Organic Helpline Launched in the U.K.

"A national advisory service for farmers who are thinking about converting their farms to organic was launched a Sheepdrove Eco Conference Centre near Lambourn yesterday. 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.

Ther service, which is funded through Defra, will cost the tax payer £325,000 a year to run. 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."

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