Organic farming is revitalising the rural economies

Results from the most comprehensive survey comparing employment on organic farms to that on non-organic farms shows that organic farming is delivering 32% more jobs per farm on average across the UK.

If organic farming, currently practised on 4% of UK farmland, was adopted by all UK farmers, it would produce an additional 93,000 on-farm jobs - 16 times more people than were employed by the Rover car company when it closed in April 2005. [1]

The survey results will be launched on Monday, 15 May in conjunction with the Transport & General Workers Union at the Transport & General Workers Union HQ, London. [2]

The independent research also reveals that organic farmers are:

· Younger – the average age of organic farmers surveyed was 49, seven years younger than their non-organic counterparts, who average 56 years old. [3]

· More optimistic about the future of farming - 64% expect their family to take on the farm compared to 51% for non-organic farmers. [4]

· More entrepreneurial - three times as many organic farms are involved in direct or local marketing schemes than non-organic farmers. [5]

Notwithstanding such beneficial on-farm processing and retailing, the survey confirms that it is the actual system of husbandry required by organic farming that generates the majority (81%) of the additional jobs. [6]

These findings for organic farming run counter to the trends for UK agriculture generally which have seen the number of farm workers drop by nearly 80% over the last 50 years. [7]

Applications to the Soil Association from existing farmers and new entrants wishing to convert to organic reinforce the survey’s findings:

· The average age is 46 years, 10 years younger than the national average age and 3 years younger than found in the survey.

· 28% of applicants were female and 72% male, of those who responded.

· Overall enquiries for converting to organic production have more than doubled over the last year.

Peter Melchett, Soil Association Policy Director said,

"This younger, energetic generation of organic farmers revitalising agriculture and boosting their local economies offers a dynamic and viable future for UK agriculture. We will be asking Defra’s new Secretary of State, David Miliband to do all he can to support the energy and efforts of his organic contemporaries.

"The implications of this research are not limited to the UK. In the developing world, some 2.5 billion people are still dependent for their livelihoods on agriculture. If they adopt the model of industrial farming, as has been the dominant trend in the developed world, millions will be forced off the land into the shantytowns of Africa, Asia and Latin America. In contrast, organic farming offers a truly sustainable development path." [8]

Chris Kaufman, National Secretary of food and agricultural at theTransport & General Workers Union said,

"As the UK’s leading rural trade union, the Transport & General Workers Union is happy to support the important work of the Soil Association in promoting the organic farming sector. The development of this vital industry is pivotal to helping regenerate agriculture as a major employer, with a major role in the rural economy."