olliesplace: Organic food, farming & environment. By Oliver Moore.

PESTICIDES AND PREGNANCY: NEW RESEARCH CAUSES CONCERN

2012-02-03T12:26:00.003Z

Apples are sprayed with up to 48 pesticides, which detectable even after ten seconds of washing with water. Does this matter?

Conventional wisdom says no – the levels are very much within the permitted range. Tests find that a tiny percentage of foods – usually around 3% - fall outside the rules. These foods either have levels slightly above legal limits or have traces of disallowed pesticides.

New research however, has thrown something of a shadow over the safety of pesticides. Or, at least, it would cast such a shadow if anyone was paying attention to it.

Three studies published in the August 2011 edition of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives found negative developmental effects in children who's mothers had eaten foods with traces of pesticides on them while pregnant. And these mothers were within the bounds of normal exposure to pesticides.

Not only is this the top ranking monthly academic journal in public, environmental, and occupational health, the three studies all use what is called a longitudinal birth cohort: in other words, tests began in the womb and continued at set intervals for months and years. Two of the studies tested from in utero to seven years, the third to nine years.

What the studies found was that decrements in full-scale IQ, working memory, and perceptual reasoning showed the most consistent associations with prenatal exposure to a common class of pesticides, organophosphates.

According to the journal's editorial, by Kimberly Gray and Cindy P. Lawler, “comparability of these results, despite differences in populations and exposure metrics, underscores the robustness of this latest group of findings.”

The editors also described the longitudinal cohort as “a design well suited to detect the evolution of exposure effects over time. Accordingly, the latest findings build on previous data from these birth cohorts showing relationships between prenatal OP pesticide exposure levels and developmental end points in the first 3 years of life”.

Bouchard (et al 2011), one of the three new studies referred to, also draws attention to poorer scores for processing speed and verbal comprehension in the children studied, as well as the IQ, memory and reasoning issues already outlined.

And the higher the traces of organophosphates the worse the score: Children in the category corresponding to the highest 20% of traces of organophosphates during pregnancy showed a 7-point decrease in full scale IQ compared with children of mothers in the lowest 20%. (Bouchard et al 2011.)

Importantly however, those with the highest traces were within the range of levels measured in the general population.

What do the authorities in Ireland make of this research? I spoke to the Department of Health and Children. They suggested that, despite the topic of my query being about the health of children, the query was more one for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The Department of Agriculture “advised us that pesticide residues in food in Ireland and other European countries are controlled by European legislation, specifically Regulation 396 of 2005. Residues are controlled by maximum residue levels ( MRLs) that should not be exceeded for individual pesticides.”

“These MRLs are set following extensive evaluation of all currently available scientific knowledge by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), whose most critical commitment is the provision of objective and independent science-based advice which underpins the European food safety system and provides the foundation for European policy and legislation. MRLs established in EU legislation are considered safe for all Irish and European consumers. “

Interestingly, however, they also said that the following: “All relevant new scientific information/data will be independently evaluated by EFSA and inform policies on consumer protection as appropriate. The existence of this new information will be raised with the EU Commission at a meeting on the 9th of December with a view to requesting EFSA to evaluate these studies. The EFSA assessment of these studies will guide any responses taken at EU level in response to these study findings.”

(Italics added above, as I think that's a really important point!)

So who knows? Perhaps in some months the advice on pesticides may change. In the meantime, the official advice is that pesticide residues are safe.

I also spoke to some growers about this new research. They were keen to point out the organophosphates are used in US agriculture not in Ireland.

Of course, the consumer encounters more than just Irish produce in the local supermarket: indeed, Ireland imports about E5billion worth of food each year. Of this, up to E1 billion is on fruits and vegetables. Not just US produce,but produce from an an increasingly globalised food system is available.

As the rules on pesticides get stricter and stricter in the EU and to an extent other developed countries like the US, a vicious circle of sorts develops. EU and US companies sell the pesticides they can no longer sell at home, to developing world countries. We then import food produced using pesticides banned in the EU, into the EU.

Meanwhile, Irish growers have to try to compete with this produce grown to what is essentially a different standard, while devleoping world producers, regions and the environment have to deal with the consequences of these far stronger pesticides.

In our daily food choices, we have decisions to make. And in light of this recent research some consumers may decide that, on balance, its worth going for the organic option. At least with the imports.

ENDS

REFERENCES

Bouchard MF, Chevrier J, Harley KG, Kogut K, Vedar M, Calderon N, et al. (2011). Prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides and IQ in 7-year old children. Environmental Health Perspectives 119:1189–1195

Engel SM, Wetmur J, Chen J, Zhu C, Barr DB, Canfield RL, et al. 2011. Prenatal exposure to organophosphates, paraoxonase 1, and cognitive development in childhood. Environmental Health Perspectives 119:1182–1188

Environmental Working Group 2011 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce. Available at www.ewg.org/foodnews/

Gray K, Lawler CP, (2011) Strength in Numbers:  Three Separate Studies Link in Utero Organophosphate Pesticide Exposure and Cognitive Development. Environmental Health Perspectives 119(8)

Rauh V, Arundjadai S, Horton M, Perera F, Hoepner L, Barr DB, et al. (2011). Seven-year neurodevelopmental scores and prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos, a common agricultural pesticide. Environmental Health Perspectives 119:1196–1201.

Organic Poultry and the New EU Rules for Laying Hens

2012-01-31T18:54:00.003Z

Do the new rules on battery cages for laying hens lessen the animal welfare case for organic eggs?

(part one is here)

In 2008 in Ireland 62.4% of hens were caged, 1% were housed in barns and 36.6% were free range, according to the International Egg Market Annual Review. As a branch of the broadly defined ethical consumer movement, over 1/3 is a very significant number.

Under the new EU directive egg producers must use the larger, modified cages equipped with perches and litter that is supposed to allow hens room to roost, nest and scratch.

In a gradual move towards higher welfare standards for laying hens, Austria and Belgium had already banned battery cages, and plan to ban the new enriched cages by 2020 and 2024 respectively. Sweden, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands had already banned the battery cage ahead of 2012.

The new rules state that as and from January 1st 2012, conventional layer cages must be replaced by “enriched” cages or by alternative, less intensive production systems such as barn and free-range. Under the EU Directive, enriched cages must be at least 45 cm high and must provide each hen with at least 750 cm² of space; 600 cm² of this must be "usable area" – the other 150 cm² is for a nest-box. The cage must also contain litter, perches and "claw-shortening devices".

I spoke to IOFGA's development officer Grace Maher about the new rules for laying hens:

“While stricter regulations for caged poultry are welcome in the interest of animal welfare, there is still no comparison between caged production and natural free range production. We in the organic sector believe that poultry should be free range not caged. In an organic system poultry have free range of organically managed land and they are fed an organic diet, free from GM”

She went into more detail:

“Most birds in ‘enriched’ cages will still spend a significant proportion of their time standing on sloping wire mesh floors at an angle of 12 degrees with little room to move around. They will all still be denied fresh air and sunshine, they will still not have enough room to flap their wings. There is only one nest box per cage and minimal material to nest in which will lead to aggressive behaviour by some hens as they fight over their new “facilities”.

She continues: “Under the Organic Standards, hens are not allowed to be kept in cages. They must be free range and must be kept outdoors for at least a third of their lives with each hen having an area of at least 4m². Birds must have access to indoors due to predators and weather conditions. The indoor facilities for hens must provide 1,666cm² with a 8cm perch per bird and 120cm² nest area per bird”

“Organic poultry producers in Ireland are relatively small producers. Due to a shortage of organic tillage in Ireland there is a high cost with supplying an organic diet including rations to poultry. While organic eggs are considerably more expensive than intensive caged produced eggs once consumers taste the eggs many they are happy to pay that price due to the quality and taste and also to ensure the welfare of the animals are maintained. There are many small egg producers who have a steady supply and who cannot meet the demand for their product so price does not appear to be a deterrent for consumers.”

There are other, broader issues as well.

According to Maher: “With the introduction of this new legislation we also need to ensure that imported eggs - and products containing eggs such as egg mayonnaise, quiches and so on - are from countries which are compliant with the ban. It [the implementation of the EU directive by operators] has been a costly exercise and many Irish producers have had to invest heavily to meet their legal obligations and improve animal welfare.”

NEW RULES FOR CONVENTIONAL LAYING HENS

2012-01-20T18:14:00.003Z

Is it fair on organic egg producers that their conventional counterparts have just been given E16 million by the State? The E16 million was given to conventional poultry farmers to help them adjust their laying hen housing regime. Is this a trade distortion?

(pic: not a conventional laying hen ,even with the new regulations...)

According to the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine “Council Directive 1999/74/EC on minimum standards for the protection of laying hens states that, from 1 January 2012, the rearing of laying hens in conventional (known as 'unenriched') cages will be prohibited in the EU. From 1 January 2012, laying hens are only allowed to be reared in enriched cages or using alternative systems such as barn or free range”.

“The Poultry Welfare Scheme was introduced on 16 June 2010...and provided grant-aid at a rate of 40 % for the conversion to enriched cages, free range or barn systems”.

So the supports for conversion to a new animal management regime have been significant. And in general, anyone who favours higher animal welfare standards will welcome this change, a change spearheaded by a slow but steady shift towards ethical consumption.

The 1999 element of the EU regulation refers to the year the regulation was passed. The regulation, as the name suggests, was passed to improve the welfare standards of laying hens. So since then, the only egg producers who were actually compliant with the regulation have been some barn and all free range and organic producers. Because these producers had these higher animal welfare standards, their costs were also higher. And because of this, consumers who wanted to support these higher standards had to pay more for their eggs.

The Department has decided to give specific supports including a once off payment of E16 million, to the farmers who were not compliant with the regulation. Producers who were compliant with this regulation have received no special funds.

All this time, organic producers have had tiny markets, partly because it cost so much more for organic eggs, but also because of higher feed costs. A half dozen organic eggs retail for between E2 and E2.50.

When queried about the long timeframe, the Department responded: “The Directive provided that farmers and operators be given a long transitional period to adjust to this measure.”

They also said: “The awarding of support for the expansion of existing compliant production systems would not be permitted under State Aid rules/Directives and may in fact be seen as a trade distorting subsidy.”

But is this actually the case? Surely trade is distorted by the granting of extra supports to one category over another, as has happened? This situation is compounded by the fact that the ones who did not receive the supports were actually compliant with the higher standards all along. It thus acts like a penalty for good behaviour.

More and more of this legislation is coming down stream from the EU: on pesticides, on biodiversity, on water quality and more. In most if not all cases, organic farmers and growers are already compliant. Yet there is no specific reward for this. Consumers are asked to self-tax, to charge themselves more of their ever dwindling cash to do the right thing. Organic farmers are accused of being overly expensive, elitist and out of touch.

States have a choice: support the best practices or support the bulk of the existing producers. The French state has recently decided to put much of its resources into supporting organic, especially in the area of public procurement, Will the Irish state do anything similar? While there is always hope, it is highly unlikely.

Next post, we will take a closer look at the specifics of organic egg production, and why, even with these new, higher animal welfare standards for all laying hens, it still makes sense to choose organic eggs.

TOP DRAWER ORGANIC LEARNING EVENT

2012-01-13T22:36:00.005Z

Farmers and growers sometimes complain that there is not enough detailed specialist advice available to them in Ireland. While popping off to a conference in Birmingham might not have been on your mind this January, you could do far worse these cold days than attend the Organic Research Centre's 3 day event, which starts next Wednesday 18th.

(PIC: Winter organic beehives....)

It literally is one of the most comprehensive and thought provoking events of the year for the professional organic farmer and grower.

Every major category of organic operator will be catered for, serious and relevant topics discussed in detail, while there will be ample time for networking, big picture debate and policy issues. The balance between researchers, farmers and policy makers is also noteworthy.

Starting Wednesday, the horticulture discussion featuring our own Jason Horner of Leen Organics, deals with untapped horticultural markets or as the subtitle suggests - what do you sell apart from the veg? Flowers, eggs, Christmas trees and willow producers will present.

The panel discussion on grass seed and variety issues will examine the balance between rules and availability. Are organic producers making the best use of available forage varieties, or is the issue the fact that they are hampered in accessing the most appropriate varieties because of organic regulation constraints to use 65% organic seed? All perspectives presented.

A similarly balanced debate should ensure in the discussion on the feed rules changes: the feed rules are getting tighter for organic farmers all the time, as availability of certified organic feed increases. However cost and other issues are involved.

Various categories of waste and their use in farming should be a fascinating discussion, because of the range of perspectives: biosolid, food waste in green waste compost and also separated human urine.

The fringe meetings feature some interesting topics too: accessing land for young producers (with Reclaim the Fields); participatory research and development work; homeopathy at wellie level.

There are sessions on supply chain sustainability, the rapid move towards community vegetable production, innovation in sustainable dairying, sheep health (with a particular focus on scab), as well as that always good value for money debate on corporate vs real organics.

Thursday sees managing nitrogen fertility for organic cereals and what looks like a fascinating discussion on functional biodiversity to start the morning off. The latter will deal with how biodiversity on horticultural holdings can practically be used in the control of pests and diseases, soil fertility management and general system robustness. (Little did I know that there was an Earthworm Society of Britain!)

The level of detail is such that there is also a session on diary cow health with an emphasis on feet. Benchmarking carbon emissions from extensive livestock systems, and a communications session on ads, apps and raps as the (possible) way forward also feature Thursday morning.

Tillage farmers are catered for with the session on research results from projects that are evaluating non-inversion tillage in field-scale crop production , which will also have input from farmers engaged in these projects.

The Making Money from Milk session features unusual producers and useful information: David Finlay of Rainton Farm's ‘Cream o’Galloway' ice cream business and visitor centre is described as Lean farming, and certainly involves unconventional practices for profit. Information to highlight your herd’s strengths and weaknesses will also be presented, as will another producer perspective.

Beef and sheep farmers will certainly be interested in the session on the cost price squeeze, as it will feature presentations on opportunities for reducing costs, as well as on price trends and the role of producer marketing groups.

The best use of legumes in various systems is the last presentation of the day before the closing plenary. This will focus on current work with legume mixtures, while also exploring applications beyond fertility building and ground cover. These could include greater use of home-grown legumes in monogastric diets and even as part of a ration for fish.

That big picture plenary on global agro-ecology should lead to a rousing send off Thursday afternoon.

For more, contact Sean McGloin on 086 1728442 or the IOTA direct on 0044 154 752 8546
Or see here

ALL I WANT FOR (AN ORGANIC) CHRISTMAS

2011-12-23T12:28:00.003Z

Hi Santy, Ollie here. Sure I thought I'd just write to you this year, just to send you a letter really. I'm not asking for anything actually - that wouldn't be fair. I'm sure the cuts and the recession have hit you just as hard as the rest of us down here. Well, the rest of the 99% anyway.

(photo: orgnaic santa from earth first)

That's one thing that's given me a bit of heart Santy. That those Occupy people would actually, in Winter, stand up and say enough. Fair play to them, the occupiers are an inspiration to me: hopefully when I grow up, I'll be one of them. Well, that or an organic farmer anyway.

You know I'd really love, Santy, if the Department focused a bit more on organic. Like they did just a few years ago. Actually, the Department, the IFA, the rest of the farming press, the whole lot really. There seems to be something of a blind spot for it at the moment. Which is mad, because according to Teagasc research, only 14% of organic farms are non-viable, but 42% of conventional ones are. Weird , eh? And, sorry for going on about this Santy, but the costs of the inputs are only going to go up and up – wheat for feed, oil for making fertilizer, all those.

The Organic Trade Board – do you remember that one? Its been ages, hasn't it? This thing, once established, would actually be industry funded. It won't even cost the Department anything. The Department just need to get it going, and then its, well, gone. Its out of their hair. The organic industry seems to be ready to charge itself money to promote itself, and its taking, like, forever Santy. Just for the Department to get it off the ground. You know I'm not asking you for stuff this year, but that's more diluted than homeopathy – real value, eh?

And while we're on it, wouldn't it be great for all the little bits and pieces to be drawn together? You know, all the opportunities for training in organic farming. There's plenty for those converting, but what about for those who are already organic? Something like the Better Farms scheme, only, well, better I suppose. Just aimed at the organic farmers – lots of model farms, mentoring, targets, all those sorts of things, but connected and feeding into each other. What's the word? Oh yea, holistic.

Of course, a normal 3rd level organic farm and food business course, and a dedicated Teagasc organic horticulture advisor would be great. So would an AEOS scheme for 2012! I can always dream eh? That AEOS looked a bit mangy when it came in, but at the moment, its not even guaranteed for the coming year. With the REPS and Disadvantaged Area Payments cuts just announced there Mr Claus, the AEOS money might be much needed.

Now, I know this is an unusual suggestion, but could you imagine if food from AEOS farms was labeled as such, and sold at a little premium? That so should have happened with REPS Santy, but once it didn't REPS was seen as a cost. So they keep cutting it like they have claws Mr Claus.

I think CAP reform will really make organic more attractive, but I'm not sure if anyone is really noticing this Santy. Its all about greening in the EU these days, everyone says so – even those who give out about greening. There's the animal welfare, water frameworks and pesticides directives too. Its like the EU is trying to come up with ways to describe organic – to put together the whole package. But its already there! Its called, wait for it, organic farming!

The French seem to have really taken to it - 300 farms go organic each month. They see organic as a fast track to stuff that they have to do anyway. 80% of food served by the State in France will be organic in a few years. Imagine that?

Me, I'll settle for what me Da used to get, if that's not too much. An orange. Organic if you can.

ORGANIC FRAUD UNCOVERED IN ITALY

2011-12-20T14:36:00.003Z

Seven people, 5 owners or directors of a dozen companies and two employees of a control body, were arrested by Italian police last week, accused of having committed fraud by selling conventional products as organic products with false invoices and certification documents.

That's according to a statement last week by IFOAM, the International Federation of Organic Organic Agriculture Movements.

The 2500 tonnes of products seized in Verona included “field beans, soybeans and corn (for animal feed) and lesser amounts of wheat. The majority of products came from Bulgaria and Romania”said IFOAM. They continued: “The fraud dates back to a period between 2007 and 2009. The inspection body has fired and reported to the authorities two employees involved as soon as its internal audits identified the criminal activity.” according to the IFOAM statement.

Press agency AFP reported that “police said 700,000 tons of illegal organic products valued at 220 million euros ($295 million) had been sold over several years across Italy and to Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and Switzerland.”

IFOAM stressed that “over the last year, all Italian certification bodies have worked closely together with the Guardia di Finanza (Italian
Revenue Guard Corps), having provided supporting documentation and data that has facilitated and deepened the investigation.”

“There is no space for criminals in the organic sector who think that fraudulent business is the way to make easy money”, stated Christopher Stopes, president of the IFOAM EU Group. “We are glad that thanks to tight organic controls in place, the investigations of the Italian justice in cooperation with the Italian organic sector that provided the necessary documentation and data, have seen an end to this incredible case”, adds Marco Schlüter, Director of the Group. The organic market is worth E3 billion per year in Italy.

Italian organic certification association AIAB pointed out that “Italian farmers are not only totally free of responsibility, but victims of this fraud” . They also pointed out that they had been warning the authorities about the problem of organised crime's recent involvement in the profitable organic food business area and of the need for stronger inspection procedures as a result. They expressed concerned regarding criminal infiltration of the inspection and certification procedures off farm: for imported feed ingredients and long chain commodities such as pastas and breads.

Both Irish organic certification bodies, IOFGA and the Organic Trust were “appalled” at the situation. IOFGA say that they are “appalled at the alleged scandal in Italy involving fundamental structural corruption resulting in the fraudulent labeling of organic produce. The growing popularity of organic food has seemingly encouraged Italian organised crime to take full advantage”.

They also pointed out that the scandal appeared to involve “produce bound for animal feed, or composite ingredients such as wheat used for breads and pasta.”

“Irish organic certification has a rigorous inspection process that ensures the integrity of organic produce from farm to fork. Irish organic farms and food processors receive comprehensive inspections at least once a year to ensure integrity through absolute compliance with the standards”.

Colin Keogh of the Organic Trust added that the Department spend “an inordinate amount of resources establishing and verifying the authenticity of not just the producers but the companies certifying them.” He added: “businesses wishing to conduct this type of import have to comply with stringent documentation requirements which require the certification body responsible for licencing the proposed imports to submit precise details of their systems and summary reports from the last inspection of the producers concerned.”

According to Keogh “a Director of a Certifying Body was also arrested – this being the case, it is hard to point fingers at the system of certification if some of those responsible for administering it are corrupt themselves. No system can legislate for the actions of corrupt individuals.”

It is also worth adding that the Irish organic inspection and certification system, often considered overly bureaucratic and time consuming, is also considered the strictest in the world.

THE DINGLE DEXTER

2011-12-19T01:20:00.002Z

(note: organic job opp at the end of piece!)

If you are visiting Santa at Killarney Farmers' Market, or if you are lucky enough to eat in the Killarney Park Hotel on Christmas day, the chances are you will encounter organic Dexter meat from Dingle.

In fact, the 'Dexter Dingle' itself will be at the Killarney market – a van modeled on the railway carriages that brought cattle along the Dingle Tralee railway line once a month in the 50s, after the line itself was closed to passengers.

Kerry County Vet Paddy Fenton is one of the six Dexter farmers involved in a profit share with this this venture, which received supports from the Department's Organic Unit.

All are organic or in conversion: Sean Dineen, Helen Mcguire and Steve Collins are all based in the south west, while two others are from further afield - John O Neill of Kilkenny and Diarmuid O Liatháin of Westmeath.

Fenton's Ventry farm is, despite the altitude of most of the Dingle Peninsula “good fattening land. We are a bit exposed to south westerlies. There is some good land along here, we have mountain but the bit between the mountain and sea is good.”

Dexters most likely are derived from the Black Irish Cattle of the Celts. According to the Dexter Cattle Society, an 1845 report states that a Tipperary-based “Mr Dexter had produced his curious breed by selection from the best of the hardy mountain cattle of the area, and to have succeeded to a very high degree”.

What Dexters loose in size – they are, literally, hip height - they more than make up for in numerous other ways. For one thing, their good meat to bone ratio allows for a killing-out percentage of over 56%.

Fenton's 40 diminutive Dexter cows and followers are all out at the moment, as they are hardy animals especially suited to Irish Winters. They also “don't cut up the land” according to Fenton, who also adds that they are every low in inputs.

As well as his home farm, Fenton is involved in a conservation grazing programme on the southern slopes of Mount Brandon, with Geraldine Swanley-Stein of the IT Tralee.

The study investigates the effect of cattle grazing on biodiversity, so a baseline sample of the grasses has been taken already. One of the aims of the initiative is to keep purple moor grass under control while increasing biodiversity through a well managed grazing regime.

Then there is the meat itself. As a selling point, Dexter beef's flavour is something to savour. “the meat has a unique and peculiar taste – its like a strong gamey beef crossed with Venison. Its Ireland's Kobi really”, he claims. The levels of marbling in the meat have also been commented upon by many aficionados.

Indeed, Dexter is the meat of choice for many of the highest end chefs around, featuring as the main course winning dish on the Great British Menu in 2008, and the Northern Irish regional award in 2009.

Initially, the meat was sold at the Dingle farmers' market. Demand was very strong, but margins were not good enough to justify the costs, especially with the small carcass size of the Dexters.

Hot food is where its at, profit-wise. So, “we sold steak sandwiches and beef burgers at the Dingle Food Festival last year, and it went really well. The next step was to bring it on, to add value, and a burger bar was the way to go” Fenton says.

And thus was born the Dingle Dexter railway carriage style catering van, as seen this year at the Listowel Races, Dingle Food Festival and the farmers' market in Killarney. Fenton hopes to return to the Dingle Farmers' Market in April of next year, and is also currently supplying some eateries in Dingle town, including Fenton's restaurant.

What's more, there is a business opportunity for a budding organic entrepreneur: “We're looking for a partner to run the burger van, a committed organic person. We'd like to set them up to run the van on profit share with us.”

Q&A WITH IOFGA'S NEW GENERAL MANAGER

2011-12-05T22:24:00.002Z

Gillain Westbrook, formerly of the ICSA (Irish Cattle and Sheep Association) takes up a new position as general manager of IOFGA.

(See here for the first piece on this)

I asked for her views on the state of the organic sector in Ireland. “I think there is so much potential to grow. CAP reform should offer a lot of opportunities for cereals and horticulture”. This is because, according to Westbrook, it is likely that the payments based on livestock units in a reference year will be replaced by a per hectare flat rate payment. In that context, operators will be rewarded as much for growing as for rearing.

She points out that “this will still be limited in Ireland: exports of livestock are important. However mixed farm approaches may become more popular with the CAP reform. The allowance for partial conversions of holdings to organic should add to this. At present, there are only about 5000 ha of field crops grown in both conventional and organic combined, excluding potatoes.”

She is keen to look to the recent success of countries like France, where very significant growth has occurred.

“France has had 32% market growth in 2 years. They have 300 organic farms converting per month. And the reason for this is policy changes, public procurement in particular.” Their aims are impressive: to have 8 out of 10 public restaurants in France serving regional organic food. “This sends a signal to farmers that its worth considering converting. In Ireland, E100 million worth of ingredients per year go into public procurement.”

Just how organic public procurement has become a policy issue in France is very interesting. “They've legislated for it. Basically, there are EU targets for sustainable production, and the goalposts keep changing. So they've decided – 'let's just go organic'.”

The CAP Greening reference pieces are the Water Frameworks and Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directives, both areas organic farming suits.

In EU policy terms, then, organic acts as a sustainability guarantee. This is evidenced by the recent EU Commission CAP statement that organic “is shown to provide clear ecological benefit”.

Some problems are the same for both organic and conventional: “The lack of processors is an issue for both,” according to Westbrook. “The market dominance of the retail sector effects everyone too.”

That's another difference between France and Ireland: 30-40% of food goes through independent retailers.

