- At a meeting with English Organic Forum on 31st January Farming Minister George Eustace MP confirmed that existing organic farmers and new farmers who want to convert to organic can apply for support under the Countryside Stewardship scheme for the next two years
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) reported in January that ‘The H5N8 strain of the disease has been confirmed at two separate poultry farms in Lincolnshire, at a premises near Settle in North Yorkshire, and at a premises in Carmarthenshire, Wales, and restrictions are in place. The same strain has also been found in wild birds in England, Scotland and Wales. If you keep poultry – whether on a commercial scale or simply a small backyard flock – you are now required by law to house them (keep them under cover) or otherwise keep them separate from wild birds.’ Full government details and advice are available here.
- The Organic Trade Board and Organic Denmark have secured a grant of EUR 10.4 million (£9 million) to promote organic products in the UK and Denmark between 2017-2019. The campaign is intended to boost retail sales, increase jobs in the sector and raise awareness about organic food. Here’s how The Guardian reported this on 15th January: https://goo.gl/rHcm4j
- There’s a Forum 21 one-day conference to demonstrate the benefits of pasture fed food production. on Friday 21st March in Minehead. The speakers are practising farmers, land managers and conservationists. For full details and to book, go here.
There’s still time to apply for the 3rd Organic Farming Innovation Award; the deadline is 31st March. Every three years, at the Organic World Congress (OWC), IFOAM-Organics International, the Rural Development Administration (RDA) of the Republic of Korea, and the IFOAM Technology Innovation Platform (TIPI) award outstanding organic innovators with the Organic Farming Innovation Award (OFIA).
