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Organic farming
Protecting the environment, and working within natural life-cycles, are extremely important for organic farming.
Defined by law, all organic products sold in the UK must display a certification symbol and must be produced to strict standards. These standards include:
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Severe limits on the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers
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A free-range life for farm animals, and higher welfare standards
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No routine use of drugs on animals, instead using good management to keep them healthy
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No genetically modified crops or ingredients.
To meet these standards, organic farmers typically use a range of management practices, many of which can be good for wildlife. Research has shown that a wide range of plants and animals, including bees, butterflies, birds and bats, can benefit from organic management. Organic farming can also be good for the wider environment. Beneficial practices include:
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Crop rotations and mixed farming. This provides greater habitat diversity for birds and includes grass plots, favoured by butterflies. In addition, crop rotation can maintain soil fertility and prevent pests and diseases from building up in the soil
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Non-chemical methods of controlling pests and weeds. This leads to more insects and wild plants (which also provide food for birds and mammals), and increased variation in vegetation structure, which helps insects. It also eliminates the problem of pesticide pollution in water
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Use of manures and composts instead of synthetic fertilisers. Organic farming focuses on cycling nutrients around the farming system, rather than relying on frequent inputs of chemical fertilisers to make up for nutrients that are lost. This can lead to less pollution in water courses and to more healthy soils which can store more carbon, helping to tackle climate change.
This isn't to say that 'conventional' farms, i.e. those that do not follow organic standards, can't do great things for the environment. In fact there are many things conventional farms can do to improve both their environmental impact and their profitability. This can include incorporating land management approaches traditionally viewed as being organic into their everyday practices.
For example, reintroducing more diversity into crop rotations to include a leguminous crop such as spring beans, or a clover ley, can help ‘fix' nitrogen into the soil (reducing the amount of nitrogen fertiliser that is needed on conventional farms) and can deliver improved habitat diversity for wildlife. It can even help tackle pest weed problems.
Another benefit of organic farming is that it does not rely on synthetic chemicals (pesticides and fertilisers) that are produced from fossil fuels. This will become an increasingly important factor as fossil fuels become more scarce and prices rise.
The RSPB supports organic farming and are converting a number of our grazed reserves to organic production. We are campaigning for increased funding for organic farming, and pushing for more research into the biodiversity effects of organic upland and dairy farming. We encourage our members to buy organic products where possible.
Last modified: 01 November 2011