There are also opportunities to use marketing standards, such as the PDO and PGI. “The

organic sector is not not making most of these. PGI type systems encourage networks of people, including processors. If you look at some of the regions that are PGI: organic producers and PGI can have strong links” she says, pointing to the Emilia Romagna region in Italy as a prominent example. “There are 35000 organic producers in that region, some very small. They make entire products there, in the region, and retain profits.”

“If beef production goes up by 20%, the price might come down. So adding some added value into the mix makes sense” Westbrooke states. And in general, value adding on the island keeps more product-related profits in Ireland too. “This still leaves space for good quality product as commodities” she points out “and it keeps the price up for them too”.

She cited an example from when she worked in Herfordshire. There, “farmers developed mixed enterprises on what were originally single product farms: orchards were planted that led to cider micro breweries, which in turn led to food trails in and around rural villages”, where more local producers were enrolled into the tourism offering.

Pulling some of these ideas together, imagine this scenario: meso as well as micro on-farm breweries emerging post CAP reform, in organic and conventional. Farmers growing their own hops and orchards on a larger scale making their own regionally specific beers, for tourists to enjoy. A tasty proposition indeed.

BIODIVERSITY: ITS WORTH A BIT...

2011-11-29T14:13:00.003Z

See here for a great report, full of useful references on biodiversity (from the Science magazine September 2010)

Sometimes it seems nature is not especially valued. How often have complaints been heard about frogs or snails halting progress, or the unproductively of land not exploited to the fullest?

But nature is also biodiversity – the variety of life in all its forms on earth. So what is biodiversity worth?

In the first instance, there is no life without it – to call that valuable is an obvious understatement. Without the various taxa of soil microorganisms, producing food would not be possible. Our food varieties, and future food advancements, come from biodiversity: up to 1/3 of all pollinated plants are pollinated by bees.

And while there has always been biodiversity loss throughout human history, the rate of loss at present is thought to be between 1000 and 10,000 times the natural extinction rate.

In Europe, “Populations of farmland birds in Europe, which indicate the health of the ecosystem as a whole, have declined by almost 50% in the past 25 years” according to Birdlife International.

In Ireland, biodiversity loss is also occurring: “conventional crop cultivation has had an adverse impact on biodiversity on Irish farms, with 15 of the 21 studies demonstrating negative trends for the taxa investigated” according to O' Brien 2008. (Note: this is all available studies on this topic in Ireland)

Dr Gordon Purvis, who led the five-year Ag-Biota project on biodiversity and farming in Ireland found that “while bumblebees as a group are still readily found on typical farmland, our findings reveal that their abundance and diversity on moderately-to-intensively managed farmland may have declined by at least 50 per cent over the past 20-30 years.”

But in crude cash terms, what is biodiversity worth? Recent estimates (Welzel and Hardt 2009) claim that the economic value of benefits from biodiverse natural ecosystems may be 10 to 100 times the cost of maintaining them. The value of biodiversity to the economy is typically worth almost twice the global GNP. A much cited peer-reviewed figure puts this at $33 trillion annually, but this figure dates from 1997. With inflation and other factors, this is now inevitably higher.

A recent UK report, The National Ecosystem Assessment, tried to put a monetary value on biodiversity services. It put the value of just living near a green space at £300 per year.

Basic services biodiversity provides includes material goods (for example, food, timber, medicines, and fiber), underpinning functions (flood control, climate regulation, and nutrient cycling), and non-material benefits such as recreation. Biodiversity can contribute to agriculture through pollination and pest control, provide carbon storage and sequestration, and positively affect human physical and mental health.

Medicine as we know it today has biodiversity to thank numerous remedies: aspirin for pain relief (from meadowsweet), penicillin for antibiotics (from the pencillium fungi), digitoxin for cardiac treatment (from common foxglove), L-dopa for Parkinson's disease (from velvet bean), taxol for ovarian cancer (from the Pacific yew), and quinine for malaria (from yellow cinchona).

Even something as simple as seaweed can lead to numerous everyday items, from plastics, paints and polishes to deodorants, detergents and dyes.

NEW IOFGA GENERAL MANAGER: ICSA'S GILLIAN WESTBROOK

2011-11-27T18:17:00.003Z

Gillian Westbrook is the new general manager of the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association, IOFGA. This position will mainly involve strategic planning, managing and organisation on behalf of IOFGA.

(Pic (c) IOFGA: Dr. Sinead Neiland,Ciaran Cuffe Grace Maher, Gillian Westbrook, and Gabriel Gilmartin (ICSA at Portumna organic week event 2010)

In particular, this will include policy and strategy implementation, certification management, communication, members services, and more general financial, office and people management.

Westbrook was previously executive research officer with the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmer’s Association (ICSA), a role she took up in 2008.

The county Down native has also worked for Supermacs as their senior food safety manager, and in Herefordshire Trading Standards in the industry food sector.

While working for the ICSA, she was also on the Board of IOFGA. During that time, she spearheaded an organic food public procurement initiative with the Marine Institute in Galway.

Of the main farming organisations, the ICSA have always been the more amenable to organic farming. Indeed one its founder members, Pat Lalor, is one of the leading lights in the organic sector. His Teagasc organic demonstration farm walks are considered by many to be an opportunity to experience one of the best exemplars of organic farming in Ireland.

By comparison, the IFA and ICMSA are either indifferent or hostile towards organic. Occasional blips, such as the head of the Cavan IFA being an organic farmer occur, but this is rare.

Westbrook has been favourable towards organic or organic interests during her time with the ICSA. In 2010, she was part of an ICSA delegation to the (Genetic Modification) GM free regions Conference on Animal Feed Labelling in Brussels. The ICSA have also been the least favourable of the main farming organisations towards GM.

Indeed the 2010 consultation paper produced by the ICSA, “Consultation on the Socio-economic

Implications of the placing on the market of GMOs for cultivation,” stated the following:

“From a purely Irish perspective, ICSA does not support GMOs for cultivation. We are concerned that the cultivation of GMOs marks an irreversible decision, which has implications for our export markets, our green image as well as our green collar job strategy and our organic strategy. This is not a stand against science but quite the opposite; it is because we understand agri-science and the potential negative commercial implications of GM cultivation that we oppose the release of GMOs into our natural environment.

The consequence of Irish GM cultivation has far reaching economic and social effects; ICSA firmly believes the negative aspects outweigh the positive.”

The 2008 Climate Change submission by ICSA was largely positive about the benefits of organic farming in terms of soil fertility, partial reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and fossil fuel use, though it did also state that “ even a significant increase in organic farming across the entire EU would have a limited effect and must be also balanced by the need to at least maintain food production in the interests of food security.”

There are significant challenges Westbrook and IOFGA will face. While the number of organic farmers continues to grow from a small base, the rate of increase is slowing down. CAP reform may work out well for organic farming, but the situation is still unclear. Recession is hitting all aspects of the economy, including organic food. Evidence from the UK, Ireland's biggest export market for organic food, is mixed.

Her background in beef and sheep should please the majority of IOFGA members, as livestock farmers makes up the vast majority of members of the organisation.

Interestingly, IOFGA now display quite a level of reverse gender discrimination in key positions: this includes 5/7 of its Board, its Development Officer, Magazine Editor, Certification Manager, Office Staff and now General Manager. Indeed all the speakers at their recent conference were female, apart from Junior Minister McEntee, who's gender IOFGA have no control over.

We will address some of these issues, as well as her vision for the organisation, in an upcoming interview.

ORGANIC OUTPERFORMS CONVENTIONAL: FACT!

2011-11-15T18:37:00.004Z

Economic performance is higher on organic farms than on conventional farms. That's according to research presented by Teagasc's Dan Clavin and Brian Moran at the recent Teagasc organic conference.

Clavin and Moran point out that direct costs are 53 per-cent/ha lower, and farm family income is 30 per-cent/ha higher, on organic farms. Organic farms also have a more viable socio-economic profile, whilst the Greening of CAP and phased in “flat rate payments” may also benefit

organic farmers.

(photo: (c) oliver moore fab snap of a veg the name of which I forget...)

These are some of the key “take home messages” from the presentation.

14 organic and 507 conventional cattle farms were examined in 2010 for this study. The organic farms were larger - 55 ha compared to 32 ha on average. A significant difference was the per cent in forestry on the organic farms: 12.5 vs 2.5 per cent. Stocking rate was inevitably a little lower on the organic holdings – 0.91 vs 1.18 lu/ha.

Mining deeper into the data, the future looks quite bright for organic farmers: in key areas, the organic model seems robust. While there was little difference in direct payment rates, less of the overall organic farmers' payments came from the Single Farm Payment – important with CAP reform in mind. That said, the high per cent of organic farmer payments that were REPS and Organic Farming Scheme payments is a worry, with cutbacks in motion and signaled for both respectively.

However, the proportion of direct payments retained as income is significantly higher on organic farms – 71% as opposed to 57%.

In another key area direct costs were lower on organic farms: 53% lower overall, a figure very much reflected in the organic farmers' lower overall spend on concentrates and winter forage.

Feed costs will most likely maintain their inexorable rise upwards, notwithstanding occasional blips, as producing feed is fundamentally an energy-intensive practice. Global wheat prices, though lower than the 2008 peak, increased by about 70% in the last year, spurred on by speculative hording by companies operating on commodity markets.

For example, it was reported in August that one company, Frontier Agriculture, bought a month's worth of the entire UK wheat supply earlier in the year.

While organic farmers are of course effected by this sort of volatility, and while organic feed itself is of course more expensive 'pound for pound', the figures presented by Clavin and Moran suggest that organic farmers are in a slightly more secure position: they spend a lower overall proportion of their cash on concentrates.

Socio-economically, organic farmers were slightly younger, more likely to be married and have spouses with an off-farm income.

Taking all the data together, it was found that organic farms were more economically viable: just 14% were classed as vulnerable, compared to 42% of conventional farms.

As with all research, there are limitations.14 is a small number of organic farms for the study. Moreover, the fact that 7 of the organic farms were demonstration farms might skew the data towards better performing organic farms.

The researchers used 2010 Teagasc National Farm Survey data, which is quite recent. But the terrain is fast changing: prices achieved conventionally are rising, almost matching organic in cattle and sometimes surpassing organic in Summer milk.

John Purcell of organic processors the Good Herdsman, however, remains upbeat. “Organic cattle prices are on a par with the UK” he points out.

While he “discusses trends but not price” twice a week with cattle buyers from Slaney and AIBP, and regularly with John Brennan, he refutes the notion that there is a lack of competition in the Irish market. “Even the AIBP factories compete with each other on price” he tells me.

And on the current prices, he stated: “4E off grass is better than E4.40 out of a shed”, adding that while normally prices go down 20c a KG in September, this year they have remained stable.

Having made investments at the Good Herdsman plant, and developed new export markets, his main concern is that organic cattle stay in the organic system at the upcoming organic cattle marts.

Here is the research paper.

NEW ORGANIC HORTICULTURE TRAINING PROGRAMME

2011-11-13T21:17:00.002Z

A new third level course in Organic Horticulture has been announced. Shane McEntee TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for organic farming and food, has welcomed plans by UCC to develop an outreach third-level programme in Organic Horticultural Crop Production on an estate in West Cork.

(PHOTO: Liss Ard Minister’s visit (L to R) Professor Jones of UCC, Minister of State of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Shane McEntee TD and Roman Stern, owner of Liss Ard estate, Skibberreen, county Cork.)

The proposed MSc in Organic Horticultural Crop Production is expected to be accredited and supported by UCC through the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, which was established in May, 2010.

On a visit to the Liss Ard Estate in the Skibbereen area of West Cork the Minister of State welcomed the proposed course as "a positive step towards providing the levels of expertise needed to develop the organic horticulture sector in Ireland to its full potential".

"The proposed course is scheduled to commence in September, 2012. Initially, an annual intake of 15 students is envisaged," the Minister said.

This MSc programme would be accredited and supported by UCC through the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences .The School was established in May 2010 and is composed of the academic disciplines of Geology, Environmental Science, Zoology, Ecology and Plant Science, which are based on a single site in the North Mall Campus.

Current research in the School which would be of particularly relevance to organic horticulture include the use of seaweed extracts for increasing crop yield and disease resistance, plant breeding, biological control of crop pests, optimisation of vermicomposting, use of constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment and the use in horticulture of waste streams like shellfish waste, wood ash and potato peel.

The research project element of the MSc programme and the involvement of UCC School of BEES could allow Liss Ard to develop into the first Organic Horticultural Crop Research Centre in Ireland, providing a steady stream of research results of direct relevance to organic growing.

I spoke to IOFGA's development officer Grace Maher about this development: “I would welcome this announcement to develop an Msc in Organic Horticulture as it will lead to more professional organic growers in Ireland. However I would also stress that there is an obvious gap between a qualification at level 6 (which is the highest level currently) and postgraduate level. We need to ensure that a degree is also introduced. I hope that the partnership between Lisard and UCC is a fruitful one”.

She also points out that “It is also essential that a Horticultural Advisor is appointed to provide continued support to professional growers.”

For more see here

PESTICIDE DRIFT, RESIDENTS AND WORKERS

2011-11-09T09:14:00.001Z

How safe is the use of agricultural pesticides for rural communities and farm labourers? A recently published report aims to shed some light on this topic.

(PHOTO: aerial spraying of forestry)

The study: Acute Pesticide Illnesses Associated with Off-Target Pesticide Drift from Agricultural Applications: 11 States, 1998-2006, was published in the August 2011 edition of peer reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

It is the first comprehensive report of drift-related pesticide poisoning - that's “the off-target movement of pesticides” - in the United States.

The authors' (Lee et al 2011) aim was make the use of pesticides safer: “Better understanding about the magnitude, trend, and characteristics of pesticide poisoning from drift exposure of agricultural pesticides would assist regulatory authorities with regulatory, enforcement, and education efforts”

Many factors are at play when considering pesticide drift: the nature of the pesticide (e.g. fumigants are highly volatile, increasing their propensity for off-site movement); equipment and application techniques (e.g. size and height of the spray nozzles); the amount of pesticides applied, weather

(e.g., wind speed, temperature inversion), and operator care.

From 1998 through 2006, the researchers identified 643 events and 2,945 illness cases associated with pesticide drift from agricultural applications. Of these cases, 66% were exposed to category 1, or highly toxic, pesticides. Despite the high toxicity levels, 92% of cases involved low-severity illness.

The aforementioned volatility of fumigants meant that, while only 8% of drift events involved fumigants, they were involved in the largest percentage of cases, at 45%. However compared with fumigants, exposures to herbicides, insecticides, or multiple classes were significantly associated with moderate/high illness.

Just over half of the cases were nonoccupational. This means that they were not on the farm directly but in the locale. Residents in agriculture-intensive regions have a 69 times higher risk of pesticide poisoning from drift exposure compared with other regions. Common exposure locations were private residences at 44%, which was the most common. Moderate/high severity illness was significantly associated with females, older age groups, and exposure to multiple active ingredients. Among nonoccupational cases, children under 15 years of age accounted for 33% of cases with known age, and showed the highest rate.

The details of how the pesticide drift actually occurs is very revealing. Often we hear that if used according to the instructors guidelines, pesticides are safe. However, in the real world of examining actual cases of pesticide drift, a very clear picture emerges from the fog, as it were.

48% of all cases, where adequate information on the drift violation itself was available, found operator carelessness to be the cause. To quote directly; “Common contributing factors identified for drift events included applicators’ carelessness near/over non-target sites (e.g., flew over a house, did not turn off a nozzle at the end of the row), unfavorable weather conditions (e.g., high wind speed, temperature inversion), and poor communication between applicators/growers and others. Improper seal of the fumigation site (e.g., tarp tear, early removal of seal)....accounted for the largest proportion (60%) of cases with contributing factors identified.”

The largest number of nonoccupational cases happened between .25 and .5 of a mile (35.2%) away from site of application: however even at over 1 mile, the category with the furthest distance for nonoccupational cases, 15.2% of cases occurred.

The rate of poisoning from pesticide drift was 69 times higher for residents in five agriculture-intensive California counties compared with other counties, and the rate of occupationally exposed cases was 145 times greater in agricultural workers than in nonagricultural workers.

The unfortunate thing is, of course, that much of this need not happen: “These poisonings may largely be preventable through proper prevention measures and compliance with pesticide regulations” according to the authors.

There are, as always limitations to these findings. However, this time most of these limitations provide cold comfort: “our findings likely underestimate the actual magnitude of drift events and cases” state the authors, who go on to explain the ways in which underestimation occurs, such as underreporting or misdiagnoses.

There is only so much 'transferability' of this kind of research to other countries. One thing is clear, however: operator care is crucial in handling pesticides.

CAP REFORM WELCOMED BY ORGANIC MOVEMENT

2011-10-29T21:38:00.003+01:00

Before I start with this, have a look here when you get a chance. it's my most recent contribution to Glenisk's newsletter. this time its on pesticides...and Halloween.

The Organic Farming community has broadly welcomed the announcements on CAP Reform presented by the EU Commission.

The proposal suggests that organic farmers will automatically be eligible for the direct payments for the Greening aspects of CAP without without having to fulfill additional requirements.

Grace Maher, Development Officer with IOFGA, the Irish Farmers and Growers Association:

“For the first time organic farmers are being recognised for their contribution to environmentally sustainable food production initially by the fact that they will be granted automatic access to the greening aspect of CAP.”

The Soil Association, the UK's largest organic certification body, were also happy with this aspect of the announcement : “We strongly support the compulsory 30% allocation of Pillar 1 payments to benefit the climate and the environment. We welcome the decision that certified organic farmers will be automatically eligible for this payment, without additional requirements, because, in the Commission's words "they are shown to provide clear ecological benefit".”

While the conventional farming lobby has expressed exacerbation at this 30% allocation in Pillar One, environmental groups claim that 30% does not go far enough:

World Wildlife Fund leader on the CAP reform Matthias Meissner said: “Agriculture is the biggest driver of biodiversity loss and water pollution in Europe. The current proposal should link not just 30 per cent but a total 100 per cent of direct payments to greening measures.”

I spoke to Roger Waite of the EU Commission about how the announcement might impact upon organic farmers.

“The possibility for Member States to introduce support to areas with specific natural constraints in the 1st Pillar should benefit organic farms in particular as they are more likely to be located in disadvantaged rural areas.”

He also suggested that the “move towards a flat-rate per hectare throughout the EU-27 will tend to help more extensive rather than intensive production... higher level of permanent grassland in the organic sector (47.1% compared to 30.3% for conventional agriculture) shows that more extensive production systems are usually employed in this type of production.”

There is also a demographic element: “Young farmers can benefit from specific support during the first five years after setting up their farming business. This should benefit organic farming more where the share of young farmers is higher than average.”

In Ireland, the average age of organic farmers is six years lower than conventional farmers.

Under Rural Development, having organic farming as a separate, specific measure was also broadly welcomed by the Organic sector.

According to IOFGA, however, this will only be worthwhile if Ireland ensures “that appropriate structures are put in place to encourage farmers to look seriously at the organic option as a sustainable option both economically and environmentally. As more farmers turn to organic farming in Europe we need to ensure that this is also the case in Ireland so that the demand for organic food in Ireland is met by production levels here.”

Roger Waite of the EU Commission also pointed out that “The reform recommends that Member States put at least 25% of RD funds on agri-environment and climate, Less Favoured Area and organic.”

He continued: “Other Rural Development measures, whilst not specific to organic farming, will be of interest, for instance support for training and exchange schemes through the Knowledge Transfer measure and support for Investment in Physical Assets, which offers higher support rates for young farmers and for investments in areas facing natural constraints.”

How these direct and indirect supports will work out economically is yet unknown.

It has been suggested that a 30 percent increase for greening would be count as E81 per hectare. However it is still unclear whether this will bring people up to E270 or whether it is additional to the E270.

The stand alone scheme, it has been suggested, would be in line with agri-environmental schemes so that's an average E6000 per person.

All told, this is just a staging post on a long drawn out discussion. But promising nonetheless for the organic movement.

UK ORGANIC MARKET: TOUGH TIMES

2011-10-25T13:08:00.003+01:00

Organic food sales are under pressure in our biggest market, the UK.

In most of the rest of Europe, organic markets are growing, and Irish export focus has increasingly shifted over to the mainland of the EU.

(Pic: Nic Lampkin one of the stalwarts of organic farming

research since his seminal 1990 publication Organic Farming)

Nevertheless the UK remains an important export avenue for Irish organic produce. It is also the case that research shows the UK consumer considers Irish food to be the equivalent of regional food, in other words, food from Scotland or Wales. While politically this might annoy some people, most food producers would see it as a distinct advantage.

So just what is the current situation for organics in the UK, and how does this compare to the rest of Europe? Nic Lampkin and Susan Padel's paper, presented at the Teagasc Organic conference, considered this topic.

The research presented suggested that the media had partially fallen out of love with organic in the UK. Retailers also 'jumped the gun' on consumers, getting cold feet and withdrawing products without sufficient evidence that the consumer did not actually want organic food.

Their research highlighted a Kantar Worldpanel report, outlining a loss of £300m in the size of the UK organic market from pre to post recession. Sectors vary in their resilience. For example, baby food has boomed through the recession with a 16% growth in the value of sales recorded. Importantly for Irish producers, some dairy and meat products did well also: yoghurt up by 5%, fresh beef up by 3.8% and butter up by 2.6%.

Significant declines were recorded in fruit (11%) while other products relevant to Irish producers - milk cheese and lamb – also declined, by 5.8, 3.4 and 3.3% respectively.

However, the rate of decline has been slowing down, month by month in steady progression, from an absolute peak in early November 2009, according to the Kantar research.

Different retail outlets have also behaved differently: Waitrose increased their organic sales, whilst all other major retailers reduced theirs.

(Indeed, it was reported in the UK media that Waitrose simply hovered up consumers who wanted organic food. These consumers were misread as being unlikely to choose organic by the category buyers for Tesco, Asda et al.) Waitrose also significantly increased their own brand organic sales by 16%.

Market segments seem to be sharpening in the UK. 62% of organic buyers account for only 12% of spend, while 8% of organic buyers represent 54% of money spent on organics.

In other words, a small dedicated group is purchasing over half of all the organic food in the UK. Indeed, those categorised as regular or committed account for over 80% of all organic sales in the UK, whereas occasional buyers only account for 2%. The former have what Lampkin described as a “missionary zeal” around organic, tend to be higher educated, middle class and strong believers in the merits of organic food.

A worry for the organic sector in the UK is that premium has recovered somewhat, whereas organic is only now approaching a point of stabilization.

Lampkin also analysed key producer issues. For beef, supply shortages are now a real threat, potentially leading to retail unavailability. For lamb, high conventional prices have created a floor to organic prices, with many lambs sold as conventional. However but supermarkets are still charging significant premiums. Spring shortages are also an issue.

Researchers suggest numerous issues when compared organic in the UK with the rest of the EU: perception of elitism, a lack of recognition of environmental and other public good benefits; competition from other ethical markers; and in particular lack of consumer understanding of the organic message.

To this end, industry got together and established their own Organic Trade Board, and in particular the EU funded “Why I love Organic” campaign.

From an Irish perspective, the take home messages are: some opportunities in beef and lamb to the UK; benefits in mainland EU market development; benefits in broad but clear organic promotional campaign.

HOW TO USE AWARDS PART 2: JUST FOOD

2011-10-14T12:37:00.003+01:00

Here's part two of the awards' series. Part one is here

One organic food company who have done well over the years in the Blas na hEireann, the Irish Food Awards, is Midelton's Just Food.

(pic courtesy of the one and only Cork Billy)

“Winning at Blas na hEireann has been of enormous benefit to us. It helped a lot going into the buyers in the multiples” according to Deirdre Hillard of the Midelton-based company.

“We got gold medals 3 years in a row in blas. The fact that its a blind tasting really adds to the validity when your approaching someone. I was coming from being a small local producer delivering a weird looking soup to stores - it was like 'this one down from the mountains with her knitted hat'. But being able to say that this soup, in a blind tasting by experts, won the top national prize really helped. And the medal winning soups are now our best sellers,” says Hillard, who's company employs 10 and has a turnover of E1.2 million. Not bad for a knitted hat mountain woman.

“This year we have sought and achieved local listings with Dunnes, Superquinn and Tesco: winning the Blas na hEireann awards was a core part of our presentations to each client, and I have no doubt these awards helped us secure all of the listings.”

She continues “I personally do in store tastings on a very regular basis and new customers more often than not tend to choose the product varieties that have award stickers displayed - the stickers are definitely positively received.”

But its not just Blas na hEireann. Just Food have won other awards and, importantly, made direct use of them: “We won a branding award [the Brand Bursary] last year and it was just fantastic for us. Vard Partnership, the food and drink branding company, ran a competition with a prize of E10,000 of packaging and design work for a food and drink company in Ireland. We won, based on our products and our need for good packaging. Our old black and white labels meant we weren't taken seriously by multiples.”

There was another problem: “We were invisible to the customer when we were on the shelves. I would sometimes do a tasting in stores that had our products for 3 years and people, who loved the soup when they tasted it in the store, hadn't actually seen it before. Now, you can see it, the cardboard sleeve helped us stand out. This award has definitely upped our sales, made supermarkets like Tescos and Dunnes look at us more.”

I asked her was it hard to change a look she'd had for so long? “It was actually, we were attached to the old label, emotionally. We felt we were throwing away an unruly child. Some customers gave out, said it was gone corporate.”

All told, however, she's happy with the new look. What's more, “because the branding award was a specific and practical award, it really helped. We got a new design, new tub, new cardboard sleeve. It meant we could express the personality of product. Otherwise I might have just gone off and spent the money on a piece of machinery or something, which wouldn't have done as much for us as a company.”

As we saw last posting with the National Organic Awards, awards, it seems, are what you make of them. Some companies ignore them altogether and don't enter; others get them and do little with them; and a few use the awards to help their products sing like sirens. And with a national and gobal economy in such a mess, who wouldn't set off the sirens given half a chance?

