A leading scientist from the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (Switzerland) said that proactive measures have seen the number of producers steadily increase.
Switzerland is currently only one of seven European countries which has more than 10% organic agricultural land. There is a strong push for organic companies because the government accepts organic as being part of one strategy - not just for the environment and better land but also as the main strategy for Swiss agriculture as a premium market. A professor from the RIOA said there was also a strong pull from the supermarkets to stock organic produce because they need to ‘differentiate themselves from the others’
This comes after the latest Soil Association report showed organic sales have grown for the first time in four years, but a continued decline in the number of producers means the UK will have to rely even more on imports. Large falls in both the area of land in Wales being farmed organically and the number of organic livestock were also discovered in the 2013 Welsh Organic Producer Survey.
Based on 537 responses it is estimated that the Welsh organic sector is comprised of approximately 91,170ha in 2013. Findings have also shown that large reductions in beef cattle numbers being down by 30%, sheep are down by 25% and dairy also by 18%.
The reasons for producers leaving organic farming were numerous but included high feed costs and a lack of organic premium, though retirement and family reasons, certification costs, technical issues, a lack of an organic market and the ending of Organic Farming Scheme agreements were also mentioned.