Oliver Moore: Organic Research Centre’s Organic Producers Conference well worth a visit
It’s held annually in Birmingham, and serious organic producers from Ireland often travel over to the UK for it.
Many topics are covered, and parallel workshops allow for more specialisation. One of the nice elements about a conference in a bigger (but still easy to get to) country is that producers, whether in dairy, arable, horticulture, or grassland/livestock, can spend time with dedicated farmers and specialists from their specific sector.
Brexit inevitably overshadows the proceedings.
As the programme states: “Without question, the Brexit referendum result has opened up a significant debate about the future of agriculture in the UK, and the place of organic food and farming within it.
“It has also created huge uncertainty for producers and other organic businesses, in terms not only of access to and continuation of conversion and maintenance support, but also how exchange rates and regulations might change, and the impacts that will have on both domestic markets and export opportunities.
“Research and other organisations supporting organic businesses are facing similar challenges, as access to European funding for research, promotional and other initiatives comes into question.”
This is where UK and Irish perspectives will diverge somewhat: one’s opportunity is another’s potential loss.
The UK, contemplating life without the CAP after Brexit, is now forced to think in the broadest possible terms about its farming, food and countryside.
According to the conference programme: “How can we rise to the challenges which Brexit represents? Can we make our work and businesses more resilient to the changes that will take place in the next few years? What opportunities will the new situation present that we should be welcoming with open hands? What should we be asking of policy-makers, to ensure a vibrant organic community in future, delivering both environmental and other public goods, as well as contributing to the economic wellbeing of the UK? Can we build bridges with others facing similar challenges and aspirations?”
Many of these concerns relate to Ireland too, though in different ways.
More than 40% of Ireland’s agrifood exports go to the UK. It is hard to see any Brexit conclusion that would improve the situation for Irish exporters, including organic food exporters.
The conference will open with a plenary on organic farming’s role in future food and farming policy.
* Market overview; farm health; crops for livestock; production costs; policy and regulation developments.
* Funding new entrants; breeding for organic arable; livestock marketing; soil (comparing six different horticulture systems); beyond organic certification.
* Food pricing; arable weed surgery; farm health; seed growing as an enterprise (with Jason Horner of the Irish Seed Savers Association); trade and export opportunities.
* Small farms; diverse farms; potato farming without copper; feeds; public goods and organic farming.
* Organic inputs; silvio-arable agroforestry; sheep breeding; hydroponics vs soil; and UK food policy.
* Business; arable; livestock grassland; growers (horticulture), and post-Brexit policy issues.
The workshops feed into a plenary, which also looks at uncertain agri-food futures.
While Irish visitors will be seeing the Brexit dimension from the other side of the fence, nevertheless there is much to recommend in a visit to the Organic Producer’s Conference 2017.