TEAGASC ORGANIC CONFERENCE 2011

2011-10-05T16:21:00.003+01:00

A recent Teagasc Organic Conference, held in the very apt Limerick junction (which is on the trainline), had plenty of presentations worth finding out about.

So, have a look here to see them, including presentations on:

economic performance of individual farms, and the overall sector.
animal health.
case studies from Beal, Crowes and Horizon.

Economic presentation included one by Nic Lampkin now of the Organic Research Centre, Elm Park.

AWARDS - ARE THEY WORTH IT?

2011-10-02T23:24:00.002+01:00

The national organic awards were part of a busy organic week, which ran from the 12th to the 18th September.

Partnership with TV3 certainly increased the profile of the week this year, as did the appearance of the winner of the awards, Kitty Colchester, on the Six one news.

(Picture: Tweeter extraordinaire, Anthony Cresswell of Ummera)

Her Happy Heart organic garlic flavour Irish rapeseed oil is a step up from last year's already excellent plain organic rapeseed oil. Grown and processed on her family's Kilkenny farm, a farm that's been organic since 1976, the bottle itself was slightly problematic last year. The new bottle style has been vastly improved, and the oil-with-garlic blend tastes superb.

And if there's one thing that makes organic rapeseed oil even healthier, then its organic garlic.

I was one of the judges for the awards, along with Evan Doyle (Brooklodge hotel) Miah Buckley (Musgraves) Darren Grant (Organic Supermarket) Noel Groome (Foras Organach) and chair Hugo Arnold (food writer and consultant).

My third year as a judge, there were a number of things that stood out this year. There was an excellent range of horticulture was on display this year. The organic apples from Richard Galvin's Clashgarry farm in Waterford are a great new addition to the range of organic foods available. Really bright, firm and crisp, his are great eating apples.

There were a larger number of products this year, though not a huge number of new producers entered. In fact the same companies enter each year. There are numerous producers out there who have never bothered to enter, despite how great their food or drink is.

Some media savvy producers with great products make the most of their awards, both category winners and commended.

I spoke to some of these producers about how they best use their awards.

“You have to make something out of any of the awards you get. Lots of people don't make the most of them: my philosophy is that you may as well shout about it.”

That's according to Anthony Creswell of Ummera Smokehouse. Creswell is no stranger to awards, and when he gets one, true to his word, you hear about it.

In fact, he often tweets (i.e. sends a short internet text message) to his ever-rising number of followers (1368 last time I checked) from an awards ceremony, so you know he's received a prize before the official press release comes out.

Ummera, Crowes Meats and Dee's burgers all tweeted from the National Organic Awards ceremony about their awards this year, before the official press release came out. Interestingly, only Crowes was a category winner – for their organic back rashers in the best Fresh Meat product category. The others were commended,yet they made a useful noise.

Mary Morrissey of Bord Bia organised the National Organic Awards:

“We always encourage people to keep their winning logos visible and up to date. Some companies are better than others at doing this, but its up to them to make the most of it. That said, companies are getting a lot better at promoting themselves with these awards.”

Ros O' Shaughnessy, communications manager with Bord Bia adds: “We build publicity over 6 to 8 weeks for winners of the National Organic Awards. These awards are part of the Organic Week package, so the awards give the media a different hook for the week ”.

Last year's winner of the Organic awards, Ralph Haslam of Mossfield Cheese, also got a Six One appearance when he won. “The awards have made people aware of what we're at. We'd an awful lot of new people looking for produce after that” Haslam tells me. “Our sales are up 30%, and its partly because of the awards. But you have to maintain the publicity momentum.”

Awards are what you make of them. And if you are an organic producer, why not enter the Organic Awards next year?

AN ORGANIC COMMUNITY STORE IN MEATH

2011-09-21T11:53:00.003+01:00

The Slane Food Circle's Community Food Store opened last Sunday, 18th September. For more information ring 0872258060 or email shalvanstown@gmail.com . Here's a piece I had in the Irish Examiner on it:

Four years ago, I spoke to Meath organic operator Des Crinion about his business. Back then, I got the impression that he was always one step ahead of the game.

He'd moved from free range egg production to organic, as the cost price squeeze in selling to multiple retailers was making even large egg units difficult to maintain.

He also disliked the lifestyle of large scale free range production: “In work terms, I had to upscale to stay free range. My happiest time was when I was at 500 birds, in two 250 lots. Now I wasn’t makin’ a fortune, but I enjoyed it. When I upscaled to 1750 in each shed, I didn’t like it as much.”

The same process that happened with free range eggs happened with organic eggs: upscale to survive and compete with larger and larger operators in the Discounters.

Des Crinion's own farm is 35 acres. Now, he has diversified again. So along with 320 hens reared from day olds, he milks both sheep and goats to make cheeses and ice cream. These include occasional bespoke ice creams for events. “I grow my own fruit, so can make gooseberry ice cream: I've also made gooseberry and ouzo ice cream for birthdays”.

But there's more innovation. Des has, along with local organic beef and lamb producer, John McDonnell, developed a Community Food Store.

This not for profit retail outlet is on his own land, and is a thought provoking way to make organic affordable for consumers while also viable for producers. The trick is that the retial element is not for profit, but the producers of course are. “We want local people to get our food 15-20% cheaper than in the supermarkets. Its all local jobs that are being supported.”

There is a community element to all of this work: “If you want to have a thriving community you have to be part of it; you have to contribute; this is how we are contributing”.

The local transition towns movement, a globally focused community and sustainability initiative, have helped out with some of the process and paperwork involved in establishing the Community Food Store - “and they have done it for produce only – not for cash” he points out.

The unit is kitted out to a high spec, so much so that the local EHO was very supportive, according to Crinion. Launching this Sunday, 18th September, the Community Food Store will then open on Fridays and Saturday weekly. There are plans to run box schemes and supply local restaurants. Already the garden centre next door is both supportive and involved, and a local butcher in Donabate is cutting the meat to their preferences.

“We are all still farmers, so we need time to farm!” he tells me. The farmers will rotate who stays in-store to deal with the customers. This seems like a workable compromise, as the customer will always have a farmer to deal with who knows the produce, staffing costs are kept down, and the farmers time is not all taken up with retail.

Already, other local producers have gotten involved. Des has leased five of his eight polytunnels to a local grower to produce organic vegetables; producers of pork, sourdough bread and coffee roasters are also participating.

“Once what they are doing fits in with the overall ethos of the place, we'll welcome people in” he tells me. “We want to really reduce costs for the shoppers, so we'd be encouraging people to minimise fancy packaging, but still retain the necessary information on the labels”.

Interestingly, all involved are certified organic. While this was never a prerequisite, as so often is the case, organic producers tend to try work work co-operatively. Or, in this case, with co-opetition: a healthy blend of sharing some areas and competing in other areas.

The Slane Food Circle's Community Food Store opens Sunday, 18th September. For more information ring 0872258060 or email shalvanstown@gmail.com

READ ALL ABOUT IT! ORGANIC WEEK PLACES AND PEOPLE... AND PESTICIDES.

2011-09-15T20:48:00.004+01:00

A few other places you can find my stuff this Organic Week:

Here's on on that old favourite topic of mine, pesticides, on the organic supermarket website. I'm all fun and fluff me.

Here's an introductory how to start buying organic on the Glenisk page

And if you are a horticulturalist who'd like to teach, here's an interesting opening (pardon the pun!)

Don't forget there are things on all week for organic week: Below is some info on 2 upcomings in the south west this weekend....

Beal Organic Farm Asdee, near Listowel, Kerry. 17th September 2-6 PM 068 41137. This farm is run by the literally irrepressible Kate Carmody. Famous for getting supported from Bobby Kerr and Niall O Farrell on Dragon's Den last year, Beal organic cheese has gone from strength to strength since then. The farm itself is 66 acres, along with another 31 rented. “ We'll have a celebration of Irish organic food” Carmody tells me.

“ We've quite a diverse, mixed farm. Along with the cheese making on farm, we have 20 pigs, veg, dairy cows, hens, goats, geese, and guinea hens. There's a nice feel to the place. Last year was a very busy day – this year, we'll do a mini farmers' market and generally have a party, with cheese, wine, we're encouraging people to bring an organic picnic, and we'll have plenty of distractions for the kids.”

The farm itself is very pretty: “we have 2 orchards, a couple of ponds and there's a walk down to the beach through a wetland from the farm”. Last year about 400 visited Beal, “including my two pet Dragon's - hopefully we'll have them again this year” she hints. Kate assures me that “there's a marque in case it rains - it has been known to rain in Kerry”

Gortbrack organic farm at Ballyseedy near Tralee.17th September 12-4PM

087 9246968 or 066 7137042. A veritable biodiversity haven, Ian McGregor's 9 acre farm sits on top of a Kerry hill. “20 years ago, this was a very exposed bogland farm. We planted 5000 trees to begin with. Now, we have patches of various broadleaf woodlands, fruiting trees, ponds, the organic vegetables, polytunnel crops, and boglands.” The farm is very much orientated towards visitors, decked out as it is with holiday cabins.

Gortbrack also also work with schools and other educators on various environmental projects. While there are plenty of sheltered areas, with the woods and polytunnels, it might make sense to “Bring typical outdoor clothes in case it rains or in case we decide to go onto the bog” Ian tells me.

On the day, the tours will focus on the link between biodiversity and the food we eat, while on site lots of yummy organic food will be cooking for consumption.

Happy Day for Happy Heart Irish Rapeseed Oil

2011-09-12T15:24:00.004+01:00

I was one of the judges on this, which is always a bit of fun. See below for some great products.

And well done Kitty! (That's her in the picture, in a field on the farm in Kilkenny, one of Irlenad's longest running organic farms - organic since 1976)

Happy Day for Happy Heart Irish Rapeseed Oil - Winner of Best Organic Product 2011

100% increase in number of companies entering National Organic Awards 2011 – Bord Bia

Shane McEntee, TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for Food, Horticulture & Food Safety today announced the winners of the National Organic Awards 2011 at an awards ceremony in Bord Bia. The Best Overall Organic Product was awarded to Kitty Colchester from Second Nature Oils, Kilkenny for her Happy Heart Organic Garlic Flavour Irish Rapeseed Oil which wowed the independent judging panel for its amazing taste and the inspiring way in which the product has been developed over the last three years.

2011 marks the fifth year for the National Organic Awards, organised by Bord Bia, and this year saw a 100% increase in the number of companies entering products. A total of 169 individual products were judged with awards given in eight different categories.

(watch RTE clip of Kitty's oil here )

Minister of State Shane McEntee, who presented the awards, took the opportunity to congratulate Bord Bia on the work that they are currently doing within the organic sector, and have now been doing for several years, to help develop it into the future stating, “These awards have now become recognised as being an important and permanent feature of the organic food and drink industry in this country. It is events like this that continue to raise awareness among consumers about what organic food and farming is all about and where they can source organic produce”

Receiving the award Kitty Colchester from Second Nature Oils said “I am really honored to have Happy Heart recognised as a superior organic rapeseed oil product in Ireland. We take great pride in the manufacturing of our fully organic rapeseed oil and the development of the flavoured range was a new departure for us – I’m delighted to see that it has paid off!”

Speaking about the 2011 award entries Eileen Bentley, Manager, Small Business Department, Bord Bia said ‘It was really encouraging to see so many new award entrants which shows the range of organic production in Ireland and the greater availability of organic produce to Irish consumers. We had a 100% increase in the number of companies entering products this year and we were delighted to present awards in eight different categories.”

The overall category winners were as follows:

· Best Overall Organic Product:

Happy Heart Organic Garlic Flavour Irish Rapeseed Oil - From Second Nature Oils , Kilkenny

· Best Organic Confectionery & Baked Goods:

Organic Gluten Free Brownie Mix from Sowan’s Organic Bread Mix Ltd, County Laois

· Best Organic Fruit & Vegetable:

Irish Organic Apples from Clashganny Organic Farm, Waterford

· Best Organic Grocery: Joint Winners:

Happy Heart Organic Garlic Flavour Irish Rapeseed Oil - From Second Nature Oils, Drumeen Farm, Kilkenny Highbank Orchard Syrup from Highbank Orchard, Kilkenny

· Best Organic Dairy:

Glenisk Greek Style Low-Fat Rhubarb Yogurt from Glenisk, Offaly

· Best Organic Prepared Food Product:

Smoked Irish Organic Salmon from Burren Smokehouse, Clare

· Best Organic Fresh Seafood Product:

The Organic Salmon Company Retail Pack from The Organic Salmon Company, Donegal

· Best Organic Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Beverage:

Bloom Mountain Organic Irish Cream Liqueur from First Ireland Spirits Co Ltd, Laois

· Best Organic Fresh Meat Product:

Organic Back Rashers from Crowe’s Farm, Tipperary

The independent judging panel for the 2011 National Organic Awards was chaired by Hugo Arnold, journalist and Food Consultant and included Miah Buckley, Trading Manager Dairy, Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland; Evan Doyle, Proprietor Brooklodge Wells and Spa; Darren Grant, Proprietor, The Organic Supermarket, Blackrock, Co Dublin; Oliver Moore, Journalist, Researcher and Organic Blogger and Noel Groome, Chair Foras Organach.

Speaking about the National Organic Awards, Chairman of the Judging Panel Hugo Arnold said:

“This fifth year of The Organic Awards has, once again, shown considerable progress and innovation in the sector. This is particularly welcome at a time of extreme challenges. Some impressive products were combined with a focus on improved branding – which was not always a strong point in past years. Many brands are clearly gaining momentum and seem to be doing well, demonstrating both longevity and consistency. National Organic Week is a wonderful opportunity to shout loud about the excellent work being done, and is a huge opportunity for anyone considering this route to network and discover the real commitment that lies at the heart of so many excellent products”.

According to the latest organic market research from Kantar, the Irish organic sector is currently valued at €103 million (August 2011). Additional key findings from the research:

92% of Irish consumers purchased organic produce in the last 12 months

Singles, couples and young families are driving the return to growth in organic market

· Organic vegetables, yoghurts, fresh meat, milk, breakfast cereals and snacks have all experienced growth over the last year with organic vegetables accounting for 26% of sales and organic yoghurts accounting for 18.5% of organic sales

A consumer study carried by Behaviour & Attitudes on behalf of Bord Bia in May 2011 found:

· Over 1.5m Irish adults had purchased organic food in the previous week

· 73% of consumers are either very likely or fairly likely to purchase organic food in the future

The following products were Highly Commended:

Organic Fruit & Vegetable

1. Curly Kale from Beechlawn Organic Farm, Galway

2. Rocket from Beechlawn Organic Farm, Galway

3. Tesco Organic Carrots From Leo Dunne Ltd/ Tesco Ireland, Laois

4. Tomatoes from The Organic Centre, Leitrim

Organic Grocery:

Kilbeggan Organic Jumbo Porridge Oats from Kilbeggan Organic Foods, Westmeath

Organic Prepared Food:

1. Organic Omega Burger from Dee’s Wholefoods Ltd, Cork

2. Smoked Organic Salmon from Ummera Smoked Products Ltd, Cork

Organic Seafood Product:

Carrefour Frozen Organic Salmon from The Organic Salmon Company , Donegal

CIVIC PARTICIPATION IN AGRI-FOOD: ITS ON!

2011-09-09T00:46:00.003+01:00

I know i wrote about this recently, but I've a lot more info on it since I attended the ESRS event in Crete a couple of weeks back.Tthere, my working group focused exclusively on CSA-type initiatives.

Consumer-led organic food group purchasing initiatives are growing at a rapid rate in many countries in Europe and beyond. These initiatives involve consumers grouping together to get wholesale prices for very fresh, seasonal, organic produce direct from a farm or farmers.

(picture (c) Oliver Moore: of some of the tomatoes available to the Cloughjordan Community Farm's members in late July)

Farmers get: a guaranteed market; to avoid distributors and retailers; feedback on what to produce and consumers who are willing to share some of the risks of farming (if the harvest is weak, CSA consumers accept less produce but pay the same rate).

An upcoming Soil Association report on CSA’s includes the following data from a survey of CSA’s in the UK: “56% have increased the amount of land managed to organic principles; 55% have planted more hedges and trees; 61% have introduced new wildlife areas.

Many CSA projects contribute greatly to farmland wildlife by growing a wide range of crops and raising rare breeds of livestock. 77% of CSA projects have increased diversity of production on their land.”

The Italian experience is especially revelatory. The organic sector is strong in Italy: 8% of all agricultural land is organic. Direct selling is strong too, with 66,300 direct selling farmers, a number that has increased 61% since 2001.

There are also at least 800 formal and many more informal solidarity purchasing groups. In fact, estimates from researchers who work in this area put the total figure at about 2000, including these informal groups.

The Italian community farming initiative is called GAS – this acronym stands for Solidarity Group Acquisition of food.

One of the interesting things about GAS is that they are designed to make organic food affordable and available to a wider cross section of society. With volunteers, wholesale scale and no profiting middle men, this is possible – and very important in a recession.

As often is the case, the organic movement expresses an interest in this sort of initiative: it often encourages different organizational structures (like food co-ops and box schemes) or incorporates new ideas or tendencies (like school gardening projects or community gardens).

Some of these groups are initiated by consumers, but organized by organic certification bodies. An organic certification bodies in Italy, for example, organizes for the deliveries and distribution points. Typical GAS have about 30 members, mostly families. Interestingly, each individual GAS draws on the produce of dozens of farmers, mostly local and regional. The exceptions are for PDO or PGI produce like Parmesan cheese, which can only come from certain, slightly further a field parts of Italy.

Churches, Town Halls, political party offices and specialist shops are all used as distribution points. While the movement is very new, growth rates are also very fast: For example, one fairly typical GAS in Rome started with 10 farms and 30 consumers in 2005. By 2010 it had 40 farmers contributing and 300 consumers.

Its not just Italy. I’ve just returned from a conference abroad where 17 different presentations of these sorts of initiatives were outlined from Japan, to France and England.

The US has 4000 CSAs; Germany 75; the UK 63, Spain 250 and France over 700. In France, there are now over 200,000 consumer members, and their CSAs generate E36 million per year.

However not all countries have them: while Ireland only has 2, Ireland is joined by Greece, the Netherlands, the Scandinavian countries and Portugal in having a small number.

A common theme that has emerged is of dialogue: consumers, who are essentially residents, better understand the realities of what is and is not possible in farming. For example, weeding ‘meitheals’ are often organized by these groups as an alternative to using particular herbicides.

In the area south of Paris, one groups (involving farmers and residents) have started to purchase land to prevent encroaching urbanization, road buildings or military acquisitions.

With these sorts of actions, as well as through making vegetable cropping in peri-urban areas profitable again, these groups are helping to keep fertile land for farming. Originally cities formed close to places where the land was good: the vegetable growing areas of north county Dublin attest to this.

As we approach a time when oil will run out, or be unacceptable to use for importing foods that could be produced here, making new partnerships - farmers, residents, NGOs, local authorities, development agencies – may prove to have a number of advantages: Profitability for farmers, good local affordable food for consumers, relevancy and functionality for the local authorities, rural development workers and NGOs.

NATIONAL ORGANIC WEEK 2011

2011-09-07T10:39:00.003+01:00

What do prize winning catch phrases as Ghaeilge, boat trips as gaeilge freisin, apple pressing and an incredible array of talks, food and producers have in common?

Why its National Organic Week!

The week runs from the 12th to the 18th September, with dozens of events from Cavan to Cork.

Just before that, on 11th September, Drumcollagher Organic College celebrates its 20th Anniversary. Established in that most memorable of years in organic history, 1991, the College has seen many stalwarts of the organic farming and food family go through its doors.

The 11th September celebration includes a Family picnic (12 noon to 4pm). Vintage threshing, willow weaving, petting farm, numerous displays (such as bee keeping) music, and a talk on the process of converting a holding to organic will be held. 063 83604.

While most regions have some sort of event, a few from the available lists caught my eye. In particular, the events which bring producers and consumers together, or involve something a little different.

Moonshine farm in Westmeath are hosting events both weekends. Unusually, these events are specifically not for children, and the description Gerry and Mary Kelly have given is worth repeating: “This is strictly for Adults. It is a working farm with 80 livestock, not a petting farm.” So that's clear then!

The Kelly's events include a farm walk and talk, with a focus on animal husbandry and their products. A syou may have guessed, they are for Chef's and Trade only, (no children of course!) 2pm – 5pm 12th and 13th; and also on 18th September. 087 6872775

One of the south west's more prominent organic food businesses - Dee's burgers, is hosting a fun event In UCC on the 15th, : 120 Packs of Dee's Organic Omega Burgers will be given to the first people to say "Is Maith Liom Bia Organach" at 3pm. Look out for the Dee's wholefoods roadshow. 086 0831500

On the 14th and15th September there is an Organic Expo in Organico, Bantry. This event will include local organic products, while meetups will be held with meet local organic producers, farmers and growers, as well as talks on organic food. 11am - 3pm Organico Shop and Cafe, Glengarriff Road, Bantry 027 51391.

Fancy a boat trip? On the 14th, an open day with sea farm visits on board the Blue Spirit are due, weather permitting, at 10.30am and 2.30pm. Kush farms Ltd, Pallas Pier, Ardgroom, Beara. (064 6641714). Gaeilge spoken if preferred on this one.

The 17th September sees an organic farmers market, cookery demonstration and organic food from an outdoor wood fired oven at Nano Nagle Centre in Mallow. (10am – 1pm 022 26411)

Ever active on the biodiversity front (they also host Heritage Week events, Summer school events and more), there is a local food and biodiversity farm walk and cookery demonstration on at Gortbrack Organic Farm, Ballyseedy, Tralee. This runs from 10am-4pm on 17th 066 7137042.

Moving up into Nenagh, the ever popular Blas an Fomhair event at Peter Ward's Country Choice is always very vibrant. This year Peter Ward hosts the event on the 18th, and bills it as “meet your local organic producers and let them serve you lunch” 067 32596.

A great spot to bring one and all will be Coolanowle Ballickmoyler Carlow11th September 12-6PM 087 610 4108

Jimmy Mulhall's 250 acre Coolanowle organic farm and guest house is hosting an Organic Week event one day early, on 11th September “we're having food demos, including cheese, butter and bread making, as well as sausage and black and white pudding making” Jimmy tells me. There will also be gardening workshops with Andrew Farrelly of Ballintubbert Gardens, a farmers' market, tours of the farm and lots of children's events. These will include a petting farm, donkey rides, treasure hunt and teddybears' picnic. Why not treat yourself and stay over? Not only was Coolanowle awarded one of the new 5 star gradings for B&Bs recently, it is also a recent winner of the best breakfast award from Good Food Ireland.

In Dublin and Kildare, there are some novel events. Cavistons in particular, have a number of events worth catching if you are in or around Dublin. These include an evening talk on organic farming and benefits of eating organic food on Wednesday 14th; Beef tasting during the day on Thursday 15th; Organic olive oil tasting and an in store appearance by Orla Clancy from Clanwood Farm, who will also cook and offer samples of her family farm's organic beef on 17th. This event will include an organic evening with guest speakers including, Hilda Crampton of Castleruddery Organic Farm and an Organic Trust representative.

In Longford, Teagasc hold a farm walk on Gerry Fitzsimon's land on the 12th, whilst they will also host an organic farming conference on the 14th in Limerick

Then there's Egg collecting, cookery demonstrations, foraging walk, vegetable harvesting and farm walk (Castlefarm Kildare on 17th 087 6785269 ) and juicing, tasting and storing organic apples with Trevor Sargent at Balbriggan Fish and Farmers' Market (087 2547836) on 16th.

And a whole lot more! Full details here

ORGANIC HAPPENINGS

2011-08-15T23:02:00.005+01:00

OK Folks: lots coming up and worth mentioning;

National Organic Week, National Organic Awards and various other bits and pieces.

Organic week is here

Organic awards here (u must enter before the 23rd August)

And just before the week itself: Drumcollagher Organic College celebrates 20 years

And if you fancy a goof off, have a look at these infographics on consolidation in the US organic food sector (more fun than it sounds, esp the 'movie') and his infographics on food and drink in the US in general are excellent (that's Philip H Howard)

MINISTER OF STATE SHANE MCENTEE ON ORGANIC FARMING

2011-08-12T14:00:00.003+01:00

The new Minister of State with responsibility for the Organic Sector is Shane McEntee. This posting and next, his answers to a set of specific questions on the organic sector will revealed.

My first question related to his thoughts on the state of the organic sector in Ireland.

“I am very enthusiastic with regard to Organic Farming and the potential for growth of this sector in Ireland. There is also scope for a big increase in exports. In the conventional sector for example we export 90% of the beef we produce and similarly in the organic sector there is scope for exporting a multiple of what we consume at home. My primary focus is to encourage farmers to take advantage of both the domestic and export opportunities that exist.”

“I think that there is a wide awareness of organic production among farmers already. However, farmers are naturally cautious about making big changes in their farming systems. They need to see examples of successful operators before they make the switch. I believe that the Demonstration Farm Programme which commenced this year on June 23rd is an invaluable tool in this regard. I hope to have the opportunity to attend one of these farm walks this year.”

What does the organic sector need to do to grow?

“I believe the basic infrastructure is available. The Schemes of Grant Aid available from my Department have been of huge benefit. They continue to help significantly with the start-up costs involved with machinery and equipment and provide a valuable breathing space in getting an enterprise up and running. Effective enforcement of the governing EU Regulations including dedicated Inspectorate at retail level, which I understand is almost unique to Ireland, helps to ensure that the integrity of the organic sector and therefore consumer confidence continues to be maintained.”

“Bord Bia are supplying the marketing infrastructure and Teagasc the essential advice. Continuation of present policies will provide sustainable results in the long term.

Operators are free to decide on the farming system which they will pursue. I believe that there is a slow but definite change in attitudes as farmers are looking for opportunities to diversify and add value to their produce. Growing awareness of the real opportunities that do exist for the organic sector will be a key motivating factor for growth of the Sector.”

“While there are big opportunities however, the Organic Sector needs to look more at value-added products. This is what our processors tell us and is what they themselves are focusing on. Of course the same is true of all kinds of food that we export, in the conventional sector as well as the organic one."

“Ultimately I believe that growth of the Organic Sector will be driven by enterprising individuals and companies with the foresight and commitment to identify and exploit the markets that exist to their full potential.”

“Recent success stories such as the Tipperary-Based Good Herdsmen contract with Germany for the supply of Irish Organic Beef for Baby Food, the Supervalu Initiative, Beal Cheese etc are clear evidence of the significant contribution that enterprising individuals can make. I believe if such people combine forces to promote and develop the Irish Organic Sector then they will succeed.”

These three success stories in more detail involve: Tipperary-Based organic meat producer Good Herdsmen has agreed a major contract with a German company to supply organic beef for baby food. This will require an additional 700 organic beef cattle per year.

The Supervalu Initiative allows the direct supply of organic fruit and vegetables from the organic producer to the supermarket outlet (without the requirement for a central distribution network). This ensures fresher supply, local identity and a reduction in transport costs.

Beal Cheese is being produced by an organic milk producer, Kate Carmody in Co. Kerry. A successful appearance on Dragons Den has facilitated the growth of the Company and over time will require supplies of organic milk from other operators.

Next week, we will deal with public procurement, as well as government commitment to the organic sector, including possible upcoming cuts.

ORGANIC BEEF SHEEP AND A LITTLE GLIMMER OF HOPE AT THE END.....

2011-08-04T19:16:00.004+01:00

With over 1200 cattle and sheep farmers in the Organic Farming Scheme, livestock is by far the most significant part of the overall organic sector in Ireland.

(Part 1 of this feature is here)

There are 900 organic cattle herds in Ireland, with an average size of 39 animals. For sheep, there are 350 listed organic producers, who have on average 70 breeding ewes.

Having spoken to Michael Seymour about his organic beef and sheep enterprise last posting, I decided to broaden out the conversation this week to the performance of the organic livestock sector in general.

Seymour, while primarily a direct seller at farmers markets, also on occasion sells some of his organic sheep to the processors.

“I sell hoggets in the Spring to the factories. In Spring, the prices can be good as fewer people keep hoggets until then. In the summer and autumn, more people are supplying so the price isn't as high later on in the year.”

There is something of a catch 22 with all of this: the price is better in Spring, but the costs of carrying animals over the Winter is high for the vast majority of producers, due to the cost of certified organic feed.

Its not just the date, its the weight: “If you want to finish animals at a relatively early age, you might need grains to bring on weight. If you let them age a little, they can finish off grass.” Because Seymour has the option of both the factory and the farmers' market, he can choose to finish animals off grass and kill a little lighter.

The feed costs are high. While organic feed rations were E500 a tonne last year, indications are that they are higher again this year. “Bags of feed that were E12 last year are now E14.” Doing some rough maths, he points out that “most animals get 3 kg per head per day over about 5 months of the winter. Depending on the weather, than can be close to 500 kg in total, or over E200 per animal.”

So there is cost at one end, and then, at the other end, there is the price achieved. The reasonable news is that the prices achieved at cattle marts is holding strong.

Reports from the March organic mart in Kilmallock were that cattle fetched E3-400 above the weight, with in-conversion stock also in demand.

Organic cattle prices are generally being quoted at E4.40 per Kg, which John Brennan of the Leitrim Co-op described, in the Summer edition of Organic Matters, magazine, as “20% premium above the conventional R3 Grade factory price.” Many organic British breeds are in or around R3.

However, the prices at the factory gate are being challenged by the conventional prices.

Michael Seymour points out that “With the British breeds, you are better off with a flat price”. Good Herdsman pay to the grade, whereas AIBP and the Leitrim Co-op pay flat.

Many in the organic livestock sector feel strongly that a flat price is essential when trying to maintain the most apt breeds for environmentally sustainable organic farming, suited to the Irish terrain and climate. Otherwise, concentrates, often imported, are needed to bring on the weight of Continental animals.

There are also taste considerations, with the British breeds finishing more off grass having superior marbling, whatever about factory score.

But it also comes back to price: “the conventional price is around what organic was 12 months ago, at about E3.60 a kg” according to Seymour.

Indeed, as the weeks pass by, this conventional price keeps rising and rising. Tight supply has meant that factories are paying E3.64c kg for steers and E3.74c for heifers.

Some cost efficiencies are emerging through the organic producer groups, while the Leitrim Co-op also now has a larger and dedicated stock sales section on its site.

Others opt for direct sales routes to market altogether, as Seymour himself does most of the time.

All told, the situation is steady but not spectacular for organic livestock at present.

But there are on occasions, some solutions and alternatives. I've written about people like martin o leary before, and many of you are familiar with an initiative I also work on, with Joe Condon of Omega Beef Direct. Its called Organics with Altitude

MICHAEL SEYMOUR'S SHEEPWALK ORGANIC FARM

2011-08-02T12:52:00.004+01:00

I caught up with Michael Seymour of Sheepwalk organic farm in Tipperary at the Totally Tipperary food festival in Cloughjordan in late June.

The 125 acres farm is semi-urban: the frontage of the house faces the Tipperary town of Borrisokane, while the back faces his fields.

(photo by Chocolate Here's Gillian O'Leary )

“Half the farm is good lowland, the rest is callows.” Much farmland along the Shannon, or along its tributaries, floods at certain times of the year.

“Callows are only suitable for summer grazing, and I can't cut any silage there. This limits the carrying capacity of the land, but it does mean the meat that comes off that land is very natural.”

Callows have never been intensively farmed, due to the natural restrictions the flooding causes.

Seymour stocks 20 cows, and 18 calves as followers. The bull is Angus, and most of the stock at this stage is at least ¾ Angus.

Along with the cows, he stocks 80 Texel cross ewes and 115 lambs. “They have good muscle, but are still lean, with less fat” he tells me. “They suit organic too, as they are more resistant to stomach worms.” The lamb at the Asado, or BBQ in the evening of the Totally Tipperary event, he points out “was never dosed”.

The grazing system for farmers carrying organic sheep and cattle is called the clean grazing system. Cattle and sheep are rotated to break stomach worms' life cycle. Other barriers, such as tillage, can also be added into the rotation to really clean the fields.

While this is a necessity with organic, as farmers cannot routinely dose, necessity becomes a virtue for consumers who want meat that hasn't been treated.

Each June, Seymour starts to take lambs to the butcher. The lambs are killed from 4-5 months, with last year's lamb sold until mid June each year. He reckons organic lambs need to reach at least 5 months for flavour development, especially as they grow at a slower, more natural pace.

Regulars at either Nenagh or Ennis farmers' markets will be familiar with the organic meat of Michael Seymour.

While Borrisokane is just 20 minutes from Nenagh it is a good 90 minutes from Ennis. Indeed Ennis farmers' market starts especially early, being up and running by 8AM to catch people on route to work, so its milkman-like hours for the Friday market in Ennis.

In general, sales are slower now for many traders at farmers' markets. According to Michael “people don't have as much money anymore, they have lost jobs, they are watching what they are spending. There are more fluctuations than in the past, there are good and bad days. Also, there are not as many new people coming, its regulars mostly these days”.

The two markets are quite different: “Ennis now has 20 stalls, though there is a lot of duplication of product. Nenagh is smaller, but there is no duplication, and probably a little better footfall”.

Suprizingly, considering the relative sizes of the two markets, Nenagh has been where he has sold more of his meat until this year. Now however, the two are more evenly matched.

There are various preconceptions all farmers market traders have to deal with, some specific to their product, some generic.

Price is one. Despite the relative good value of organic red meat at farmers' markets, consumers imagine it will be exceptionally expensive.

“People presume that one of my steaks will be a tenner: when they hear that its just 6 or 7 euros, they might be inclined to buy two.”

To counter the negative price preconception, Seymour has recently started making his pricing displays far more visible.

If potential customers will not come over to the stall because they think the products will be expensive, you have to make it clear, literally, that it is not.

“When I put the price of the lamb burgers on the chalk board, 4 lamb burgers for E6, I started to sell out sold out. I don't think its the fact that its organic, I think its more that the price was visible”.

Here are another feature on Totally Tipperary Sheila Keily

FARM DIVERSIFICATION: FROM EGG MONEY TO REAL MONEY

2011-07-25T17:50:00.002+01:00

Once seen as a diversion from 'real farming', increasingly, farmers are opting for one or more of the many diversification opportunities out there.

There are powerful drivers for this.

Off-farm employment has been a vital part of the rural economy in recent years. It accounted for 81% of household income on part-time farms and 38% on full-time farms according to the National Farm Survey 2009.

However, there has been a decline in the availability of off farm jobs since 2007 especially.

In 2009 “35% of farms, the main farm operator had off-farm jobs while on 51% of farms the farmer and/or the spouse had off-farm employment”. That's according to Teagasc economic geographer David Meredith, who also stated at a recent Jobs' conference:

“The level of off-farm employment dropped substantially from the peak in 2007 where on 41% of farms the main farm operator had off-farm employment, and the proportion of farms where the farmer and/or spouse had off-farm employment had reached 58%.”

While employment potential is still relatively high in some professional sectors, such as Science and ICT (Internet and Communications Technology), construction-related work and other manual and semi-skilled sectors have been are reducing their workforces.

Fast Forward to 2011, and the agricultural colleges are full of young potential farmers - a group to whom diversification appeals. With time on their side, better ICT skills, and sometimes a 3rd level education and some travel behind them, young farmers can be full of ideas for opportunities to generate novel sources of income.

Another significant driver of diversification is the new, central place agri-food takes up in plans for National Recovery. Harvest 2020 roadmaps growth in the agri-food sector from E8 billion to E12 billion by 2020, and diversified farm enterprises will be part of this drive.

According to preliminary findings from Teagasc's economic geographer David Meredith, 45% of farmers are interested in diversification. That his research was drawn from mainly larger dairy and drystock enterprises located in the Meath, Kildare and Wicklow area (with the remainder from Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo) makes this all the more significant: large, east coast farmers have not always been this interested in diversification.

He also points out that the rates of diversification in Ireland, though rising, are still very low. Less than 5%, or 5000 Irish farmers diversify, whereas in the UK, the figure is 51%.

However, in the UK, leasing space to businesses is a primary farm diversification, a factor which stems from the UK's dense population, and the proximity of most farmland to urban and industrial centres. So it is unlikely that anything like this level of diversification could happen in Ireland.

That said, farmers have certain advantages when it comes to diversification.

According to David Meredith, these include the fact that farmers, in general, have good business acumen; think long-term and strategically; are multi-skilled (from animal husbandry to administration); have access to personal supports -(i.e. family members' labour and skills); have access to community supports; understand regulatory frameworks; have valuable assets (for collateral, for storage, as workshop space) and low borrowings.

He cites the following as challenges: Raising capital to develop new businesses; raising sufficient capital to meet matched funding requirements; overcoming the risk attached to a new venture, particularly, the impact it could have on the continued viability of the farm enterprise; lack of information on available financial and other supports; uncertainty concerning impact of regulations; a lack of time to develop new enterprises.

There are other negatives too: its not just access to information on funding – the funding itself is under threat. The current LEADER embargo on on-farm food production, processing or preparation came as a bolt out of the blue for many applicants, and has seriously delayed many diversification plans. There is no guarantee it will be resolved in a way conducive to current applications.

Some of the first cuts of the recent recession were in agri-food, to REPS (Rural Environment Protection Scheme) and FEPS (Forest Environment Protection Scheme). Considering the length of the commitment and long term planning involved in forestry, the 8% FEPS premium cut in 2009 was especially severe. The scheme is also difficult to join now.

Likewise, the supports available under the AEOS scheme are nowhere near the REPS supports levels.

On the individual level, ICT skills are increasingly important, and this is not an area all farmers are comfortable with, though upskilling is available, and family members can be drawn on.

It is also the case that with cuts pending in the next sequence of budgets, and with the overall effect of the recession, there are demand problems too - potential customers have less money. Add to this what are considered especially strict interpretations of EU rules and regulations in Ireland when compared to elsewhere in the EU, for one of the key areas of diversification – artisan food processing (cheese, ice cream etc).

Farmers also have options other than diversification coming downstream, in particular upscaling and intensifying, with the end of dairy quota in 2015.

There are positives too. Certain areas in diversification are genuine growth areas. Sales of organic food on the mainland of the EU, where the recession has not been as difficult, are stable and rising. Indeed the organic market in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany and Switzerland continued to grow even in 2009-2010. All have increased growth rates for 2011.

In organics and elsewhere, it is also the case that forming a group - producer group, co-op or limited company - can pool resources and allow for economies of scale to develop, as the success the Leitrim Organic Co-op has in finding premiums for its members suggests.

Thinking more as a business person than just as a farmer can be beneficial too: Utilizing ICT is affordable in set-up terms. Selling on ebay or other similar sites has become more and more popular, whilst web-based sales are a real growth area in general.

In the UK, on-line sales in January 2011 were at the highest level for any January. There, according to the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index, online retailers accrued £5.1bn sales for January this year, a massive 21% increase on last January.

According to Paul McCarthy of Teagasc, many areas in the green economy offer up significant potential. He lists “renewables, biomass, crops or services on the green side, wood chip, anaerobic digestion, wind, retrofitting houses even, miscanthus or willow”. McCarthy points out that there are also options to scale these up to a national level – as an example, a wood chip or a retro fit/insulation company can move from being a single farm nixer into a regional and then nationwide industry.

And while he is hopeful that supports in this area will grow, Ireland has stiff competition from elsewhere in terms or supports and returns. “For energy, to take one example, the odds are stacked against farmers here, compared to Northern Ireland. They have better paybacks from the National Grid, and their incentives are lined up” says McCarthy.

Innovation and planning are vital. Before you start, you may want to consider availing of background household budgeting supports.

Teagasc's Options programme is one such support. David Meredith: “Options works with farm households to assess their current status and evaluates what steps might be undertaken to sustain the farm business into the future. The programme takes a realistic look at the household's financial situation by first establishing the level of income generated from farm activities and off-farm employment”.

He continues: “the costs of running the farm enterprise and household living expenses are then assessed with regard to, firstly, the income situation and, secondly, future income needs which might revolve around making allowance for pension savings or sending children to college”.

Teagasc have developed a ‘Household Budget Calculator’ which is available through their website. This calculator lets farm households track where the money goes every month, which is the first step in assessing their current status.

For more see: teagasc

CAN CONSUMERS TAKE THE LEAD?

2011-07-18T01:17:00.004+01:00

Can the consumer play a more significant and connected role in local and organic food production?

On the one hand, these two areas, local and organic food, obviously need consumers to survive, and almost half of all surveyed consumers have purchased an organic product in the last month, according to the most recent data.

But are there less passive options than simple consumer choice, for people who want to get more involved in what, how, and where organic food is produced?

Farmers' markets allow for interactions and feedback, and organic producers who have an on line presence can receive feedback too. The latter is especially the case if they use social media, like facebook or twitter.

More traditionally, there are also tastings, food or trade shows, all of which also give the producer information.

For years, the Dublin Food Co-op has been one of the only significant consumer-led buying groups in Ireland. But now, finally, it seems that some consumers are stepping up and becoming less passive.

The current context for active consumer behaviour includes the following: an increasing desire for local and sustainable foods; increasing use of communications technology allowing for faster and group action; the existence of well established and functioning alternative ways to get organic food such as box schemes and farmers' markets.

The recession is adding another layer: people want deals and bargains, and group purchasing allows organised consumers to become the equivalent of wholesale rather than retail customers. A little extra work in distribution and major savings came be made financially.

With all four of these elements coming together, examples of active organic food consumers reaching back towards distribution and production are starting to emerge on a noteworthy scale all across Europe.

Examples include the Stroudco initiative in the UK, a not-for-profit food co-op which is owned by producers and consumer members. Producers pay 8% of the sales value, and consumers also do some voluntary hours. A local school is used as a delivery point, and with no costly middlemen, the consumer actually pays less than they would in the supermarkets.

Traci Lewis of the Soil Association also pointed out a number of examples from across Europe at the recent National Organic Conference, including the True Food Co-op (UK) Gruppo de Aquista Solidale (GAS, Italy) and Biocoop (France), all operating on different scales from small to large.

GAS, the Italian group, is a loose network of 700 separate buyers groups. These range from small and informal to larger scale and organised.

Here in Ireland, reference was made recently in this column to the example of Skerries and the Community Harvest group, where a group of consumers approached organic grower Paddy Byrne and organised a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiative. This guarantees a market for Byrne, and involves lots of interaction between the grower and consumers around harvesting, feedback on what to produce, open days and the like.

An issue is displacement: is Byrne just loosing farmers' market customers and gaining the same people in the CSA? One way to avoid this is to use the farmers' market as a hub, or distributional point, where the consumer comes to the market to collect the produce.

They may then buy more of certain products from Barnes at the market, and, of course, the increased footfall is very welcomed by the other stallholders. And in general a busy stall and market leads to more customers and opportunities in general.

Another CSA operates in Cloughjordan, Tipperary, and this one is very much consumer-led. Comprised of 50 member-families, this CSA has the three producers as members of the CSA. There are also about 15 members actively engaged in different aspects of this CSA: education, fundraising, supports for co-ordinators (i.e. producers), while there is also an advisory group. Members pay between 10 and 20 Euros weekly, and receive weekly supplies of vegetables and raw milk. It is also possible to buy 'meat shares', which involve paying extra to have the CSA's meat.

Who knows - in five years time we may be looking back at this moment, the very beginning of CSA's in Ireland, as the beginning of something big.

UPCOMING ORGANIC BEEF FARM WALK IN CORK

2011-07-04T16:07:00.002+01:00

The Teagasc Organic Farm walks are now in full swing. There have been beef, cereal and horticulture walks thus far, with many more to come. I spoke to Pat Barry of Teagasc about the walks and those applying to join the organic farming scheme 2011.

“They have been a success so far, certainly,” according to Barry, “all the stakeholders see it as a very proactive way to improve knowledge of organics, especially for new entrants. There are up to 100 on the walks at times, so we have about 1600- 1700 in total attending each year”.

(Note: picture is not of Pat O Connor's farm)

I asked about the May deadline for applying to join the Organic Farming Scheme. “There were 160-170 new applicants this year. That's back from 250 or so last year” he tells me.

There is the ongoing issue with REPS 3, whereby operators cannot be in both REPS 3 and the Organic Farming Scheme. While this problem will finally end when REPS 3 ends, it has been a barrier to conversion.

It is also the case that conventional markets are strong at present. For sheep in particular organic premiums are not significant, especially if sales are made through straightforward channels and if the animals are sold when there is a glut of available animals.

Indeed for both beef and sheep, where traditionally organic has had the largest number of members, strong conventional prices are holding back the numbers considering joining the Organic Farming Scheme at present.

“The lamb market is quite tough” Barry tells me. “A sheep-only organic enterprise can be a difficult system to operate. Organic sheep farmers would have to consider direct selling or other innovative marketing options”

Certainly, from my own work in the organic sector, I'm aware of some sheep farmers in conversion to organic who are direct selling and it is working out well for them. Which is not to say that it is easy, but that the option does make sense.

Horticulture is however an area with growth potential. It is often claimed that over 70% of organic fresh fruits and vegetables are imported. E40 million of the annual organic market is in fresh fruit and vegetables, so there is, according to Barry, “massive room for import substitution and growing the home market.”

Because of its potential, there are a significant number - five - of organic horticulture walks this year.

Others in the sector I have spoken to have pointed out that the new AEOS scheme does not necessarily fit well with organic: you cannot apply for some of the most suited and least costly of options, such as riparian zone, traditional hay or species rich grassland, and organic at the same time.

The next walk in the south west is Pat O' Connors in Macroom, Cork. O' Connor is very recently converted to organic, is holding his first organic farm walk.

I spoke to Pat Barry about this upcoming walk. “Its at Clondrohid, Macroom, and comprises about 100 acres of good quality grassland - previously Pat O Connor was in dairy, in the early 2000s. He got out of dairy, and started purchasing calves to finish them.”

Towards the end of the decade, he started his conversion to organic, achieving full symbol in May of this year.

“When starting his conversion to organic, he purchased bucket fed hereford friesian cross calf heifers, to keep as sucklers, to be sure of securing quality” Barry points out. Every year, he takes calves to finish. Now he crosses them with an angus bull, finishing heifers at 18-20 months. Steers are carried to 22-24, months, so they are carried through a second winter.”

“The stocking rate is about 1 lu per hectare, and clover has been introduced, while reseeding has also been carried out”.

Barry also points out that Pat O Connor has been active the newly founded Ballyvorney producer group.

Pat O Connor's upcoming farm walk in on 20th July at 2 PM.

For more farm walks see the list here

NATIONAL ORGANIC CONFERENCE 2011

2011-06-28T23:41:00.002+01:00

“Pressures will come to bear on the organic sector too – resources will be less plentiful”. In the clearest signal yet that Departmental funding for the organic sector will be cut, Tony Burke, representing the Minister with responsibility for food, horticulture, forestry and organic food, Shane McEntee, uttered these words during his speech to the National Organic Conference in Limerick last week.

Despite this sombre message, a commitment to maintaining a (unspecified) level of supports was made.

Upon arrival at this event, there were some good examples on display of successful organic farms, food businesses, research, agencies, businesses and products, for the 200 or so delegates who attended.

As often is the case, the opportunity for participants to talk and thus network was perhaps the single best thing about the day.

Most delegates who were at the Limerick Institute of Technology event were from the agri-food sector rather than actual farmers or growers – the good weather probably put pay to any notions many had of attending.

The first two presentations were from Glenisk and also from Barrington Park Estate Farms, a 7000 acre Estate in the Cotswold Hills' Area of Outstanding Beauty'.

The example Glenisk's Emma Walls gave of their recent marketing initiative was both innovative and inspiring, and will be the focus of an upcoming organic diary.

Endeavours on this scale were, inevitably, somewhat out of reach for most in the audience.

The four breakout sessions at the conference were in the areas of direct selling, the domestic market, the export market and supports. I attended the direct selling breakout, and heard a lot of positive and very new ideas.

In previous years, this session would have dealt with box schemes and farmers markets, and in truth, offered not a lot of fresh, insightful information. Now, with the growth of CSA's or community supported agriculture initiatives, genuinely new opportunities for farmers were presented.

What's different now, compared to previous years, is that consumers are starting to group together to bulk buy numerous categories of product, and are approaching the producers directly to get it. In the case of agriculture, these buyer groups and using Internet and Communications Technology and also using farmers' markets as hubs, to change what, where and how they purchase.

Indeed, they are, in a small way, buying into the farm that supplies them with food, and saying goodbye to being just consumers.

CSA's involve farmers and consumers sharing the risks and rewards of food producing: farmers receive a long term guarantee of money, and get active enthusiastic consumers willing to engage in the food production process, through volunteering at harvest time, distribution and more. These consumers have a say in what is produced, but what they receive varies based on the reality of the farming and growing year.

Farmers get the reassurance of long term payment arrangements, and the knowledge, through interactions with consumers, that what they are producing is really what the consumer wants.

Both the presentations by Traci Lewis of the Soil Association, on UK initiatives, and Skerries Community Harvest Group's Rosaleen McMenamin and Paddy Byrne, were thought provoking.

Nascent in Ireland, but very developed in other parts of the world, CSA's have a lot of growth potential, for both the organic and conventional sectors.

The conference ended with a panel discussion on growth barriers, a topic debated for many years. This time however, this topic had two distinct elements that made it stand out a little: Supervalu's organic horticulture initiative, and the potential development of an Organic Trade Board. (Both of which have been highlighted in this column in recent weeks).

Both of these initiatives do indeed offer up growth potential for the organic sector. Its now time for the organic sector to step up and grasp the nettle, in a way that it did not do to a significant enough extent when Trevor Sargent was the relevant Minister.

GREEN (washing?) PUBLIC PROCUREMENT

2011-06-10T10:45:00.006+01:00

A Draft document on Green Public Procurement has been issued by the Department of Environment. Submissions close on the 8th July.

For the draft itself, see here, page 57-66.

Here is a recent Irish Examiner column on this issue. The more I think about it, the more I think greenwash. Individual sectors within organic have ample scope to supply - lamb in particular, but also beef and dairy. For dairy to be left out of the proposal in a context of a company like Glenisk currently exporting to 6 countries is very unusual and as such a highly selective read of the scope for the organic sector to supply.

In France, public procurement of organic food will be set at 20% by 2012, which will be 4 times the rate of production of organic - in other words; they are using public procurement to drive on the overall organic sector, presumably because of the numerous policy targets organic helps them hit.

BEGINS

A draft green public procurement (GPP) document has been issued by the Department of Environment.

This document is for public consultation, with submissions to be in by the 8th of July.

Over the last 3 years, public procurement has been heralded as a significant potential growth area for the organic sector.

Reference was made to organic food and public procurement in the Organic Action Plan of 2008. A pilot scheme was launched in the Marine Institute, Galway.

This new public consultation draft estimates that food and catering public procurement is worth “€125 million to €150 million per annum.”

However reading the relevant section in detail (page 57-66), there seems to be a curious de-emphasis of organic food.

For example, the document states on page 59:

“The sourcing of Fairtrade goods, where possible, should be part of all Government Departments' purchasing policy.”

It then states that much organic food is imported, which “may well have a higher carbon footprint.”

While it does not say higher than what, the implication is that imported organic food has a high carbon footprint, but Fairtrade produce can come from any distance, by any means of transport, at any time of the year, produced by any (legal) means.

These is also a lack of empirical evidence of any carbon footprint measurement of organic food guiding such a statement.

However, there is evidence that organic produce grown outdoors in sunnier climes can often carry a lower carbon footprint that the same crops grown in heated greenhouses in colder climes.

