The history of organic farming
Organic farming isn't anything new! It is the way that people farmed for thousands of years, right up until the middle of the last century. But after rationing during WW2 it was felt essential that Europe should provide plentiful amounts of high quality food. Supported by national government policies, the farming industry rapidly modernised to achieve this and in the last 40 years production methods have become more efficient - and intensive. Now it is routine farming practice to seek to prevent animal and crop disease with artificial chemicals. As a result today, for example, some 25,000 tonnes of pesticides are used on our crops in the UK each year.
Europe has achieved the goal of providing plentiful food: the main cause of world hunger now is not lack of food, but poverty. In the West, increasing numbers of consumers today are turning away from industrial farming techniques and demanding high quality food, grown with a minimum of chemicals. The organic movement has developed in response to this growing demand. The organic approach is very different to that of the conventional farmer. Instead of routinely using chemical pesticides and drugs such as antibiotics to try and avoid disease and reach optimum productivity, the organic farmer encourages crops and animals to become healthy enough to resist disease through natural techniques and skilful animal husbandry. Rather than fighting nature, the organic system works with, and uses nature to create a healthy and productive farm naturally.
Organic dairy farming in the UK is an important part of the overall organic farming picture, with milk being the largest single organic product in the UK. The impact of organic dairy farming reaches beyond the dairy farms themselves. Organic arable farming is important, producing winter feeds, and feed supplements, as cows are not just fed on grass, but on grain crops as well. In an organic system, this feed must also be produced to strict organic standards.
“Organic” is a legally defined quality mark, indicating that the milk has been produced from a dairy herd, which at least meets the Advisory Committee on Organic Standards (ACOS) criteria. These standards emphasise animal welfare and, by avoiding artificial fertilisers, pesticides and other non-natural chemicals, and prohibiting the routine use of antibiotics and other conventional drugs, also ensure care for the environment, and promote the highest standards of food quality and safety.
Information from www.omsco.co.uk
