UK Faces Supply and Demand Problems

The UK's demand for organics is great. Unfortunately, many farmers are not helping with the market because of problems due to "lack of labour, lack of skills, pricing techniques and which markets to supply."

"The situation is one that is clearly beginning to concern the Soil Association, the largest, but not the only, organic certification body in the UK. Of late, the organisation has been targeted for criticism given the amount of organic products that are imported.

Keen to improve its reputation as an industry leader in the fight against climate change and promote home-grown produce, it has embarked on an aggressive programme to encourage more farmers to look seriously at the opportunities in this sector.

..Their urgency suggests how serious the problem has become. Self-sufficiency in organic vegetables is improving – 62 per cent in 2004/05 compared with 57 per cent in 2001/02.

However, while the amount of land converted to organic vegetable production remains steady, demand is increasing at around 14 per cent each year."

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