Earlier in the same document, it states that “Criteria adopted at EU level specifically address organic and sustainable production methods as well as packaging waste standards” and “Additional criteria may be used by procurement officers who want to further stimulate the market to supply the most sustainable products possible.”

Yet because of the small size of the organic sector, “the setting of high levels for the procurement of solely organic food would be unrealistic”, the draft states.

It continues:“it may be therefore more appropriate to introduce a proportion of the award

criteria in a contract for the procurement of organic food (rather than setting too high a percentage in the contract specification).”

An opt out option is next introduced: “There are a range of environmental and wider quality assurance schemes that are food sector-specific, and from which criteria for GPP can be derived.

“These include: Bord Bia Quality Assurance Scheme – applicable to beef, eggs, lamb, pigmeat, poultry and horticulture. Certification is in accordance with I.S. EN 45011. From January 2011, the Beef Q.A.S. includes auditing of the environmental sustainability of farms.

“...Accordingly public sector contracting authorities should use the principle of food produced under a recognised accredited scheme as the primary measurement of sustainable, environmentally procured food.”

Then, on page 62, and repeated as a key action later, it is stated: “50% of each of four specified food categories (Meat, Poultry, Eggs, and Seafood) purchased as part of public tenders should be sourced from either recognised accredited schemes which incorporate a significant sustainability element and/or organic schemes.”

Not only does this mean that other food may be considered instead of organic food, it also, crucially, omits dairy and horticulture.

Instead, “For all other categories (including ones where no accredited national schemes

currently exist), the contracting authority should ensure that sustainability and/or organic criteria are clearly identified in their tender documents.”

This draft “Green” Public Procurement proposal conflates organic with most other food in environmental terms, despite empirical evidence to the contrary.

As an example, see Kasperczyk and Knickel, 2005, where 6 overarching categories – biodiversity, landscape, soil, climate and air, water, energy - and 3 sub categories within these, are used to compare organic and conventional in environmental terms. In this meta study of all research in the area, in not one of the 18 areas does conventional actually scores as well as organic.

The organic sector has until the 8th of July to respond to this.

For the draft, go to my blog (address above)

AN IRISH ORGANIC TRADE BOARD? PART 2

2011-06-08T23:53:00.001+01:00

In a promising development for the organic sector in Ireland, the beginnings of an Irish Organic Trade Board are in motion.

Last posting, this diary featured the UK's Organic Trade Board, and asked whether such an initiative would be beneficial in Ireland.

The UK's OTB is made up of organic food processors and businesses, who work on communicating strong simple positive organic messages to consumers, often having harnessed EU or other supports.

The initiative in Ireland is very much in the formative stages. Stiofan Nutty, formerly Green Party Chair and an advisor to both Trevor Sargent and Ciaran Cuffe in the Department of Agriculture, is currently preparing a feasibility study for the Department on such an initiative.

“The idea of an Organic Trade Board first developed when we were in the Department” he tells me. “The organic food industry has been especially interested so far - we've had good feedback from all the main areas - beef, milk, cereals, horticulture, processing. In fact, the momentum has come from the industry”.

An Organic Trade Board would have the potential to create an overall voice for the industry, according to Stiofan Nutty, one that could “transmit and receive industry information”.

Expanding upon the theme, he points out that “the organic sector is fragmented at present, the industry needs some level of collective coming together to give it strength. So creating an industry-led voice that can articulate the sector's needs is crucial”

Creating a point of information and contact is also important: “The consumer isn't aware of all that organic stands for. Its important for the industry to devise ways for the industry to interact with consumers and the general public. The integrity and strength of the organic brand is great, but people need more information.”

As an example of speaking with a strong, simple, singular, clear and effective voice, he cites Conor Falkland of the AA. When RTE or whomsoever else need a voice for the motorist, they immediately default to the AA and in particular Conor Falkland. There is no such person or organisation for organic.

There are different models.

While the UK example is led by processors and industry, the North American model (members come from both the US and Canada) is a little different. There, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) has a broader range of stakeholders. Producer, advocacy and consumer groups are also involved, making it a broader church.

According to the organisation itself: “North American-based businesses or organizations engaged in the production, distribution, certification, or promotion of certified organic products and the services required to produce them are eligible for Trade Membership.

Associate members include businesses, organizations, and individuals that are not eligible for Trade Membership but who are supportive of principles consistent with those of organic agriculture.”

That said, it is still focused on working for business, with 60% of its membership small to medium sized organic farming and food businesses.

Established in 1985, the OTA work on promoting and protecting organic, and include in their remit advancing organic standards, increasing the organic acreage, communications, growing the market and verifying the benefits of organic.

Which model emerges in Ireland from the current round of consultations for this feasibility stage remains to be seen. Will an Irish organic trade organisation be cross-border? Will it focus more on research and standards, or on promotion and marketing? Will it have a narrow or a broad membership?

Establishing a larger organisation would take longer to construct, and may have divergent interests and needs. It would however be more representative. Establishing a smaller organisation could happen quite quickly and be more streamlined, but would then only represent the industry in a narrow sense.

That said, the latter could also be seen as a tax on the industry by everyone else involved in organics, as all would benefit but only some would pay.

Whatever emerges, some healthy cooperation between the various voices in organic, to create simple clear messages and focused positive work, will certainly benefit the sector.

AN IRISH ORGANIC TRADE BOARD? PART 1

2011-06-08T01:08:00.001+01:00

Does the organic sector in Ireland need a Trade Board? In other words, does it need a dedicated organisaton, industry-led, to develop, represent and promote the sector?

In the UK ,US and elsewhere, there are organic trade boards. The US Organic Trade Board is “a membership based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America”.

In the UK, according to their own Organic Trade Board (OTB), their development came from a clear need: “the organic industry needed to speak with one voice and communicate simple, clear messages about organic to all and sundry to help maintain the fantastic growth that had been witnessed in the previous few years.”

While that growth has not been maintained evenly, nevertheless simple clear messages need to go out regardless of growth or retraction.

The UK organisation has a standard enough committee structure, with directors elected by members of the OTB Committee.

The directors, who are all voluntary, work in the core areas of ensuring agreement and implementing objectives; creating member benefits; communication internally and externally and recruiting membership.

Perhaps because of the size and broad remit of the Soil Association, the UK OTB have a 'memorandum of understanding' with that organisation.

The OTB work in the following four key areas: Consumers – providing simple, accessible info and materials about the benefits of organic, which will help increase sales.

An example of this is their “Why I love organic” media campaign, which has allowed for full back page spreads in magazines like Heat, OK!, Hello!, Waitrose Food Illustrated and Tesco magazine.

It has also included internet and social media campaigns. The 'why I love organic' website is very approachable, picture and people driven, user friendly and professional looking: it uses exactly the kind of language that is not contentious but which does transmit positive messages.

Like “Organic farming is designed to minimise the impact on the environment, while at the same time ensuring a more natural agricultural system for everyone”

Their twitter account has over 1000 members, a mixture of consumers and agri-food business operators.

On this, they have been very successful at drawing down EU funding to develop their campaigns - “Why I love organic” is one such funded effort.

It is worth £2 million over two years, with £1m from organic companies and match-funding by European Union (EU)

The OTB have also developed “a rapid response service to pressing news issues and media enquiries,” to essentially make the case for organic within each relevant sector.

The benefits of doing this in an organised and prepared fashion are obvious, especially in a context of the bad news story preferences in mainstream media – the 'if it bleeds its leads' mentality.

Lobbying government is another key function of the UK OTB “to retain the distinctive nature of our organic industry, with greater recognition by regulators” on issues important to the organic sector.

It is their job, they claim, “to keep applying pressure to make sure the word ‘organic’ is properly regulated wherever it appears”

They also work with certifiers “to build bridges and have everyone pull behind the same simple messages – the growth and integrity of certified organic food and products.”

Within these categories, they have some very specific and more refined aims: upholding organic standards, reaching the public, growing supply, growing the market, proving the benefits of organic.

Companies who join have to have what is described as organic as “a significant part of their trade”.

All told, this is another good example of co-opetition: companies who technically compete working together to develop some of their shared interests.

So what of Ireland?

2011 Teagasc Organic Farm Walks

2011-05-25T19:00:00.003+01:00

And they're out! The 2011 list for the Teagasc Organic Farm demonstration walks has been announced.

see them all here

a LOT of new faces in there folks!

kilbeggan organic porridge: simple success

2011-05-23T18:13:00.004+01:00

Sometimes less is more. Now, sometimes more is definitely more too, but sometimes, less is more.

So it is with what has been a very successful run of organic porridge oats by one Pat Lalor. His own Kilbeggan Organic Porridge oats have been on sale since January. He has shifted 5000 units in 500 gr, 1 kg and 3 kg sizes thus far, and will finish off the 2011 batch with the last 1500 over the next month of so.

(Pic (c) Ella McSweeney)

Its been impressive. He spent very little on branding, marketing or product design, choosing to work instead with a local printer, going for a simple rustic look and design. He took no significant risk as he sells oats to Flahavans anyway, and also grows oats as animal feed. And he has generated a noteworthy amount of completely free high profile advertizing for this whole initiative. Nationwide on RTE 1, as well as the Pat Kerry show and Countrywide on RTE Radio 1 have all featured the product.

When you think of some of the money spent and, concurrently, debts built up by small food businesses, when you think of all the advice given on how to develop product, brand, market and makes sales, the story of Kilbeggen organic porridge oats is exceptionally interesting. It suggests an alternative to much of what goes as standard practice.

Pat Lalor has long been seen as an innovator and leading light in the organic sector. When he started his conversion to organic in 1999, there were a few ripples in the conventional farming sector.

For Pat Lalor was a leading light, a model farmer in conventional. So for a farmer of his calibre to go over 'to the other side', as it were, was something of a shock.

Indeed the Lalor family have been leading lights in farming for decades. In July 1939 his father erected a windmill for pumping water to cattle, which replaced hand pumping.

According to Pat, “In the 1940’s he was the first to have a Lanz tractor in this area and was the second farmer to buy a Claas combine harvester in the midlands. In 1956 he was the first farmer in Ireland to erect a self-feed silage system, which over the next 25 years became the standard system for winter feeding of cattle”.

“He was also a breeder of pedigree cattle and pigs in his earlier days and was an exporter of store cattle to UK farmers for over 30 years.”

Pat himself was one of the founder members of the ICSA, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Association.

This Westmeath farms is one of the Teagasc organic demonstration farms. Its easy to see why. On the 130 hectare farm, Lalor has a five year rotation, with oats, wheat, oats, then two years of clover grass ley.

Thats 44 hectares of winter oats, 6 of winter wheat (no spring wheat), 20 of red clover, 10 of forestry and 50 of permanent pasture.

Each year he spreads around 20 tonnes per hectare of farmyard manure ,which he turns numerous times to increase heat, thus killing weed seeds an other unwanted elements.

Along with the cereal crops, Ballard is also a beef farm. Having bought in to finish for the best part of a decade, he has now started to now breed on-farm, crossing a herd of pedigree Simmentals with an Angus bull last year.

According to Lalor, “The animals diet is monitored daily and a Keenan diet feeder along with Keenan technical assistance is used to feed the cattle. The animals are bedded every day through out the winter with clean dry straw so as to ensure maximum animal welfare standards are maintained.”

He continues: “The animals’ diet consists of cereals, chopped straw-to aid digestion, sea weed minerals and red clover silage. The drinking water for the animals is gathered on the farm from the roofs of all the farm buildings and it is stored in an underground tank.”

Taking the step towards selling his own porridge was, all told, a small one for a man so steeped in innovation.

for more, see here

TOTALLY TIPPERARY FOOD FESTIVAL LAUNCH

2011-05-19T14:01:00.005+01:00

I was at the Totally Tipperary Food Festival launch today - in fact, I'm volunteering on the committee to organise the whole thing - and here's our first statement to the world.

(except on twitter where we've been busy - follow @totallytipp if u are interested in that!)

Picture (Copyright Oliver Moore) LtoR: Sarah Baker, Sam Baker and Pat Whelan.

All roads lead to Tipperary, for Ireland’s newest food festival, Totally Tipperary. This innovative and exciting food event will be held within the historic grounds of Cloughjordan House on the 25th June 2011.

Totally Tipperary is open to everyone. Food Producers, Food writers, Food bloggers and Food lovers are converging to taste the best of what Tipperary has to offer. As well as eating and drinking, there will also be an opportunity to learn about food and where it comes from. Growing, cooking and making food will all feature prominently at this very innovative food festival.

Tastings, talks, tours, cookery, production demonstrations and a host of delectable food stalls are to be savoured at Totally Tipperary. There will also be children's and evening entertainment which will engage both the mind and body at Totally Tipperary. All manner of tents, yurts and marquees will fill the open garden spaces within this historic old house.

Kindly supported by Bosch, FBD, Bord Bia and the Sarah Baker Cookery School, Totally Tipperary will draw on the combined expertise of the following to provide a foodie event of epic proportions. The Tipperary Food Producers, a passionate and visionary group of some of Tipperary's finest artisan food producers; GIY (who empower people to 'Grow it Yourself'); Greenworks, who run reskilling courses in the green economy, including food, the Cloughjordan Festival itself and Cultivate, through their Convergence event.

RTE's Ella McSweeney (Ear to the Ground; Homegrown) and Bobby Kerr (Dragon's Den) will be on hand to facilitate debate and demonstrations, while the Seomra Blog Bia will add a globally interactive and innovative dimension.

Seomra Blog Bia will feature cookery demonstrations from both worldwide food bloggers and chefs as they engage the visitor on how to use the best of local, seasonal, sustainable and fresh foods. This will include Kristin of Dinner du Jour (one of the founders of the #inishfood phenomenon) ; David of Kitchen 72; Vicky of S'Tasty; Joanna of Smörgåsblog and Yvonne of Hey Pesto.

With the very generous help of Bord Bia, a number of French Michelin Star chefs, including Maurice Alexis, chef from the Elysee Palace in Paris, will attend as part of a nationwide tour. This will add enormously to the international flavor of the event and provide visitors with a unique view of Tipperary produce being used as the main ingredients in the creation of stunning dishes by some of the world’s most eminent chefs.

The festival will embrace all manner of modern media and will be broadcast live online through a variety of platforms: Photos, Videos, Audio sound bites will be posted, blogged and tweeted about live on the day to the world.

The Sarah Baker Cookery School will be running hourly cookery classes for children during the day in a dedicated marquee. This will allow parents to relax and enjoy the more sophisticated offerings in the main cookery tent. The Tipperary Food Producers will include products from Hickeys Bakery, The Apple Farm, Cashel Blue cheese, Red Nose Wine, Inch House, Crowe's Farm and a host of other passionate Tipperary businesses.

Totally Tipperary will have a very practical and hands on dimension. Pat Whelan, of the highly respected James Whelan Butchers in Clonmel will run a dedicated meat tent; GIY - Grow it Yourself - will get down and dirty with how to grow some of your own food, whilst many of the demos will revolve around not just handy hints on cooking but on making some core foods yourself – including your own dairy products like butter and cheese.

The Cloughjordan Community Farm will show people some of the practical steps involved in setting up a farm where the producer and consumer work together as part of a community. They will also do tours of their farm and host Raw: A milk party, which will show people how to make the most of milk. The Cloughjordan Ecovillage will also be on hand to do tours and talks on this most innovative project, which just happens to be next door to the festivities.

The days events will develop into a night of celebration with an Asado - an Argentinian-style BBQ brought to you with 100% Irish and 100% Tipperary produce. Music and Entertainment will be brought to you on the evening by The Boudoir Sessions (Electric Picnic, Body and Soul Festival) who will swing and sway, charm and disarm the crowd with sounds from the 1920s, 30s, 40s and 50s - boogie woogie, swing, calypso, mento, rockabilly and bluegrass.

They will be accompanied for the evening time soirée by Kaledescape, an arts co-operative that will provide a full sensory and interactive experience including Europe's largest Kaleidoscopes, a giant flower garden and The Invisible Band.

Be sure to join us at Totally Tipperary on 25th June in Cloughjordan House, Tipperary for a food festival that will allow you to indulge your senses in all that is Tipperary.

For more see here follow @totallytipp on twitter or ring Peter Baker on 087 2515694

ORGANIC MARKET RETURNS TO STABILITY

2011-05-12T09:41:00.000+01:00

After recession-related decline, the organic market in Ireland has finally returned to a relatively stable position.

It has been tough for all sectors in the economy, including agri-food in recent years. However, in various parts of the world, indications are that the organic market is strong.

Mainland Europe is performing especially well, with growth in countries like Austria and Denmark most prominent.

According to the latest data from research agency Kantar, for the 52 weeks up to the 20th Feb 2011, the Irish organic market is valued at €97.8m. This represents a marginal decline on the previous year but signals a significant slowdown in the rate of decline from 14% a year earlier.

According to Bord Bia's Mary Morrissey, “Key performance indicators show us that shoppers are putting less in their baskets and buying organic less often, in line with more conscious and frugal purchasing”.

“While the overall market value is down, recent Mintel research in the UK suggested that 26% of committed organic consumers are claiming to be buying more organic food than a year earlier.”

It is also the cast that the UK organic market figures have also stabilied.

According to Kantar, volume sales drop back “as consumers cut back on the amount they put in the basket.”

They also state that the data confirms “shoppers (are) still putting less in the basket and returning less often to purchase organic food.”

Purchase frequency, spend per buyer, kilogrammes bought per buyer, spend each trip, volume purchased each trip – all are down between 2.9 and 8%, penetration is up marginally and price per kilo is up 5.6%, according to the research.

Mining into the data, there are market winners and losers. Vegetables, snacks, yoghurt and breakfast cereals are growth areas.

Yoghurt sales are showing the strongest growth in these figures: up 12.7% in terms of volume and 2.8% in terms of market share.

Vegetables grew from 25 to 26.5 % of the overall market. Most areas were relatively stable, with a marginal increase in the milk figures too.

The 'other' section is the area where decline is most significant, down from 19.3 to 15.8% of the overall organic market.

('Other' excludes the main significant food areas such as meat, milk, veg, fruit biscuits, eggs, confectionery etc; it is thus not especially relevant for farmers or food businesses)

Performing weakly in the organic sector are fruit and hens eggs, down from 10.4 to 9.4% and 3 to 2.3% of the overall market respectively.

Fruit sales are down significantly for the second year in a row; fruit was 12.8% of the market in 2009.

Meat sales were relatively stable, showing a slight market decline from 6.1 to 5.9%.

With breakfast cereals, snacks, savory, snacks and yoghurt performing well, it seems that the food processing industry is performing reasonably well in the overall organic sector, and that the produce itself is mainstreaming.

According to Morrissey, “The organic sector has a number of challenges that need to be addressed if growth is to return to the market.”

She continues “Organic foods compete head to head with other food items that have an ethical positioning, price is still a key barrier to purchase, innovation in organic has been in decline since 2008 and contradictory studies about the benefits of organic food is causing consumer confusion.”

However, she points out, “the Mintel research shows that it is AB consumers that are the most engaged in the organic food category and in the next five years their numbers are set to increase by 8.7%.”

In other news, it was also announced that a national organic conference will take place on Tuesday 14th June at Limerick Institute of Technology.

This one day conference is designed “to provide information, inspiration and practical assistance to organic producers, growers and processors”.

More on this when information becomes available.

MAKE YOUR OWN FOOD

2011-05-06T14:09:00.003+01:00

(Note: greenworks offer loads of brilliant free courses for job seekers in many areas of the green economy. Have a look here)

BEGINS:

DIY is booming, and its not just about home improvements or gardening. It seems that a combination of more developed tastes and economic recession have come together.

Now, more and more fashionably frugal people are looking for ways to have good products without spending a fortune And taking the Do-it-Yourself ethos to the next level is one such way.

(Image: Sarah Baker Cookery School)

There are a burgeoning number of courses to accompany this. Beyond jam making, foraging or baking bread, laudable and all as these are, there really are next level options available now.

Some familiar places, like the Organic Centre in Leitrim, are offering more courses in a wider range of activities than previously. Other, newer places, like Sarah Bakers' Cookery School in Tipperary, are offering a whole new set of courses for the discerning DIYer.

“We're running twice as many cheese making courses this year as last year, and we may have to put on some more. The interest really is growing” according to Hans Wieland of the Organic Centre.

Anna Browne, a quintessential polymath, teaches the Centre's courses in soap making.

Describing herself as a “passionate gardener” since she was a teenager, “interested in making everything from scratch”, she began on her current path teaching gardening to children as a volunteer at Mullingar Educate Together National School. This led to teaching adults, and a range of skills' courses: “sourdough breadmaking, natural beverages, and other traditional skills” she tells me.

In parallel, she has worked in IT and has a science degree.

Soapmaking came next: “The Science degree helped with the soapmaking - unlike the other traditional skills I teach it's a chemical process. All soap is made from Caustic soda and fat. Castille soap uses olive oil. Our ancestors would have made soap from beef or pig tallow - beef tallow makes a lovely white rich laundry soap.”

While of interest to a wide range of hobbyists, she tells me that “two of my students have gone on to set up a business”.

Sarah Baker's cookery school in Tipperary is a gem. Relatively new on the scene, it is nonetheless building up quite a reputation for itself. One of the more innovative courses on offer is one on artisan food processing. This is a veritable A-Z of home food inventing.

I dropped down to Cloughjordan house, built in 1675, where Sarah runs her cookery school.

As well as the necessary background, scientific and theoretical work, those who attend the course will learn how to; pasteurize and homogenize milk; make butter, cheese and yoghurt; make both yeast and soda breads, make wine and beer, and finally, cure meat.

Organised through Green-works, a green economy back-to-work initiative, (see www.greenworks.ie) the courses are also open to non-job seekers who simply want to upskill.

According to Sarah: “If people want to become a little inventive for themselves they really can do so with what are actually very affordable ingredients. People can get a feeling that they have achieved something too, which is very important.”

“It can also just be fun with friends, or of course can turn into a business idea. Lots of Ireland's top artisan producers, like Valarie Kingston of Glenilen farm, started at their own kitchen tables.”

All told, there have never been more opportunities to testing the boundaries of what can possibly be called, genuinely, home made.

For more see greenworks sarah baker anna browne and the organic centre

Organic and Biodiversity: more insights

2011-05-01T23:43:00.005+01:00

A few months ago, I gave my own take on what I considered to be questionable conclusions drawn from otherwise sound research into biodiversity and organic farming. This is here and here.

To be fair, some of the problems were with attention grabbing press releases. Of course that's a press release's function, but lead researchers were quoted in these PRs, going on about feeding the world and land use, despite the research itself being about biodiversity.

Organic farming and feeding the world/land use have also been dealt with on this blog extensively, including here.

Why am I bringing all this up? Well, I came across a publication from December 2010 which makes a lot of really good arguments that further back up the overall performance of organic farming in terms of biodiversity. This is from a UK Organic research centre, and it can be found here

Some worthwhile broad arguments in this publications, which is one of many documents feeding into the overall notion that organic carries such a range of policy answers, it really needs to be taken on in a far more serious fashion than it currently is.

In fact, organic is almost becoming incommensurable with conventional, as a single crop conventional farming study simply can't compare to the entire functionality of an organic farm.

FEASTA weekender on now!

2011-04-29T18:11:00.003+01:00

With organic markets stabilising or growing in Ireland, mainland Europe and the US, confidence seems to be returning to the sector.

Meanwhile, the EPA's latest projections suggest that Ireland will miss the EU's 2020 Greenhouse Gas Emission's (GHG) Targets, with agriculture implicated.

While the recession is slowing down Ireland's GHG emissions, growth plans in Harvest 2020, in particular the ending of milk quota in 2015, will see Agriculture's emissions increase by 4%, the EPA claim.

And while EU commission research released in February found that the carbon footprint of Irish food products rated amongst the very best in the EU, any potential improvements in this performance are worth considering.

In light of these overarching factors, the arrival to Ireland of Gundula Azeez for the FEASTA lecture series next week is timely.

Azeez has worked on policy for a number of organisations, including the British National Farmers' Union, the EU Commission and the Soil Association, Britain's largest organic certification and advocacy group.

The series is called “Low External Input Agriculture – the only road to a sustainable food supply” and it features Azeez and a number of other speakers and initiatives in two locations.

The first event starts in Dublin on Thursday 28th April, at the McLelland Room, The Central Hotel, Exchequer Street, Dublin 2. In the afternoon a group will take the bus to Cloughjordan, where an evening event will begin in the Methodist Hall at 7.30, after a (very sustainable!) meal at 6.30.

The morning session will examine organic farming's role in improving food security and combating climate change. Following registration at 11, Azeez will speak on how organic methods can lower greenhouse emissions and reduce reliance on fossil energy .

She is well positioned to do so, having written the Soil Association report from November 2009 entitled “Soil Carbon and organic farming: A review of the evidence of agriculture’s potential to combat climate change.”

In this report, which dealt with the UK situation, it emerged that the widespread adoption of organic farming practices in the UK would offset 23% of UK agricultural emissions through soil carbon sequestration alone.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 89% of agriculture’s global greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation potential is from carbon sequestration.

The report also found that a worldwide switch to organic farming could offset 11% of all global greenhouse gas emissions.

Raising soil carbon levels would also make farming worldwide more resilient to extremes of climate like droughts and floods, leading to greater food security.

It also found that on average organic farming produces 28% higher levels of soil carbon compared to non-organic farming in Northern Europe, and 20% higher for all countries studied (in Europe, North America and Australasia)

While focused on the UK primarily, the finding that grasslands and mixed farming systems also have a vital role to play, and soil carbon may go a long way to offsetting the methane emissions from grass-fed cattle and sheep, is especially relevant to Ireland.

Ireland has more potential in this regard that most other regions in Europe.

The afternoon session in Dublin focuses on the potential of Biochar to increase soil fertility and reduce fertilizer use, while in Cloughjordan the evening public meeting will discuss Climate Change issues.

