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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of (a) the potential of the organic farming industry in the UK and (b) the support needed from Government to fulfil its potential. [190088] Mr. Bradshaw: The report "Action plan to develop organic food and farming in England--Two Years On, which I launched on 2 August this year, contains an analysis of the market for organic food. The document expects continued growth in sales of organic food. It notes that the area farmed organically in the UK has grown from 30,000 ha in 1993 to 696,000 in 2004. This is an expansion of over 23 times. The level of UK demand for organic food met by UK producers has increased over the last two years from 30 per cent. to 44 per cent., but the report recognises a target of 70 per cent. to be met from UK production by 2010. Our support for organic farming includes enhancements introduced last year to the English Organic Farming scheme to allow farmers who have completed organic conversion to receive payments in return for observing environmental conditions and a new rate of aid for conversion for organic top fruit production (apples, pears etc). For the longer term support for organic farming will be though a specific strand in the Agri--Environment Scheme. Our review of the Organic Farming Scheme was based on a substantial evidence exercise "Evidence Assessment to Inform the Review of the Organic farming Scheme" (ADAS Consulting Limited and the University of Reading, September 2003). This report can be viewed at http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/ evaluation/ofs/default.asp

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

190088; 425 c558-9W

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Consumption Organic farming Organic food Retail trade Organic farming scheme

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk