, washed and wrapped organic veg which bears little resemblance to the "natural" crops of the past.

"There is a real risk that consumers will lose interest in the tasteless organic produce now on sale," warns Ms Stein. "It is little more than conventional produce with no chemicals. Where has the taste, the texture and the naturalness gone?"

Striking the right balance between the commercial practicalities of organic production and the desires of the consumer is increasingly difficult, Mr Lucas adds.

If standards are diluted too far there will be nothing to distinguish organic from Tescos Natures Choice, for example. But if they become too tight smaller producers will find it impossible to bear the cost, he warns.

Pressure from lobby groups and EU directives from Brussels for ever tighter standards, such as the ban on manures from non-organic units and the requirement for organic seed exceed consumer demands and damage producers, says Ms Stein.

How can organic arable units maintain nutrient levels given the ban on manures from non-organic livestock systems, she asks. "When we set up Eden Farm there was plenty of poultry litter we could use in the area. Now that is banned, unless it is from an organic or Freedom Foods unit, is guaranteed free from GM feed and is ethically produced. That is a major headache for us on less fertile ground."

Despite contacting 43 livestock units in the area Ms Stein has been unable to source manure that meets Soil Association standards. The farm now relies on 500t of manure from a crew yard run by a neighbour.

Organic seed for organic crops is another step too far, she maintains. "What does it matter to the consumer? What they want is food that tastes good and is produced in a sustainable way with no chemical residues. Our view is that organic seed is an unnecessary extra cost. Satisfying the consumers demands is what matters, not the ethical ideals of pressure groups."

Tighter standards could also encourage growers to bend the rules in the rush for premiums, she adds. "It will be very difficult to prevent people running roughshod over the standards. Even the best certification cant prevent corner-cutting."

The resulting scare stories could do untold damage. "Look at the situation with organic eggs last year." Although organic free-range eggs produced in large, deep litter houses complied with UKROFS standards, they were reported negatively for breaking Soil Association rules.

"That created a bad image and we had orders cancelled and people asking for Soil Association eggs or none at all."

Combined with the production of organic crops that have no market agreed when they are sown, that could spell disaster for the sector.

"It is undeniable that there is commercial pressure to produce organic crops. But how well that will be met by consumer demand remains to be seen," says Ms Stein.

Organic produce provides a good marketing message for retailers, but that may not be reflected in sales volumes, they fear. "There could be very severe over-production."

Surviving in that market will not be easy. For Eden Farms box marketing is the preferred approach. "On-farm packing of organic produce is something we pioneered. It commands a retail price, we have control over the marketing and we have built up a loyal customer base," says Ms Stein.

Operating a farm-based scheme with a diverse cropping range provides much of the appeal. "Consumers want to know that the produce has come from a specific farm, not that it has been grown and packed by entirely different people.

"It takes a huge amount of time. But it is something that we have the expertise and the enthusiasm for and those remain the two most important ingredients for anything to do with organic farming," Ms Stein concludes. &#42

Keys to a successful enterprise

lMarketing – Grow for known markets. From small beginnings 18 years ago Eden Farms has expanded into a diverse enterprise with a turnover of £350,000 growing 30 organic crops for a range of outlets, including an expanding box delivery scheme, contract packing for other box schemes, wholesaling and supermarket continuity programmes.

lPromotion – efforts to promote organic produce and the idea of seasonal vegetable supply are intense and on-going. Alongside regular newsletters Eden Farms has a web-site (www.edenfarms.co.uk) and uses e-mail (edenfarms@compuserve.com). "Communicating with consumers is key, it is something the supermarkets can not really do," says Ms Stein.

lHusbandry – "Experience certainly pays and is helping us reduce production costs," notes Mr Lucas . "Weve picked things up you would never find in a textbook or through research and no longer use consultants, they seem to leave with more information than they arrive with."

Hard work, dedication and careful marketing are keys to successful organic arable production, says Lincs grower Marjorie Stein.

ORGANIC PROSPECTS

&#8226 Booming production.

&#8226 Can demand keep up?

&#8226 Better marketing vital.

&#8226 More paperwork.

&#8226 Tighter standards.

&#8226 Soil fertility key.