After this FEASTA will hold a think-in for the weekend, which will address many of the preceding issues in a detailed and targeted way.

As a part of this, another public event will be held on Saturday 30th April in Cloughjordan, which will focus on how organic farming can be implicated in building a resilient, sustainable food supply. Speakers will be Gundula Azeez, Martin Peck (an organic sheep farmer in Wales) and Joe Condon, organic beef producer from South Tipperary.

For more see www.feasta.org or ring 0505 42826 or 086 3642728.

Organic news 14th April 2011

2011-04-14T12:31:00.003+01:00

NEWS ****NEWS****NEWS****

Organic sales in Ireland return to stability:

"According to the latest Kantar data (52 wk ended 20th Feb 2011) the Irish organic market is valued at €97.8m. This represents a marginal decline on the previous year but signals a significant slowdown in the rate of decline from 14% a year earlier." according to Mary Morrissey of Bord Bia, who have access to Kantar's research (slightly wacky super slick site btw!)

Similar news came from the UK and the US recently, whereas the mainland of the EU never saw decline anyway.....more on this in the Examiner soon....

Organic Farming and Climate Change mitigation:

Two talks coming up soon:@ Dublin and Cloughjordan by Gundula Azeez, formerly of the British National Farmers Union, the Soil Association the EU Commission. Part of the FEASTA lecture series on Low External Input Agriculture - the only road to a sustainable food supply ,these talks will encompass farming, climate change, organic and biochar. Full weekend of events listed here

Supervalu & Organic Growers: partnering up

2011-04-12T23:29:00.007+01:00

Is this, finally, a little bit of the farmers' market spirit right in the centre of the supermarket? Is this some sort of a solution to the imponderable of supermarket dominance and a lack of significantly penetrating alternatives, especially in the UK or Ireland (well, really the whole English speaking world, where supermarkets have a hegemony when compared to mainland Europe)

And does SuperValu's franchise structure actively allow for such a thing to develop?

begins

Organic vegetable sales up 150% for the retailer and twice the area planted for the grower. That, in straightforward terms, is what has happened in Glanmire thanks to the new arrangement SuperValu have with organic growers.

Walking into the Glanmire Supervalu, you cannot fail to be impressed by what is Ireland's largest Supervalu store. What's more impressive, from an organic perspective, is the dedicated island one organic vegetable grower, Colum O Regan, has all to himself.

Supervalu's fresh fruit and veg people have a direct, one-to-one relationship with organic growers all over Ireland, and it is, if you will, a growing phenomenon.

(Pic: Una Ni Broin of Beechlawn house, one of the Enterprises that initiated the SuperValu organic growers initiative)

Rather than centralised distribution and anonymous placement within the rows and rows of various vegetables, Colum O Regan's veg has its own display area out on its own, with dedicated blackboards, Specially commissioned photographs, and even regular appearances by the man himself at stacking time.

These islands act as a little organic oasis amid rows and rows of self-same produce.

I asked Emma Rochford of Musgraves about this recent departure for their SuperValu stores. “To allow us to differentiate from other multiplies in the market, we have decided to work with local organic growers, bringing them into our stores and giving their product treatment in a different way.”

“We treat the local organic growers differently in that we guarantee them a particular space in the store in which to merchandise their product. This area or section will be dedicated to them. We then support them by providing the growers with complementary bespoke point of sale materials – blackboards on which to write their name and key offer, and personalised communications – so we have their image on the posters or shelf talkers, allowing locals to really identify the growers”

She continues “SuperValu recruits growers to come on board and helps to get them retail ready. The arrangements however are made solely between the individual stores and growers in question. We issue a number of guidelines or recommendations but between them the retailers and growers come to their own agreements on price, delivery dates, range of products supplied and so on. There is no fee or charge to the growers for supplying the stores.”

“They do really know what they are doing” according to Colum. “When they give you advice on how to sell more of this or that, through better use of your display area, it works”. He cites highlighting a round figure value offer on the blackboard as an example: “when you put the beetroot at a 2E deal, and put this on the blackboard, the customer really goes for it.”

It all began with Padraig Fahy and Una Ni Bhroin in east Galway in early 2009, who supplied 6 SuperValu stores in the region. Receiving various supports (e.g. grants for packaging and chilled delivery) and training, the couple initially road tested just two varieties. Now, they stock 15 seasonal lines.

According to Emma “Last year in 2010 we worked with 8 growers who supplied 20 of our stores. Our aim would be to have growers supplying 50 stores this summer. We currently expect to work with 14 growers over this summer season but are actively seeking more growers. Our aim would be to continue to grow the project year on year and to be in a position to have this initiative in 100 stores by 2013.”

According to Colum O 'Regan, the growers who supply Supervalu have started to “get together to swap knowledge informally”: “its very precise, even down to the pure agronomy of the whole thing. How do you supply a tonne of carrots every week? Two tonnes, ten tonnes, what ever it is. And at a good quality.”

Nevertheless, the numbers Supervalu are aiming for are ambitious. Already they are talking to growers who are in conversion about future opportunities.

“There are Supervalus in many towns in Ireland, and there might not be the grower there, yet, to supply to the required volume”. “But” he adds, “this sort of set-up might give them the confidence to start”.

Farm Diversification - piecemeal or significant?

2011-04-10T23:00:00.006+01:00

Once seen as a diversion from 'real farming', increasingly, farmers are opting for one or more of the many diversification opportunities out there.

There are powerful drivers for this.

(pic: an apiary)

However, there has been a decline in the availability of off farm jobs since 2007 especially.

He also points out that the rates of diversification in Ireland, though rising, are still very low. Less than 5%, or 5000 Irish farmers diversify, whereas in the UK, the figure is 51%.

That said, farmers have certain advantages when it comes to diversification.

Likewise, the supports available under the AEOS scheme are nowhere near the REPS supports levels.

On the individual level, ICT skills are increasingly important, and this is not an area all farmers are comfortable with, though upskilling is available, and family members can be drawn on.

Farmers also have options other than diversification coming downstream, in particular upscaling and intensifying, with the end of dairy quota in 2015.

Innovation and planning are vital. Before you start, you may want to consider availing of background household budgeting supports.

V. D. Kaviraj comes to Ireland

2011-04-08T00:21:00.003+01:00

A very interesting character, V. D. Kaviraj, is visiting Ireland to give a weekend workshop on homoeopathy & the garden.

Its on 16th & 17th April in The Community Gardens in Scariff Co. Clare. If you have an interest in the area, its not to be missed.

(Do google this guys life story - it doesn't get more epic really - we're talking a healer on the planetary scale fighting the good fight, often in very unusual circumstances!)

Forming Co-ops and groups for organic farmers

2011-04-03T17:36:00.001+01:00

More than other types of farming, organic farming can be isolating. This is because organic farmers are spread out, diffusely, around Ireland.

Whereas a conventional beef, sheep or dairy farmer may have neighbours with similar enterprises, organic farmers can be some distance from other organic farmers.

In more mature organic sectors abroad, this effect diminishes as organic farms cluster in regions over time (See for e.g. Dr. Matt Reed's work on spatial dynamics and organic farming in Devon)

Of course, organic and conventional farmers can and do interact with each other in a variety of ways – however there are undoubted benefits to organic farmers working together too.

While local organic producer groups would be difficult to sustain numerically, regional organic producer groups have perhaps more potential.

One such group is meeting in Ballyvourney, Cork, on the 27th of this month, at 3PM. Tom Murray of Earth Angel Organics has been central to the formation of the group, which has met twice already.

Earth Angel Organics run a small but very diverse holding near Watercress Hill in the Glanmire part of Cork. Market gardening and direct selling a range of organic vegetables is Tom and Carol Murray's core business, but they also produces an array of other foods – eggs, chicken, pork, lamb, as well as jams, pickles, sauces more.

(For a detailed feature on Earth Angel Organics, see the upcoming edition of Organic Matters Magazine)

I spoke to Tom about the formation of the group.

“Really, people were crying out for working together” he tells me. “We are getting organic farmers and growers from across Munster, from Cork, Kerry and Limerick”.

He continues “our first meeting in November had 20 people, the next in December in Mills Inn had more, and we're hoping for more again for our February meeting”.

There are significant benefits to forming a group: “There's shared purchasing power for a start. For example, a lorryload of feed from the UK can work out far cheaper than buying it as individuals in Ireland”.

The monopolistic situation in Ireland with regard to organic feed makes price competition especially difficult to generate.

“A 25 kg bag of organic feed can cost E15.50, and some have been paying to E17 for the same bag. Buying a tonne from the UK means that it works out at more like E12.50 for 25 kg”.

There are other positive feed effects too: “4 tonnes of oats were traded at the first meeting” he tells me “I knew we were onto something good once I saw that”.

There are other ways to save time and money too, when operating as a group: “You could spend an age looking up something on line, when someone else has already looked into it.”

Their upcoming meeting will feature John Brennan of the Leitrim Organic Farmers' Co-op and Sean McGloin of NOTS- the National Organic Training Skillsnet. The Leitrim Co-op are a good example of how and why farmers should try to work together where it suits them.

According to Sean McGloin, organic farmers in North West can achieve better prices that those in the South West.

This is in part because, along with IOFGA, the Leitrim Co-op run numerous organic cattle marts in Drumshanbo. They also work on some of the ancillary elements to the marts, such as transport to and from the location.

In general, with the work of the co-op, through beef contracts, advice on finishing animals, farmer to farmer linkages, farm visits, breed advice and strong sales promotion, organic farmers in the north west are more likely to achieve a price premium at the various stages.

This also means that the organics retains its cattle and sheep – a fact which maintains overall organic sector buoyancy.

The Ballyvourney Organic Producer's Group: Contact Tom Murray on 087 6237859

Leitrim coop are here

Sean McGloin's take on the state of the Organic Sector in Ireland.

2011-03-22T23:19:00.005Z

The state of play for organic farming and food were laid out by Sean McGloin of NOTS, the National Organic Training Skillsnet at a rural jobs conference in February.

Along with Sean McGloin, Orla Clancy and JP Crowe spoke about their experiences of being organic farmers and food businesses. There was a specific focus on the development of jobs in the sector.

(Pic: Clancy's mobile unit: see also here for a feature on Clancy's in Organic Matters)

Attendees were also asked to identify including important factors shaping the sector; implications of these drivers; future direction of the sector; how we get there.

McGloin is well positioned to give an opinion on the state of the organic sector in Ireland, as he works with organic farmers every day.

His presentation dealt with organic farming's outlook, market drivers, opportunities for employment, barriers to expansion and future needs.

The organic outlook was described as generally good – he cited livestock as strong, with demand outstripping supply. Other areas have a positive outlook too: demand from Flahavans is leading to a good cereal market, much needed horticultural refocusing has helped with growth and finally value adding is increasingly important.

A number of sectoral drivers were listed for both producers and consumers. For producers he pointed to an ambitious mindset; their faith in the product; significant demand; the method of farming; job satisfaction; quality of life; financial and soft supports; and finally producer groups.

What were emphasised most during the presentation were lifestyle issues. These are often overlooked in crude macro economic analysis of farming – organic or otherwise.

In fact, the end of family farming was first predicted in the 1890s by political economist Karl Kautsky. For a variety of non-strictly economic reasons, this hasn't happened.

As an example, changes in the Single Farm Payment were predicted to make much conventional beef farming un-viable, and yet it, like other types of farming, have persisted.

In straightforward terms, farmers enjoy farming and adapt other aspects of their lives to accommodate this. As an example, they may take on a part-time job to keep part-time farming, rather than leave farming altogether.

A similar situation holds for organic farmers – as a way of life, with lower stocking rates and higher biodiversity surrounding you, its could for some be less stressful and intense than other types of farming.

As consumer drivers, McGloin listed: health; children; illness recovery; being more food aware; being interested in local food; lower cost differential; a feelgood feeling; nostalgia; and better access to organic food sources.

Again, lots of interesting elements to these divers. Health and illness recovery do reflect a precautionary approach from consumers, whatever about official positions from State agencies.

Certainly, the availability and cost of organic food have improved from a consumer perspective – the main Discounters offer budget-style organic lines in field scale vegetables, dairy and meat products especially.

With a focus on rural job creation at the event, he then went on to discuss the job opportunities organic farming offers. Adding Value on farm can, he suggested, return farmers to full time on-farm employment. It can also be good for local employment, through the utilization of local services by said farmers.

Organic farming has become attractive due to the downturn – small landowners are returning to farming as a realistic option with fewer options elsewhere in the economy. Organic is benefiting from this, as farming in general is.

However, organic may be more attractive to some because of their travel, education, work or consumption experiences of recent years. Horticulture was cited as a specific area for returnees.

Tourism and quality of life factors also featured as an organic farming employment area: Organic farms have a significant potential to double up as ecotourism locations, so they offer a diversification option. Quality of life referred again in part to diversification - working from home on an organic food business is attractive to a family unit with young children. (His own childcare bill made the point, at E16,000 per annum!)

There are however, both barriers and solutions to the further growth of the organic farming and food sector, which McGloin also dealt with. More on these next posting.

ORGANIC FARMING SCHEME REOPENS

2011-03-03T20:23:00.003Z

Quick posting today everybody, but yes, the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) has reopened for 2011. Later than usual, and in the political limbo that's out there at present, it hasn't even been press released (apparently u need a minister to issue a press release)

Here is the form that you'll need to start the process of joining the OFS for 2011.

You must have joined by 16th May 2011. Applications now sent to Johnstown Castle directly (to speed processing up)

Peak Phosphosus: between (another) rock and a hard place

2011-02-28T01:17:00.003Z

Part 2 on Peak Phosphorus. (Again, the North African element makes this all the more pertinent than it was when I wrote this piece, due to the uprisings going on in that part of the world. Appears here exclusively.

For part one see here

Farming supplies of phosphorus come mostly from one part of the world - Morocco. They are also finite. A new Soil Association report suggests a peak in availability by 2033, as well as significant environmental concerns with current use in agriculture.

How could and should farming adapt to the finite nature of its inputs, in particular phosphorus? According to the Soil Association, there are three distinct action areas.

The first is changing how we farm. They point out that “different farming systems vary enormously in their reliance on mined phosphate. Organic farms are more resilient to the coming phosphorus rock ‘shock’, as it can only be used as a supplement to nutrient recycling (including crop rotations, green manures, and composting), and not as a replacement.”

They continue: “Organic crops generally have a lower fertiliser requirement than non-organic crops, with a greater capacity to scavenge for nutrients through denser and deeper root systems.”

They also suggest the need for a change in consumption patterns: “Eating less meat can reduce the demand for mined phosphate. This is because vegetable-based production is more efficient in its use of phosphorus than livestock production.”

However not all meat is the same: “Meat from livestock grazed on grassland that has not been fertilised with artificial fertilisers, will perform much better than meat from livestock grazed on fields that have been, or livestock fed on grain grown using artificial fertilisers.”

The third is novel but in terms of global nutrient cycles something of an unpalatable inevitability. Its changing how we deal with human excreta. The report recommends “a radical change in the way we treat human ex[c]reta and the need to abandon our current ‘flush-and-forget’ toilet systems in favour of Ecological Sanitation.

“The report also calls for a change to EU organic regulations to allow the use of human sewage – rich in ‘natural’ phosphate - on agricultural land to ensure phosphate levels are maintained. Globally only 10% of human waste is returned to agricultural soils. Urine alone contains more than 50% of the phosphorus excreted by humans.”

The use of these “Biosolids” (treated municipal/human sewage sludge) is already allowed in conventional agriculture.

I spoke to the report author Isobel Tomlinson (Soil Association) to explore these issues further.

Last one first: excreta. “in the longer term we recognise that there are problems with the current sanitation system: high water use, phosphorus water pollution, high energy-use as well as the continuing risk of contaminants - because industrial waste is added to the sewage system you get a risk from heavy metal contamination.”

Separating waste or, equally, nutrient, streams seems to be key: that's industrial from human, as mentioned, but also urine from solids:

“We think that we should move towards ecological sanitation which is a term that incorporates a range of different systems for solving these problems. We particularly mention urine-diverting systems as urine contains half of phosphorus excreted, is generally sterile and there are already examples of it being used in agriculture - for example Sweden. We would also like composting systems – the "humanure" approach - to be considered where appropriate.”

She also expands on the changing consumption and farming. Indeed, the two are connected, as what's produced is also consumed – either by animals or people.

According to Tomilson, along with changing production over to organic methods, what's needed is “An overall cut in dairy consumption, and dairy products to be sourced from grass-fed cows from extensive farming systems; More cereals and root crops and more seasonal fruit and vegetables; Less meat overall, but more grass-fed beef and lamb and less energy intensive, grain-fed and industrially-reared chickens and pigs.”

Ireland is well positioned to produce meat and milk extensively. We may, however, have to convince others to produce less and for us to be “The Producers” - i.e. the main suppliers for many parts of the world due to our extensive grazing. We may however, also have to make our grazing even more low input and grass-based - and do so not just for for phosphorus supply, but for many other environmental reasons too.

the Soil Association report is here

WHAT DO THE MAIN POLITICAL PARTIES SAY ABOUT ORGANIC FARMING AND GM?

2011-02-23T12:28:00.005Z

Ella's blog has a handy guide to the Elections and agri-food policy for the main parties.

Its' here

Did a quick organic farming and food food scan through the docs, and here's what I found.

FG mentions of Organic in their agri-food document: 0

(strong mention of GM and moving beyond 'idealogical posturing' on page 17)

Labour: 3 (though two are the exact same words placed into two separate locations!)

(No mention of GM in agriculture/food)

Sinn Fein: 6 mentions; incl 2nd para; A standalone heading called - A funding initiative to promote organic farming in Ireland. They also have a stated anti-GM in agriculture/food position in the doc (not done page by page, just placed on site)

FF: 0 (and No mention of GM in agriculture/food)

GP: 0 (anti-GM in agriculture/food position has a category. pg 32)

Peak Phosphorus: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

2011-02-23T01:38:00.004Z

This EXCLUSIVE feature (with part 2 next time) deals with phosphorus availability to farming. While the primary thing that's going on in North Africa right now is a fight for democracy, in the context of this article, North Africa takes on a new significance...Especially Morocco .

Read on to see why....

(pic: phosphorus mining, from tree hugger)

Sometimes, it seems, its not that it rains but it pours. Just as the economy nosedives, a whole range of agri-food peaks seem to be emerging in tandem.

There's an impending peak in global oil availability. There is the peak of 350 parts per million in atmospheric carbon, which we have passed but hope to drop back to. Without doing so, we are over what scientists consider to be the safe limit and may trigger runaway climate change.

And now, there's peak phosphorus.

Of the farmers' Holy Trinity of N, P and K in the stalwart bag of 10-10-20, its the K that's most at risk.

While mined potassium will be available for centuries, and while nitrogen can be fixed from the air, mined phosphorus may only have decades left. What's more, a peak in supply may, according to a new report issued by the UK's Soil Association, come as soon as 2033.

This report, “A rock and a hard place: Peak phosphorus and the threat to our food security” points out that once we come close to and reach this peak, prices will inevitably start to rise.

Crucially, agriculture will have to adapt to this or face the possibility of failing to feed even more than the 8-900 million it currently fails to feed.

What has been called by the Scientific American “a geostrategic time bomb” colours the situation significantly: there are just three main global sources of phosphorus - the US, China and Morocco/Western Sahara.

According to the Soil Association report, “In 2009, 158 million metric tonnes of phosphate

rock was mined worldwide. 67% of this resource was mined in just three countries - China (35%), the USA (17%) and Morocco and Western Sahara (15%). China has now restricted, and the USA has stopped, exports of phosphate”.

So that basically leaves the rest of the world depending on Morocco.

The report claims that phosphate availability “is missing from the global policy agenda - we are completely unprepared to deal with the shortages in phosphorus inputs, the drop in production and the hike in food prices that will follow. Without fertilisation from phosphorus it has been estimated that wheat yields could more then halve in coming decades, falling from nine tonnes a hectare to four tonnes a hectare.”

Research released in 2008 by the pan-European QLIF (Quality Low Input Food) project reported found even more stark figures. It suggested that without phosphorus, non-organic wheat yields could fall from an average of eight to just 2.5 tonnes per hectare, while organic yields (of six tonnes per hectare) would also decline, though not as starkly. This is because organic farming encourages a wider number of sources of phosphate input.

According to Professor Carlo Leifert, one of the scientists at the University of Newcastle working on the project, “If you look at textbooks from 30 years ago, they estimate that we had about 500 years of phosphorus left. Now we are using about 125 million tonnes each year. Even optimists – and we are optimists – estimate that there is no more than about 60 years of phosphorus left now. And you can’t substitute one mineral fertiliser with another.”

The 2010 Soil Association report points out that “the current price of phosphate rock is approximately twice that of 2006. When demand for phosphate fertiliser outstripped supply in 2007/08, the price of rock phosphate rose 800%.”

It continues “A radical rethink of how we farm, what we eat and how we deal with human excreta, so that adequate phosphorus levels can be maintained without reliance on mined phosphate, is crucial for ensuring our future food supplies.”

The Red Wine Diet: the holy grail of health options?

2011-02-17T00:18:00.003Z

Well worth watching, whilst sipping a glass of wine.

Actually.......

Red wine, about 11-12%, probably from south west France, with regionally specific grapes (especially tannat), long fermentation times, grown on a bit of a slope, on a vineyard with reasonably low yields. Phew.

U could also munch away on a bit of dark chocolate too......

Can Organic farming deliver multiple public policy goods? Yes it can!

2011-02-15T00:10:00.004Z

Catchy title, eh? (!)

“The most interesting and important result of the CAP Reform to date has been that the public consultation and communication showed that people want agriculture to deliver on public goods, people want good quality food produced in a manner which does not compromise the environment.”

That's according to Christopher Stopes, current President of IFOAM, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements.

He points out that there is some recognition of this fact at European Commission level. Their recent communication The CAP towards 2020, he states, “recognises the special quality organic farm products offer to consumers, and stresses the need to further strengthen the organic quality scheme as a policy tool”.

“If implemented in an ambitious way, this will be an asset for the future of the CAP, as organic

farming does not only provide consumers with high-quality food, but is also a comprehensive approach to deliver solutions for the challenges the Commission has so clearly lined out, including climate change, biodiversity loss, depletion of natural resources such as soil, water and nutrients, while also promoting enhanced animal welfare standards.”

Stopes was in Ireland recently, speaking in Tullamore at the rescheduled IOFGA AGM. He expanded upon these and other related points as keynote speaker at the event.

Pointing out the basic inconsistencies and failings of agriculture and food policies, he described a recent meeting with a financier who “made £150 million in speculation on grain in January this year”.

Who said there was no money in farming?

Meanwhile, 150 million more people have been pushed into hunger in the last three years than were previously.

In essence, the deregulation of markets has allowed food to be speculated upon and hoarded, even while people starve. Indeed, bumper crops in African countries can ironically and tragically lead to famine in the very country that produces the crop, through market reactions to said crop.

Exposing a lack of joined up thinking, Stopes also noted that food-related ill-health spending is the equivalent of “1/3 of the CAP budget anyway.”

Noting a kind of environmental future-proofing in the functioning of organic farms, he made an analogy: because hedges on farms allow for rotations, reduce parasites levels and increase biodiversity, Stopes describes organic farmers as “the real hedge fund managers”

Industry, he pointed out, has always been slow to warn about its own negative effects: “where have the warnings been from industry? The manufacturers didn't take it upon themselves to tell us. They stood by while the Rachael Carsons of the world actually said something”.

Comparing the organic farming and food sectors in the UK and Ireland, he pointed out that state support is stronger here than in the UK.

“In Harvest 2020, it states that organic supports should continue – organic is not even mentioned in the UK's equivalent document”

Bord Bia, he suggested, are far more supportive of organic food than their UK equivalents, the Food Standards Authority.

And the UK's DEFRA, unlike the Irish Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, do not organise a delegation to the trade show BioFach.

He hopes, however, for something of a leap of faith from organic being seen as a quality marker, as it is described in the recent CAP document, towards it being seen as a multifunctional deliverer of stated public policy goals.

While expanding Pillar 2 of the CAP offers the most hope for developing the organic sector, there are issues.

Not only does Pillar 2 receive less financial support from the overall CAP budget, “the big problem is that Pillar 2 requires co-financing by member states”. So there is “patchy support for organic policy” across the EU 27 as a result, he suggested.

The 'elephant in the living room', as it were, is the greening of Pillar 1. Traditional the domain of production only, he suggested that the greening of Pillar 1 would tie a far more significant number of public policy aims together.

For more, see IFOAM

How does your grass grow? Ask Gareth Jones

2011-02-04T01:33:00.003Z

While there is plenty of advice on organic farming practices available in Ireland, there are accessible options across the water too.

Welshman Gareth Jones is one such option. Jones is part of Abacus Organic, a consultancy specialising in all aspects of organic farming and food business development.

Abacus Organic offer assistance in organic farm business management advice, food production, processing product development and procurement; all aspects of cropping, horticulture and livestock; health and safety, retail supply chain management, financial analysis, continuity programming, product development, food hygiene, food safety and more.

Many types of clients avail of these services, including clients in Ireland. Jones, one of Abacus Organic's Directors, was in Ireland last Summer visiting farms with the National Organic Training Skillsnet. (www.nots.ie)

He has also helped Ralph Haslam of Mossfield Cheese in Offaly reseed some of his fields in recent years. Having walked these fields on a couple of occasions in recent months, I have seen first hand the difference between the old and new fields.

In biodiversity terms, these new reseeded fields are incredible, with a great variety of plants and because of this, insects – dragonflies, crickets, ladybirds. And then, with the insects, there are many more birds due to the increase in bird food these insects provide.

But in pure farming terms - what about the productivity of the sward?

While he works mainly with organic farmers, Jones reckons that every farmer could benefit from a bespoke sward. “why not use grasses, clovers and herbs, and tailor these to your land and conditions?” he asks in his inquisitive, lilting tone.

