Newbury Business Today

A NATIONAL advisory service for farmers who are thinking about converting their farms to organic has been launched a Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre near Lambourn.
The Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming, Lord Jeff Rooker, told people from the organic farming industry about the service, which will comprise of a helpline, website and free farm visits to give advice, to cover the whole of England.
The service will be provided by Natural England of behalf of central government’s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, and it is designed to help farmers decide if organic is right for them.
Lord Rooker said: “We really want to give a push to organic conversion. I have visited several organic farms, and every one has said the amount of information they receive is really important.
“The pressure to increase how much organic produce is sold is now is on the retailers. The role of the government is getting consumers to make connections with what they are buying and the impact it has on the environment.”
The service will provide practical business information as well as information on the benefits of organic farming from the point of view of biodiversity and protecting the environment.
Board member for Natural England, Melinda Appleby, who was also at the launch, said: “We have been very pleased to take on the role of delivering this service.
“We realise that not all farmers want to make the switch to organic. It is a big step for farmers and we want them to realise the economic implications as well as the social benefits.”

Pictured. Lord Rooker at Sheepdrove