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Conventional Farmers Unconvinced By Organic Production

Conventional, chemical-using farmers are still reluctant to adopt organic systems despite Government policies, concern over animal welfare and growing consumer interest in organic food in the light of food safety scares.

ESRC-funded research, published within days of the Government's announcement concerning the findings of its own review of the rates and structure of aid to organic farmers, found that the main reasons behind the decision to adopt organic techniques, for the majority of the sample, were non-economic.

• Only 27 per cent of conventional producers were aware of the existence of financial incentives for conversion to organic systems

• Nearly two-thirds cited environmental principles as a main motive for conversion

• Only one-sixth of the sample identified higher prices paid for organic goods

• Seventy-six per cent had converted within the first five years of managing their farm, very few had done so after a long period of farming conventionally

• The organic farmers surveyed were, on average, younger, with larger households and smaller farms than their conventional counterparts

• They were also less reliant on income from agriculture

• Of the 27 female farmers sampled, 20 managed organic farms

One third of the sample of conventional farmers had considered switching to organic production with almost half agreeing that ideally their farm would be organic. The most commonly cited factors preventing conversion were: unavailability of market outlets, lower yields, and investment costs.

There were also striking differences in terms of characteristics and attitudes between organic and conventional producers. Crucially, in terms of the Government's plans for reform, the two sets of producers prioritise different information sources, with organic farmers relying on other producers for advice and guidance whilst the media, buyers/merchants and ADAS (Agricultural Development Advisory Service) were more commonly cited by conventional farmers.

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

1. The ESRC funded this project, entitled -- The Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Technologies: Economic and Non Economic Determinants' as part of its Global Environmental Change Research Programme.

2. The project was based on face-to-face interviews with 237 horticultural producers in 1996.

3. The survey was conducted before the effects of the Organic Conversion Information Service, launched in 1996, could be gauged.

4. "We inherited an unsatisfactory level of support for organic farming. As some of our European partners have demonstrated, Britain can do much better" . Dr Jack Cunningham, Secretary of State for Agriculture , Oxford, 24 September 1997.

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