“You'll save in fertility and in the time and effort involved in doing a job: the plants can last 15 years at least, which saves on fuel, compaction of soil and other considerations. Some of them can even last 25 years. Farmers are running around like headless chickens, they have no time, they are constantly watching grasses – crop watching. They could just change the sward.”

So what does Gareth Jones do in his own version of operation transformation? The starting point is fertility building and a soil sample. “We start with soil and soil type, take a sample, do a standard analysis for N, P and K”.

If there's a problem, if there are patches where crops aren't growing properly, or if there is a physical problem like waterlogging, we do a more comprehensive analysis. That's done once, and it gives answers that address a multitude of possible concerns. While its more expensive, it only has to be done once and not only does it tell you what you need to do, it tells you what you don't need to do. Sometimes farmers are applying lime and there's no need for lime. So it can save you time and money”.

I asked him about specific swards for specific purposes, and there was, literally, no stopping him. Great and intricate detail on every possible livestock and crop combination, and the plants to help with each of these. The relative merits of merviot versus milvous red clovers, rotations, peas or barley – Jones was in his comfort zone.

One thing he was especially keen to reiterate was the uniqueness of each farm, and what that should mean for the grasses grown: “It doesn't make sense really, I think, to just buy the standard mix of whatever it is. Seed companies have a mixture for a job – its the same for all regions, but the weather conditions are different everywhere”.

Moreover, “Soil type, overall altitude, topography within the field – is it flat or undulating – and if its undulating does that mean its peat at bottom and stone on top?” He's on a roll now, though always softly spoken and assured; “climate and moisture levels, direction - is it north facing? So I recommend making your own mix that suits not just your farm, but specific fields and specific soil types.”

Abacus Organics can be contacted here or 00 44 7855 484204 (Gareth Jones directly)

Radio Days: BBC 4's Food Programme

2011-01-31T23:25:00.005Z

I am featured on BBC Radio 4's current Food Programme. Its about Ireland and the Recession.

You can hear it here for the next 6 days :

here

(my bit is in second half of the show, towards the end)

ORGANIC MILK SCORES BETTER NUTRITIONALLY...AGAIN

2011-01-28T01:54:00.002Z

Organic milk yet again scores better nutritionally.......

Before anyone starts, have a look at my take on the UK FSA report(part 1 and 2) on organic food and its nutritional superiority or otherwise. (Much of this Newcastle milk research, btw, was just outside the time frame of the UK FSA study....but then, 2/3 of all relevant and published peer reviewed research was too, so what's the biggie!?!)

A new study by researchers from Newcastle University has found significant health and nutritional benefits to organic milk. The research has found that organic milk is higher in beneficial nutrients and fatty acids and, importantly, it is so throughout the year. It also found that saturated fat levels are considerably lower in organic milk.

Saturated fats are considered unhealthy, and are implicated in heart-related conditions.

The European Union-funded study analysed 22 brands of milk available in supermarkets, including 10 organic brands. The milk was all purchased between 2006 and 2008.

The peer-reviewed paper said the health benefits were present all year round rather than just during the summer. Previous research by the same team on milk directly from dairy farms had found that organic milk's benefits held for the summer but less so for winter.

This new study is published in the Journal of Dairy Science. Lead researcher Gillian Butler, livestock project manager for the Nafferton Ecological Farming Group, said: "We wanted to check if what we found on farms also applies to milk available in the shops. Surprisingly, the differences between organic and conventional milk were even more marked. Whereas on the farms the benefits of organic milk were proven in the summer but not the winter, in the supermarkets it is significantly better quality all year round."

The researchers found that the conventional milk collected during a particularly poor UK summer and the following winter had significantly higher saturated fat content and far less beneficial fatty acids than in a more standard weather period.

The more proscribed dietary regimes for organic dairy cows, as compared to their conventional counterparts, is significant in explaining the differences. No more than 40% of the diet can be non-grass under the organic rules.

According to the Soil Association, the UK largest organic certification body:

“The paper not only shows why there is a difference in the nutritional quality of organic and non-organic milk, but also identifies the importance of feeding at least 60% grass or conserved grass to organic cows, as required by organic standards.

The research emphasises the huge importance of allowing cattle to graze outdoors and to eat a natural diet high in grass. This means organic cows do not depend on high levels of grain and proteins such as soya.”

Butler also pointed out that “we're always being told to cut down on the saturated fat we consume and switching to organic milk and dairy products provides a natural way to increase our intake of nutritionally desirable fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants without increasing our intake of less desirable fatty acids”

"By choosing organic milk you can cut saturated fats by 30-50 per cent and still get the same intake of beneficial fatty acids, as the omega-3 levels are higher but omega-6 is not, which helps to improve the crucial ratio between the two."

Organic milk is considered the most researched of certified organic products.

In total, six studies have now found that organic milk has more fat-soluble nutrients - omega-3 fatty acid, Vitamin E and beta-carotene - than non-organic milk, as well as a healthier omega 3:6 ratio (skimmed milk does not have these nutrients).

The most scientifically robust study is by Glasgow and Liverpool Universities, which found that UK (whole) organic milk has on average 68% higher levels of the essential fatty acid omega-3 and a healthier omega-3:6 profile than non-organic milk.

Other recent research found that there were also specific health benefits: Dutch research showed that if infants up to two years old and their mothers eat organic dairy foods, then the infants suffer a 36% lower incidence of eczema - a type of allergic reaction common among Western children. This could be due to the higher CLA level in organic milk and in the breast milk of mothers consuming organic milk, as shown by another study.

Positive as these results are for the organic diary sector in Ireland, the research is on milk available in the UK, not in Ireland. Irish conventional cattle do consume more grass than their UK counterparts. Irish-specific research on organic milk is therefor needed.

Interested in Organic Farming? Then do one of these courses

2011-01-23T00:40:00.003Z

A new round of Teagasc Organic Training courses have been announced.

These courses are compulsory for operators (i.e. farmers and food businesses) who want to apply to join the Organic Farming Scheme.

Accredited to FETAC level 5, they run over 25 hours, and are held one day per week for five consecutive weeks.

While technically compulsory, these Teagasc courses are also very useful for any farmer thinking of converting a holding to organic. All the basics of converting are outlined.

These include the organic standards, principles of organic production, economic viability and market opportunities, all of which will be covered to the required detail.

So participants will learn about costs, planning, returns, markets, nutrient and manure management, crop and animal husbandry, rotations, grass and forage management.

They also learn background information on organic farming and food, as well as available supports and reputable sources of information.

All of these Teagasc Organic Farming courses are tailored to suit the class, and involve guest experts and farm visits. Participants also work on their conversion plans, filling in the necessary application forms and writing a business plan – all very worthwhile tasks in themselves.

The locations and dates are as follows: 25 January Macroom; 26 January Ballinasloe; 26 January Tullamore; 27 January Clonmel; 27 January Mohill; 27 January Swinford; 28 January Ballyhaise; 28 January Tinahely.

I spoke to Teagasc organic advisors about the locations and the courses more generally.

Some of the above locations have not had Teagasc Organic Training Courses previously.

According to the advisors, they are responding to demand, and there is significant demand in these new locations. This is no bad sign for the growth in the numbers of farmers who may be farming organically in the coming years.

Already, 80 have participated in the courses that ran before Christmas, and about 500 have done the courses over the last 12 months. Of these about 50% have joined or applied to join the Organic Farming Scheme.

There are some distinct groups doing these courses. Farmers coming to the end of their REPS Three are interested. Returnees to farming are also interested.

There are a few types in this latter category. Many farmers had moved into construction during the Celtic Tiger years. They are now moving back to farming, and some of these are moving in to organic farming.

While there were some obvious transferable skills from farming to construction, there have also been returnees to farming from the financial and IT sectors. One I spoke with recently, Conor McDonagh, moved back from a business and athletics background in Australia to a completely changed Ireland in 2008.

He now is farming organically on his family land in Cavan, and is restocking an island his father once had cattle on, with organic goats and pigs. (see the current edition of the magazine Organic Matters for a full feature on this farmer)

Inevitably, some of these returnees have new ideas and skills about how and what should be produced from the home farm. This in turn has led to an increase in the number of farmers interested in value adding, rather than the more standard commodity production, according to the advisors.

In other words, more farmers are interested in retaining more of the ownership of both the product and the profits from the enterprise.

They also tell me that the organic farm walks have demystified organic farming, and helped with a process of myth-busting. The fact that the AEOS scheme and the Organic Farming Scheme can both be run simultaneously is also no doubt attractive to farmers considering their options.

(Note: At time of going to press, the next round of the Organic Farming Scheme has not formally been announced. However, as there were no budget cuts announced to either the Grant Aid or the Farming Scheme itself, stakeholders I have spoken to are hopeful that the overall Organic Farming Scheme will be available again for 2011.)

For more information, see www.teagasc.ie or contact: Pat Barry, Moorepark 087 2138331; Dan Clavin, Athenry 087 9368506; Elaine Leavy, Grange 087 9853285; James McDonnell, Oak Park 087 3293820.

Farmer concerns over changes for organic meat

2011-01-15T01:24:00.003Z

This is part 2 of a 2 parter on rule changes for organic meat and direct selling. Here is part one.

Significant concerns have been raised by farmers over changes in the procedures for butchering certified organic meat.

Primarily, this concerns farmers who use local butchers and direct sell their own meat.

Up until now, farmers maintained a record book with all relevant details of the animal and slaughter. This was inspected as part of his own inspection.

Now the onus is being transferred over to the butcher.

It was always technically possible for these butchers to be inspected, but in practice the inspection has sufficed.

Farmers will now have to use butchers' registered with an Organic Certification Body (OCB). Alternatively, their own butcher will have to open himself up to organic inspection and eventual registration. The farmer will pay the cost of this inspection.

Some farmers are concerned. While some methods to possibly reduce this increased cost burden have been cited, for many farmers they will simply be paying more for the same procedure.

This, coupled with a fee increase from IOFGA, the largest OCB, means a significant cost increase for many organic livestock farmers. (The fee increase, as it is proposed, specifically mitigates against farmers with larger holdings and poorer land, as it is incrementally area-based)

Noticeably, the record book these organic farmers have been using makes much of the fact that unnecessary additional bureaucracy is avoided.

While it is claimed that the butcher will not have any extra paperwork, rather an examination of his existing paperwork, there are concerns here too.

It is a rare creature who goes out of his way to add a layer of inspection onto his business. With few organic farmers on their books, some farmers are concerned that butchers will see this as an unnecessary additional imposition not worth the hassle.

Some organic farmers, both those converting and full symbol, are worried that they will also have fewer butchers to choose from. This in turn could lead to a change in the relationship between butcher and farmer. If the farmer has paid for the butcher's organic inspection costs, the farmer is less likely to engage in the healthy competition of shopping around for butchers, as each additional butcher carries an additional inspection cost.

This places the farmer in a negative relationship, as the butcher could be perceived as having an economic 'hold' over the farmer in this context.

At present there are few registered organic butchers, and not all other butchers will want to sign up to organic inspection and eventual organic registration. This, some farmers worry, will mean that they are not choosing from the widest possible range of butchers in the region. Rather, they will be choosing from a far smaller pool of technically available butchers. This reduces the likelihood of finding the most skilled.

Crucially, some organic farmers have very specific cutting and mincing requirements (especially for non-Continental beef animals) and long standing positive working relationships with their preferred local butchers: not all organic burgers are the same. Why jeopardize this relationship?

Others are concerned with an unnecessary increase in travel, with both economic costs and stress on the animal. If the farmer has to find a new butcher willing to adhere to these stipulations, this butcher may or may not be nearby. With fewer to choose from, the chances are that he will not be nearby.

The system until now was also an excellent entrypoint, for conventional farmers who direct sell, into organic: they could retain their working relationship with their preferred local butcher, rather than finding another one.

EU rules and regulations are being blamed. And yet, according to the EU regulation: "It might in some cases appear disproportionate to apply notification and control requirements to certain types of retail operators, such as those who sell products directly to the final consumer or user. It is therefore appropriate to allow Member States to exempt such operators from these requirements."

The rules also suggest both the “organic integrity and vital qualities of the product are maintained through all stages of the production chain”.

Isn't that expertly cut meat by the best available butcher, with the direct-selling farmer carrying more of the burden of inspection?

Changes afoot for organic meat direct sellers

2011-01-13T03:04:00.002Z

A two parter - for the next part, see today's Examiner.

Significant changes for certified organic livestock farmers are coming into effect in 2011.

Butcher shops or large scale processors will no longer be allowed use producer specific abattoirs, due to the volume of stock going through them.

Producer specific abattoirs/butchers are abattoirs/butchers that organic operators (businesses or farmers) use but which are not registered with an organic certification body.

However, organic farmers who use local 'unregistered' butchers and direct sell their meat will also be effected.

These local producer specific abattoirs/butchers will now have to be inspected by the organic certification body. The cost for this will be borne by the licencee, i.e. the farmer.

According to organic certification body IOFGA's Mary Lynch “it was always the case that the producer specific abattoirs/butchers could be inspected by IOFGA inspectors and that cost must be borne by the producers using the facility”.

However, IOFGA still felt it necessary to send a notification to farmers about the need for inspections of unregistered butchers.

Thus far, as well as adhering to the rules and procedures for livestock and processing in the Standards, these farmers maintained a record keeping book which was assessed as part of their inspection. They also informed the certification body of all necessary details of the animal and its processing. There were also procedures in place such as as the slaughter of certified organic animals first thing in the morning before any other animals. However there was no standardised regime of inspection of butchers not registered with an organic certification body.

According to Angela Clarke, certification manager of IOFGA:

“This should have been carried out over the past number of year(s) however it was not implemented by IOFGA. This is to ensure the integrity of the organic product. The whole process from the farmer to the end consumer must be inspected to ensure this integrity.”

She also pointed out that “DAFF (The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) are adamant that this must take place.... this issue was discussed in great detail at the Forum meetings with all certification bodies so this is not just an IOFGA decision.”

Direct selling farmers who currently work with their preferred local but unregistered butcher will have some decisions to make. They will have to either convince their butcher to accept this new regime, or they will have to change to a butcher registered with an organic certification body.

The literature recently sent to IOFGA members states that the farmer will have to carry the cost of the inspection. However according to Mary Lynch, there may be ways to minimise the costs to the farmer: “If both IOFGA and Organic Trust members are using the facility, then the premises would be inspected every second year by each OCB (organic certification body). Therefore, the cost to the producer can be reduced if they use a facility that another organic producer is also using.”

She also points out that the paperwork requirements are not onerous: “butchers/abattoirs are well used to the paper work that is involved with slaughtering livestock and the inspector will be checking existing paperwork and not asking for any new paperwork to (be) generated”.

She continues: “They are mainly checking that the animals from the producer was killed at the premises and the weight of meat processed for the organic producer, so that can be checked against the sales details of the producer”.

Beyond inspections, discussions are currently underway between the Organic Certification Bodies and the Department to establish “at what stage a producer specific abattoir/butcher should become registered in their own right. This will probably depend on the number of animals being processed by the facility or the number of producers using any one facility,” according to Mary Lynch.

“If a large number of animals are being processed by a facility, records for the organic producers should be kept and made available to the inspector and then the cost should be borne by the owners of the facility not the producer.”

Sheep and beef farmers I have spoken to, both in conversion and fully certified, have voiced concerns about this new situation. Next week, these concerns will be outlined.

2010 hi and lo lights in organics

2011-01-03T17:10:00.004Z

From an organic farming perspective, what were the big high and low points of 2010? Perhaps surprisingly, its possible to find plenty of highs.

First up, some strong organic brands did especially well. Both big players, Good Herdsman and Glenisk did so. The latter saw significant growth in domestic and export markets. In general, the organic dairy sector saw significant expansion in retail terms, with even ALDI and LIDI now brimming with affordable organic milk and yoghurt.

(Image: Highbank farm's stall at the Kilkenny Christmas Market just gone)

Smaller organic companies also did well. For example, Beal cheese (Kerry) and Dee's Burgers (Cork) both used the platform of the Dragon's Den to grow their business.

And grow their businesses they have. Both companies use social media, especially twitter and facebook, to great effect. Facebook ads are far more targeted than any other adverts: users of facebook list an incredible amount of personal information about themselves, and adverts can be targeted towards this information with striking accuracy.

Beyond ads however, both have used other aspects of facebook to draw potential customers over to their business including running competitions and regular updates.

Earlier this month Highbank farm (Kilkenny) was in the news. This long standing organic company, run by Rod and Julie Calder-Potts, won the top prize in a new Food Innovation awards scheme sponsored by Bord Bia in association with the South-East County and City Enterprise Boards.

Highbank Farm won significant development supports as part of their prize: €15,000 for consumer research and €10,000 for design, branding and packaging, as well as supports from the Enterprise Boards.

Omega Beef Direct (Tipperary) also won an innovation award at the same competition, for their organic Galloway steak burger.

Mossfield cheese's (Offaly) winning of the National Organic Awards was an undoubted highlight too. This year, the Awards made the TV news on RTE at 6 and 9PM, increasing the profile of both the competition and the winner significantly.

Mossfield's mature gouda-style cheese, now available in a vac pac, was the real standout product from the awards. Darren Grant of the Organic Supermarket (another successful company for 2010) had a real ah-ha! moment when he tasted this cheese, and he has tasted many products over the last three years of business.

He reminded me of the Food critic Anton Ego in the kids movie Ratatouille, when he tasted the dish that transported him back in time to a perfect dish of his childhood.

It wasn't all winning either though. The loss of Trevor Sargent as junior minister with responsibility for organic farming earlier on in the year was a major negative for the organic sector. His knowledge and workrate were second to none. While Ciaran Cuffe has done a good job in carrying on the work, his time is spread out over three ministries.

That said, avoiding budget cuts for either the Grant Aid or the overall organic farming budget was a major achievement in what is year three of a major recession .This makes it the third year of no cuts, which is remarkable.

Another loss was market value – down about 10% for Irish sales. While this is in line with other areas, it is nonetheless difficult for farmers and food businesses.

While there have been positive signs of increasing market share for organic meat, there is a major change coming downstream in 2011. The rules with regard to processing organic meat are changing: producer specific abattoirs/butchers will now be subject to inspections from organic certification bodies.

It is also the case that butchers or large scale processors will not be allowed use producer-specific abattoirs: they will only be allowed use certified organic abattoirs.

This represents a significant change for those organic farmers who up until now used local butchers. Primarily, this concerned those who direct sell. To ensure organic standards are maintained, organic animals were killed first thing in the morning.

Now this relationship is set to change. Will it be for better or for worse? Both sides of the argument will be presented over the next two postings here.

In the meantime, have a prosperous, peaceful and pleasant new year!

OLLIES SANTY WISHLIST

2010-12-26T22:54:00.004Z

A few days late with this one, but it landed in the Examiner first, so Santy got it in time......

Free free to search for 'santy' on the very useful searchbox over there on the right (scroll down a bit!) - you will find the last few years of wishlists I've sent him......................

Ah santy, me auld segosha - its been a while. So much has changed. Things have moved on, yet, as we hear so often, “we are where we are”.

Well, I'm not sure where that actually is Santy. I'm confused, because 'where we are' seems to be worse than where we think it is. So, really, we are not where we are at all. In fact, we are where we hope we aren't – everytime.

Anyhow, I left it till now to write this note to you because I was waiting for the budget. I was not expecting much there santy, but boy did you deliver on the 9th.

Thanks so much for not getting out the slash hook for the organic sector's budget - I was really worried there. After Trevor Sargent left, I thought it was curtains for the Organic Grant Aid and the Organic Farming Scheme's funding. But no, organic has survived again, with less cuts than a retired, armless butcher with a blunt knife. Or something.

Fair play there Santy, you're a star. You must have been under severe pressure. At least Harvest 2020 kept its commitment to growing the organic sector, which probably helped.

So, for 2011, I think I want...growth in the organic sector. I know I always ask for that one, but we need it now more than ever. Last year, a little more volume was sold, but the value went down a bit too. Can you fix it for me to have the value increase for 2011?

One way might be with the green public procurement Junior Minister Cuffe announced. That's where the state will start to feed the public sector organic food. Sounds yum, though the press release will have to be handled carefully, or else Shane Ross will probably have a canary.

Naturally, a few more organic farmers – plenty did the course this year, so if a few more of them take the plunge in 2011, and join the Organic Farming Scheme, I'd be delighted.

I'm getting very worried about climate change though Mr Claus. It seems everyone has just forgotten about it, with the recession and the cold snap. People who really should know better are joking about global warming and freezing winters, as if climate change and extreme weather aren't compatible! I'm only a nipper and I know they are!

Plus, according to the World Meteorological Association, since records began in 1850, 2010 was the third warmest year globally, the last decade the warmest ever and the parts per million of carbon in the atmosphere was the highest ever, at 386.8. Wow. And all of this is in a year of recession, when we haven't been able to do as much of the climate change causing actions we normally do.

Farming's Green House Gas (GHG) performance has been improving year on year here in Ireland, Santy, but I'm very worried about dairy once the quotas end. Milk production may increase by a full 50%, or 2.75 billion litres. This alone could increase Ireland's' emissions by a 12%. It says so in Harvest 2020.

Unfortunately the solutions are aspirational. Harvest 2020 does talk a lot about how great and grass fed we are with our livestock Santy, but we also use plenty of synthetic fertilizer and compound feeds. They use up loads of fossil fuels in their production elsewhere.

So a dairy GHG solution Santy – I know its a big one, but if anyone can, you can. That way, you could write off some of the massive amount of methane those raindeers must emit with their globe trotting on December 24/25th – phew!

(And you know I was only joking about organic venison last year santy!)

And while we're at it, let's try to get the beef livestock even more grass fed. Let's bring in even more of the kind of animals that can thrive in the outdoors for longer - Galloways, Dexter, Moiled and the like please Santy.

Do your best – you always do! Ollie

GERRY'S GRASS FED ORGANIC ANGUS: FROM FIELD TO FARMERS MARKET

2010-12-06T21:31:00.002Z

While farmers and experts debate the merits of grain and grass feeding regimes, Gerry Fitzsimons from Mullahoran in Co Cavan has committed to grass and the breeds that suit it for years.

Fitzsimons has been farming since 1990 on 30 acres. He switched to Organic farming in 2000 with his suckling to beef enterprise.

“I've 23 head of cattle - cows calves and beef animals - at the moment. I stock Aberdeen Angus, Shorthorn and crosses of both” he tells me.

“I keep the traditional breeds of cattle, for a variety of reasons. They are easier to finish. Their finishing qualities, the type of meat native breeds produce, with its marbling, gives a unique taste”.

“They also are of a very placid nature and the cows are great mothers” he continues. “I switched over to Angus even before I went organic, partly because they are easier to handle, especially at calving. The offspring suckle very early. Now, any animal can cause trouble, but these are very quiet. I can handle any of them, and people can walk through the field no problem. With the Continentals, any time they needed to be rounded up they were tough – especially the Limousins. The traditional breeds, especially Shorthorn, are very docile”.

Fitzsimons also likes the fact that they can stay outdoors and thrive in the winter, up until quite late in the season. “They certainly are hardier. Mine are still out eating grass, though this year was exceptional – its been very good grass-wise. They are in top class condition without any supplementary feeding, just grass” he says, also pointing out that since going organic he hasn't yet had to dose them for anything.

Biodiveristy is also important for this farmer, who's animals finish off grass completely:

“I'm very into biodiversity. Everything growing here is natural, the grasses are natural and they are different to those grown with chemical sprays. My weeds are controlled mechanically – everything is done either mechanically or by me”.

He continues “the fields are very biodiverse now – they are vastly different to how they were before going organic. Conventional fields are all even, as if they are clipped to a height. In organic, there are variations, we'd have far more white clover. Even red clover,which doesn't perpetuate itself, its spreading in my land – that doesn't seem to happen with fertilized fields”.

I asked him about the sward itself: “I have reseeded almost all of it over time. Some seed came from Fruithill farm, others were sourced locally. The Fruithill farm sward also has coltsfoot, timothy and various older type grasses in there as well, which I'd rather use. There's more management in it, it works well - in both wet and dry years. A typical ryegrass sward can be a hungry grass – it probably needs the chemicals its used to getting”.

Back to his thriving stock: “I had my own bull up to last year. But you do need to mix it up in a small herd, so I do use AI”. He puts an angus bull on a shorthorn cow, or visa versa, as “shorthorn is a little taller, so the crosses produce a slightly bigger carcass.”

An excellent outlet is available in much of the northwest for Irish organic meat, called, aptly enough, Irish Organic Meat.

Declan Mccarthy and his wife Deirdre have a mobile butchers outlet which travels to farmers' markets across the north west - from Carrick on Shannon (Thursdays) to Roscommon and Cavan towns (Fridays) and both Boyle and Sligo on Saturdays.

Butcher and farmer have a good working relationship:“Yes, I know what he needs, he knows what I have, and we don't haggle over price.”

Gerry Fitzsimons gets E4 per kg deadweight for his animals. Heifers kill out at 230-300 kg, bullocks from 260-380 kg. They are usually killed young, about 20-24 months for heifers and about 2 years for bullocks.

Local grasses, local markets, and a happy set of people, from farmer to butcher to customer. All told, a pure, simple and yet revelatory system.

updatesupdatesupdates

2010-11-30T23:44:00.005Z

Quick updates : See over at the organics with altitude blog for something I put together on the weather proof organic galloway cattle of Joe Condon.

The pictures alone are well worth viewing.

And see also a new link to a great idea from Ella McSweeney- a place for consumers to find farmers who sell direct.

Its called your field my fork, and it will hopefully grow nicely into a resource for foodies and farmers alike.

Her own site, and Suzanne Campbells' are both now over there too. About time I added them!

REALLY - WHERE'S THE (ORGANIC) BEEF JOHN?

2010-11-25T21:53:00.004Z

Part two of my beef interview session with John Brennan. This one discusses the beef grade, and also features a different perspective to John's, that of Teagasc Organic Farming Advisor James McDonnell.

