Upland farm in north-west England begins switch to organic farming
A beef, sheep and pig farm in north-west England starts a two-year conversion to organic farming on 1 November, working with the Soil Association certifier. The process is funded by the government's sustainable farming incentive scheme.
A livestock farm in the north-west of the United Kingdom is starting a two-year conversion to organic farming on 1 November. The process is overseen by the Soil Association, the certification body that awards organic status in the UK. The farmer, Andrea Meanwell, describes the decision in the Guardian's Country diary column.
The owners say they have always run the farm on organic principles. Now that they operate a small shop selling their own beef, lamb and pork, they have decided to convert formally, prioritising soil health and biodiversity without the use of chemicals.
Obstacles and funding
Going organic has historically been difficult for hill farms, because many sit on commons with shared grazing, no physical boundaries between the areas used by individual flocks, and shared routes to and from the fell. Certifiers are now keen to be flexible, so the owners decided to try. The conversion is funded by the government's sustainable farming incentive scheme, which they were lucky to join this year, as many farmers missed out.
What it means in practice
In practice, the farm will need more record-keeping, vet permission to dip sheep, and longer withdrawal periods for many medicines. When planting trees, it will have to source organic stock or request a derogation if none is available.
The move completes a shift from the conventional upland beef and sheep farm bought in 2018 to a regenerative model, in which biodiversity is treated as a public good the farm produces. It would also be unusual locally: the north-west holds only 2.4% of the UK's organic land.
The owners hope to increase biodiversity, raise quality breeding stock that can thrive outdoors all year without extra inputs, supply food for local people to buy directly from the farm, and let visitors see and understand the farmed landscape. The latest batch of beef will be in the farm shop for Christmas. It will not be certified organic this year, but the owners hope future batches will be.