How should quality be defined in organic beef? There are two schools of thought.

(Pic: some of Joe Condon's galloway cattle)

One school suggests that organic cattle should be graded along the same lines as conventional, using the EU R O P system.

For non-farmer readers: This grid or grade system scores cattle carcass shape and muscle development from the top (E) to the bottom (P). Numbers 1 to 5 denote degree of fat on the carcass, with 1 having the least and 5 the most. Thus, in conventional farming, top price achieving animals are up at the U or (rarely) E levels, with a fat score of 1 or 2.

In organic farming in Ireland, a flat price is used instead of this grade system. However, it, or a modified version, is used in other EU countries for organic beef animals.

It could be argued that organic farming does not reward the highest achievers, producing, in conventional terms, the best animals. According to James McDonnell, organic advisor with Teagasc:

“The flat price doesn't do anything for the (organic) sector: in conventional, its all about quality. Good quality cattle and good carcass with better overall cuts are not being rewarded.”

“A Belgian Blue has more fillets, round roast and so on; but it could be argued that, in organic, poor animals are overpaid for, and visa versa. The factories would also prefer quality as they make more.”

He continues: “When factories were paying flat, there were beef blockages in the conventional sector”, pointing out that the flat price may also be mitigating against finishers in organic.

Indeed, top organic producers can sell into the conventional sector for the higher grade prices.

However, both the Good Herdsman and the Leitrim Co-op prefer to pay a flat rate.

For John Brennan of the Leitrim Co-op “ we want to improve quality and confirmation, but this factory system isn't the answer”.

He points to a breed renowned for its eating quality: “Take the Aberdeen Angus – that is often graded as an O. It has a natural genetic merit in its confirmation, and for many consumers, the breed produces a superior meat. The grading system does not take organoleptic factors into account - so its about efficiency, not quality of meat. I won't accept anything but a flat rate.”

He continues “You need minimum of a 2 for fat cover – in Scotland R4 is ideal for organic. They have a lot of work done there on the Angus, where they are fed mostly on grass and silage, and finishing at 300 to 320 kg deadweight. Some oats and peas produced on the farm are also used as feed – really its a great system. Plus, they have managed to get PGI status for Scotch beef”.

Levels of grass feeding is another issue again: native breeds are more suited to a grass-based diet. Research suggests that increasing the grass content of the animal's diet increases the levels of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is thought to help protect against cancer, diabetes and heart disease, without using external inputs (e.g. imported oils) to achieve this.

“If we had the conventional grading system in organic, it would penalise the native breeds”, breeds that, in a nutshell are more suited to the terrain and climate in Ireland, can finish off grass and have tasty marbling.

There is another element to this: “increasingly, supermarket buyers, especially abroad, don't want continental animals from Ireland”. In other words, they want breeds traditionally associated with Ireland and Britain.

“We need to look at low input animals, animals that are carbon footprint friendly. There should be a good conversion of feed into meat, from silage and grass, with just a a small amount of supplements”.

Increasingly, science, through the use of stable isotope tests, can test the meat itself to differentiate beef based on diet.

Research in Ireland by Professor Frank Monaghan and others has now clearly demarked grass fed from other meat, and organic from conventional.

So, in the final analysis, is it about the consumer or the factory?

WHERE'S THE (ORGANIC) BEEF? ASK JOHN.

2010-11-21T20:16:00.003Z

Beef remains the strongest sector within organics. While there are also significant numbers of sheep farmers, sheep meat has struggled to gain a price premium.

Beef on the other hand, has both numbers and, by and large, something of a price premium. While there are preferable times of the year to sell to gain the premium, the largest organic meat processor in Ireland or Britain, Good Herdsman, recently let it be known that there is a shortage of about 11,000 beef animals in the system.

(Pic: Joe Condon's Galloways with room to roam)

From humble local beginnings in 1998, the Leitrim Organic Farmers Co-op now has a membership of over 100 beef and sheep farmers, from many counties across Ireland. The main areas it focuses on for its members are in finding markets, orgnaising for training and education, advice and lobbying.

A number of organic cattle marts have just finished up. I spoke to John Brennan of the Leitrim Co-op about how the trade has been.

“Confidence has returned to the sales” he tells me. “We had two in Drumcollagher, there were 137 sales at the first and 290 at the second.”

“Prices have improved - typically 2E per kg for heifers, E2.30 per kilo for good weanlings, while forward stores are also meeting good trade.”

“The numbers of organic cattle moved weekly is nearly at record levels - here and in the UK – and while the price is not at the record 2007 levels, it is nonetheless strong and giving confidence” .

Regarding export markets, there are some positive signs. “Tescos in the UK are buying a lot more organic meat again now. They seemed to panic a bit at the start of the downturn, and whipped organic off the shelves. While some customers did trade down to discounters, some of these in turn returned to their preferred supermarkets. So Waitrose, for example, have regained market share.”

Indeed, according to a report earlier in the year from the UK's Soil Association, among the three supermarkets with the biggest shares of the organic market – Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose – it was Waitrose that proved the most resilient in the recession. Its organic sales fell by only 3.5% in 2009 and it is predicting growth of 3-5% in 2010.

“There have also been increases in the market in Holland, especially for forequarter meat. This leaves other options with rear quarter meat”.

There are of course concerns: “the cost of feed is still an issue. The Sterling differential is helping, but some farmers are now growing their own feed. Some grow for Flahavans, and keep a portion for animal feed. Red clover is also coming strong earlier, and there was an earlier cutting date this year too”

Another issue is the age of slaughter. While there is a preference in the factories for animals slaughtered under 30 months, this comes with various costs and concerns for organic farmers.

According to John Brennan, as finishing under 30 months is difficult with vontinentals, “why not go to 33 or 35 months? Some cattle only reach their full desirable carcass weight at this age, especially the bigger animals like Charlois. But some processors, Slaney excluded, don't want animals that size.”

“A lot of it comes down to breed. With an Aberdeen Angus, they might be close to 280 kg at 20 to 24 months. But to push to and past 300 kg, or to try to get close to 350kg, is very difficult. You'd need another 10 to 12 months.”

“With the bigger continental animals, the Limosins or Belgian Blues, its very difficult without a lot of grain feeding, and feed is very expensive in organic.”

The discussion turned to paying by the grade. In organic, farmers are not paid by the grade for beef in Ireland, though they are in other countries, including the UK. He was especially animated about this issue. As you will see in my next posting on this topic.

Kilskyre National School & its (certified) organic garden

2010-11-15T23:20:00.004Z

10 years ago, most Irish gardens were for looking at or relaxing in. Now, gardening is back and new hubs are emerging, places where people are getting their hands dirty in the name of fresh food.

These include allotments, GIY (Grow It Yourself) gatherings, and, increasingly, school gardens.

Thousands of schools have done some growing in the last three years, thanks to the Meet the Spuds and Incredible Edibles initiatives. These yearly Agri-Aware schemes provided full growing kits to over 2000 schools.

One school growing with a difference is the Kilskyre National School, between Kells and Oldcastle in Co. Meath. This is one of the few schools to have gone and achieved full organic certification.

Gerard Ruane has been principal of the school since 2007.

(picture: Daryll, Katie Conor supervised by organic gardener Lill Coyne)

The beginnings were modest: “ I hoped to plant a few rows of vegetables and hoped that I would be able to get a parent to give me a hand with this so I started the Green School Initiative in Kilskyre when I was began here”

Ruane was informed that the parent of a girl in 5th class would be a great help – Lill Coyne. Coyne has been an organic grower and member of IOFGA since the 1980s.

“We took the children to see the garden in St. Patrick's National School Slane, my old school. Mary Meade, the Deputy Principal there, created a fantastic garden - I was anxious for the children to see it as Mary created this garden with the children”.

“We then visited another school, Rathkenny, who have a fantastic garden that the children were also fully involved in. We went back to Kilskyre and Lill got all the children to design the garden they wanted. Lill collected these and merged them into one design combining all the elements the children had suggested. We started from there.”

“We started out by creating a fedge - the older children dug out sods and the children created a sod bank in which we planted willows”.

He continues: “Every Thursday the children I teach bring in wellies and old clothes. The Parent's Council bought the children tools - wheelbarrow, spades, forks and so on”.

“There is a summer/winter/autumn/spring garden. We have bug hotel, pond, wormery, composting pig, green cone, composting area for grass, wild garden, seating area. The main focus initially was feeding the soil and companion planting for pest control, as well as managing nutrients in the soil”.

There has been great parental and wider community involvement, exemplified by equipment donations, meitheals three times a year, and a burgeoning range of amenities, including bird viewing boxes and benches.

“As we are organic, Lill decided to apply for the license. We have been inspected and the inspector was amazed at the children's knowledge and full involvement in the garden”.

I spoke to Lill Coyne about their organic certification: “I'm an organic grower myself - I feel very strongly about it, and I thought it would be great for the children to have the chance to grow organically. They have access to clean, cheaper food that's healthier. They also get exercise, learn about heritage varieties and traditional methods, and about biodiversity and the balance of nature through things like the use of natural predators”.

“The work in the garden comes under Environmental Awareness and Care in the Geography and Science Curriculum”according to Gerard Ruane. “We also use it for Science nature trails, plant study and so on. There is a diary kept where the children write in what they do each day after they come in from the garden.”

Not only have the pupils grown food, they have learned the practical skills of packing, certification, labelling, and also selling. The produce has been sold, by the pupils, at local farmers' markets and at the school gate. This in itself imparts array of practical life skills, from doing calculations to running a business that relies on good customer relations.

Great stuff indeed, it surely begs the question: why isn't all education a little more like this?

ORGANIC SUPERMARKET NEWSLETTER

2010-11-14T19:01:00.004Z

I have a new piece on the femininity of farming, in particular organic farming, in the new newsletter from the Organic Supermarket.

To follow on a bit from it, you could have a look at a piece I'm especially happy with, one that I've had in the read these section for ages (must update, I know!), called nature and class.

This deals with the more theoretical issues behind gender and nature, in an introductory sense.

Its a really interesting newsletter - lots of recipes, info, giveaways etc - well done to Darren and the team for getting it together.

RAW FOOD FOR EVERYONE

2010-11-07T20:54:00.003Z

Recently, its been my pleasure to come accross a few raw food 'cook'books. Cook is in commas because its not usually about cooking, more about preperation. There are numerous reasons to bring raw and living foods into your diet, many of which I have covered here.

I'm particularly fond of Natasha's Living foods and the servants of love book Raw in a Cold Climate as both are based in Ireland and are as such adapted to the Irish climate.

Raw Food for Everyone is another one I got recently, this one from the States. Its written by a raw food convert, Alissa Cohen, who found raw food helped her become healthy, having previously had numerous compalints.

The personal story is well written and engaging, and she is quite convincing about the reasons to go raw, from a health perspective. Her restaurant background is also a boon for the book - plenty of raw foodies are into giving classes and the like, but as she has had to get (paying) bums on seats - a different proposition entirely.

Packed full of recipes, the book is also packed full of short and simple recipes, so you can get started on your raw food journey quickly and easily. Only available on Amazon this side of the pond, its well worth checking out.

As is this little ditty (long term readers of this blog will have seen this before!)

Its the sexy bitches who like it raw. Oh Yea. (this is their best old vid i think, rest of them are available here)

ORGANIC GROWERS OF IRELAND

2010-11-05T16:46:00.003Z

Producer groups can very effectively work well for clusters of farmers or growers. While they have a chequered history, there are plenty of good working examples, such as the Wexford Fruit Producers.

Another horticultural example of a producer group is the recently formed Organic Growers of Ireland.

(pic: organic basil crop)

This new group was established by certified organic horticulturists, who felt that their own needs and interests were not being sufficiently represented.

The OGI are modeled on the UK's Organic Growers Alliance. The UK group aims to bring growers together to help promote and represent growers' interests, as well as accrue other benefits from sharing experiences.

It has emerged as an effective body for interacting with certification and state bodies on behalf of organic growers in the UK.

The Irish version, the OGI, have similar aims and objectives. Initiated at an Organic Conference in Birr in March 2009, already they have held a number of horticulture walks in various locations around Ireland.

There were 6 in 2009, including on the holdings of the Kearns sisters in Roscommon, and Jonathan Doig in Cork.

Five more again have been held this year, including a recent return to the holding of Deirdre O Sullivan and Norman Kenny in Kildare.

OGI have also made submissions to the relevant authorities. These include to the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food with regard to developing the sector.

This submission noted that organic horticulture was historically underfunded and under represented, and that the targets in the Organic Action Plan did not necessarily chime well with the needs of organic horticulturists.

This suggested the appointment of a horticultural development officer, with responsibility to provide training and supports for new and existing growers, and to work on mentoring, advice and market development.

The submission also cited other key areas requiring attention, including “third level and post graduate education in organic farming, an organic apprenticeship scheme, research, on-going market development and financial supports for growers.”

There has been some movement on this horticulture appointment in recent times: however, as of yet, no one has been recruited for the post.

The group hold their first conference and AGM on Monday 22nd November. This will be held in the suitably mid-Ireland location of Kilcormac county Offaly, in the Kilcormac Development Association Hall, from 10am-4pm. (Kilcormac is on the N52 main road between Birr and Tullamore, Co. Offaly)

Topics for the morning session include the following:

The potential for commercial production of organic seed varieties, with Peter Bourke, head gardener from the Irish Seed Savers Association (ISSA), and Madeleine McKeever from Brown Envelope Seeds in Cork.

The ISSA have 8 hectares in Scariff, east Clare, where they research, locate, preserve, educate about and use traditional varieties of fruits, vegetables, potatoes and grains. Brown Envelope Seeds are based in Skibbereen in Cork, where they have produced and distributed vegetable seeds from, since 2004.

Both have, in no uncertain terms, pioneered the development of organic seed availability in Ireland.

As there is a new initiative from SuperValu to increase the amount of Irish-grown vegetables on sale in their stores, a representative from Supervalu will also be speaking, as will Kinsale's Colum O' Regan, who has been involved in this new venture.

There will also be presentations on irrigation in polytunnels and on a field scale with Billy Clifford (Kerry) and Dirk Flake (Galway), as well as a representative of P and A supplies, who supply pumps and irrigation equipment.

Finally, there will be a presentation on compost and compost teas with Michael Miklis, a biodynamic farmer and grower based in Killkenny.

In the afternoon, the OGI will have a general meeting, where they will plan their upcoming activities. A number of trade stands will also be in attendance.

All told this day should be of interest to anyone interested in or currently growing, organic horticulture crops.

Price for the day is €30 (includes a 25% reduction from National Organic Training Skillnet) which includes an organic lunch and tea/coffee.

For more: irishorganicgrowers@gmail.com, NOTS, or 071 96 40688.

ARTISAN FOOD & A RECOVERY THAT'S MORE FARMERS' MARKET THAN BOND MARKET

2010-11-02T12:48:00.007Z

"The recovery will be more GAA than IDA, less bond market, more farmer's market". That's according to the ever colourful David McWilliams in a recent article.

McWilliams was making the point that when times are tough, we can and do rely on others, buying and selling from each other, to get things moving again.

He witnessed this sort of resilience when he visited Iceland, a country that has taken bold economic steps and now seems stable compared to Ireland.

The quote is also about playing to our strengths and to our uniqueness. To this end, the artisan food sector in Ireland punches well above its weight.

(picture: Iain Flynn winner of Blas na hEireann 2010)

There are a couple of ways of measuring this. Firstly, there's the extraordinary performance of the little guys, the artisan producers, when they come up against the big boys, the large food corporations, in food competitions this time of year.

While companies like Flahavans and Glenisk do well each year at the National Organic Awards, this year's winner was Mossfield Cheese's mature, a handmade farmhouse cheese made on the farm at the foothills of the Slieve Bloom mountains.

While companies on the scale of Hilton Foods and AIBP did very well at this year's Blas na Heireann, the winner was Iain Flynn's spinach and ricotta cannelloni. Flynn's Kitchens, the food business that makes the Cannelloni, is a one man operation.

Flynn's Kitchens makes and sells a range of food products, including freshly prepared meals, pate, quiches, mayonnaises, oils, preserves and chutneys using local and organic ingredients.

Flynn himself makes dishes, staffs his own stall at farmers' markets and even does his own accounts, as he has a degree in economics.

This is reflective of the caliber of the next generation of food producer coming through – a decidedly post Celtic Tiger sort of business person.

Flynn's local sourcing is very comprehensive, a point he really emphasises in conversation.

Up against 1000 other producers in 34 categories, Flynn's Kitchen's stood out because of the sheer quality of the ingredients and preparation.

Mairead McGuinness, MEP, who attended the Blas na Heireann awards, commented: “I am astounded at the passion of the producers involved in the Blas awards. I believe this is a vital key in Irish food production. Ireland and especially home produced products have an exceptional quality brand to offer. The potential in this sector is truly enormous.”

Artie Clifford, chairman of the Blas Awards pointed out that “these Irish awards provide an opportunity for Irish producers to compete with each other and prove that they can compete with the best in the world. We are now asking shoppers to talk with their feet and support home grown produce.”

While the export output of these artisan companies is small, the export potential is strong. And that's the key point: Ireland Inc can grow more indigenous food businesses which can then begin to earn foreign revenue.

Before reaching that point, artisan food businesses help rebuild consumer confidence by beginning the process of recirculating money in the economy and augmenting business busy-ness more generally.

It is also the case that many of today's bigger food companies, companies like Clonakilty Black Pudding, Mr. Crumb or Lily O Briens, started out as small companies and grew into a different category over the last 15 or so years (small food companies are defined as those with between E100,000 and E3.5 million turnover each year).

Many other growing food companies are in a healthy state like Burren Smokehouse, St.Tola's, Just Food or Sheridans.

The Taste Council, a voluntary group made up of many of the key stakeholders in the artisan food sector, has been lobbying for years, through the good times and the bad, to improve the sector's supports.

Here are some facts and figures on artisan and local food from their Agri-vision 2020 submission:

There are 350 specialty micro and small food business in Ireland.
These 350 firms grew from a population of 60 firms in 1996.
These 350 firms have a combined output at consumer prices (i.e. prices charged at retail or foodservice prices) of €475 million.
Small firms are more labour intensive: Ireland's 350 small food firms employ 3000 people, a figure that grew over the last 10 years, while other agri-food sectors retracted in employment and in other terms.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) reported a 50% increase in inquiries regarding the starting up or establishment of new food firms in 2009 compared to 2008.
A study by the New Economics Foundation in London found that every £10 spent at a local food business is worth £25 for the local area, compared with just £14 when the same amount is spent in a supermarket. That is, a pound (or euro) spent locally generates more than twice as much income for the local economy.

In sum, small food businesses selling through routes to market other than the supermarket, contribute disproportionately more in terms of labour and spending patterns.

Peter Ward is owner of the Country Choice Food store in Nenagh. Founded in 1982, the store is famous amongst foodies and artisan producers alike.

He is full of ideas as to how to better facilitate the artisan sector and consumers alike. Routes to market is a big thing for Ward: “we need to up our game in the catering colleges, including in purchasing policies. Former catering collage graduates who now have food businesses need to be able to access that market.”

He continues: “all the young chefs have to be introduced to the excellence of artisan food production - otherwise we can't expect them to use the produce themselves when they graduate. They need to be stimulated by meeting producers, otherwise they just become fodder for an industry that doesn't see artisan food as terribly important.”

“Graduates from other disciplines need to see food is a viable option: no one presents food to them as a future career, they fall into food for other reasons. But people from other disciplines often have lots of new and useful skills to bring – this year's winner of Blas (na Heireann) is a perfect example” he says, in reference to Iain Flynn's accountancy background.

Indeed the recession has thrown up a whole new class of highly skilled and educated people who are out of work for the first time in their lives. The potential for these people to become superb food craftspeople is real.

Public procurement is another area where there is potential for the artisan sector, provided the “larger caterers who have the public contracts, like the contracts for feeding children in schools” can be convinced of the merit.

To this end, the newly revamped green public procurement initiative announced by Junior Minister Cuffe could begin the process of improving access for alternative foods not currently getting a look in to the public sector route.

One area Ward is especially passionate about is state support: “why is there no national media campaign to promote farmer's markets? I'd like to see organisations like Safe Food using their budgets to guarantee accessibility of affordable food to people who most need it outside of the supermarket structure”.

Considering some of the things food campaigns are run about, such as an egg a day being ok, this seems to be an eminently sensible suggestion.

He emphasises the importance of accessible and affordable fresh food, rather than just shelf life, a major focus for supermarkets.

Indeed, research into food poverty, in Ireland and elsewhere, has emphasised the importance of access as much as price: people without cars, in particular older people on low incomes, cannot frequent supermarkets as often as others. They rely on nearby shops and outlets for their food staples. Problems arise when these outlets do not have significant amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables, which is often the case. (See Combat Poverty's food poverty research for more)

I put some of these points to Bord Bia. They point to some distinct areas where they help grow farmers' markets.

“Bord Bia sponsored RTE One’s “Fresh from The Farmers’ Market” programme for two years. The series, which aimed to encourage viewers to use and support their local market and artisan producers, featured well known chef and farmers market advocate Clodagh McKenna. It ran on prime time national television for 16 weeks and featured / interviewed in excess of 25 markets and 30 top quality small Irish food producers.”

They also supported an episode of RTE One’s Eco Eye which focused on the promotion of farmers’ markets in Ireland.

Their own website and social media functions promote traders at farmers' markets, which includes a full market listing, while their Marketing Assistance programme includes signage and point of sale materials for farmers markets. They intend to upscale their web work with regard to markets, “We plan to include new elements in this over time, such as an interactive market map, case studies, training modules for markets” a Bord Bia representative said.

Finally, they developed a Code of Good Practice, to help both encourage best practice and promote farmers' markets in general.

However, there are issues, some of which are funding related. Bigger campaigns are match funded. This means that EU rules dictate that those being supported need to come up with some of the money themselves. So campaigns on, for example, beef and eggs, can get industry supports, whereas farmers' markets, which invariably have smaller scale producers at them, find it harder.

Indeed, funding rules also dictate that it is producers and products, rather than routes to market or farmers' markets per se that get the supports, according to a Bord Bia representative.

This invariably calls for creative actions, as the Fresh From the Farmers' Markets TV shows was. They do stress that they are, as it were, reviewing the situation with regard to promoting farmers' markets, so who knows, some fresh and funky promotions may grab your attention soon. In the meantime, seek and ye shall find.

JOHN FEEHAN ON OMEGA BEEF DIRECT FARM PARTS 1 AND 2

2010-10-29T13:46:00.004+01:00

I would highly recommend going over to the Organics with Altitude blog and having a read of John Feehans' 2 parter on the Omega Beef Direct Farm, which has just been posted over there.

here

Dr. John Feehan is probably the most knowledgeable person on the history, heritage and current state of farming and rurality in Ireland. He also has a healthily big picture view of global issues without loosing his rural focus. A delicate pathway, but one he navigates seamlessly.

GETTING OUR OATS: A TALE OF BUMBLEBEES AND BEEF

2010-10-22T23:48:00.004+01:00

(Part one of this feature is here)

Organic oats are becoming attractive for farmers.

One such farmer is Richard Galvin of Portlaw in Waterford.

“I've been in oats for ten years, and for the last five I've been organic” Richard tells me.

Organic beef's feed needs, as well as Flahavan's desire for 1800 tonnes, are driving demand.

Explaining why he decided on organic oats, he states “I was growing beet and when the contract went, conventional tillage wasn't really worth it. We tried it, but we could see that oats were the better option: they cold be grown commercially and of course Flahavan's were interested too.”

He continues “also, there weren't a huge number of farmers interested in growing oats then and we reckoned that the market was increasing: people were becoming more more health conscious.”

Galvin gets about 2 tonnes to acre, which can go back to 1.5 depending on crops and mulching. “I also use a permitted organic sludge. I don't have livestock so I don't have dung, which can be a bit of a drawback.”

While the price remains relatively strong for organic oats, one thing worth considering in calculations, according to Galvin, is the rotation.

“People think its a good price, but you have to look at it on a 5 year cycle: two out of five years its idle. Now, you can do something with the clover, but nonetheless its not the same as a crop every year”

Organic oat crops are long rather than short straw. This allows the crop to surpass the weeds: without herbicides, short straw varieties would find it difficult to compete with the weeds in the fields. Long straw also helps aerate the crop and thus works against mildew.

Even then, as with other sectors in organic farming, there are permitted inputs to help with pest and weed management: “I do use a bit of what's permitted; a little sulfur on mildew, but mostly it looks after itself. For example ladybrids eat the aphids – I saw more ladybrids this year than ever before, and I put that down to the fact that I'm not using pesticides”.

He continues “you would notice an increase in wildlife on the farm when you don't use pesticides. There are more insects and then more birds, and we have an incredible number of bumblebees this year too. With the white clover in at the orchard, I never saw so many bumble bees before as this year.”

His orchard is the second key enterprise on the farm, and a growing one at that. 30,000 fruit trees are already yielding a crop for Galvin, while he is planting another 4000 apple trees in November. Of his 110 acres, 10 are now orchards.

Red Johnogolds are the variety grown. He supplies Simply Organics, and while some are sent to distributors in Northern Ireland, the majority go to Tescos.

Elstar is used as a pollinator, while Galvin is also going to trial between 600 and 1000 Delbars, which are an early red variety.

In a promising sign of the market for Irish organic apples, he is considering planting another four acres next year.

As with every food enterprise, the trick is to stay one step ahead of the market. Three short years ago, organic oats were getting abut 100E per tonne more than they are now.

However, the need for feed in organic beef and sheep should keep the price at least stable, as tillage farmers can simply start to supply organic beef or sheep farmers if the price gets too low.

And, as Richard Galvin shows, there is plenty of sense in tillage farmers having more than one product and more than one route to market.

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GETTING OUR OATS: A TALE OF BUMBLEBEES AND BEEF

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