Organic Farming
Organic systems recognise that our health is directly connected to the food we eat and, ultimately, the health of the soil. Healthy soil = healthy food = healthy people & and healthy environment!
Organic farmers aim to produce good food from a balanced living soil. Strict standards define what we can and can't do and place a strong emphasis on protecting the environment.
Organic farmers like us use crop rotations to make the soil more fertile. We may graze sheep on a field one year, making the soil more fertile, then plant wheat the next and so on.
Organic farmers do not grow genetically modified crops and can only use – as a last resort – seven of the hundreds of pesticides available to farmers (the Soil Association only allow four of these).
Parasite problems in farm animals are controlled through regularly moving the animals to fresh pasture and other preventative methods rather than routinely dosing the animals with drugs.
Here are some of organic farming’s main features:
- Organic farming severely restricts the use of artificial chemical fertilisers and pesticides
- Instead, organic farmers rely on developing a healthy, fertile soil and growing a mixture of crops in rotation
- Animals are reared without the routine use of drugs, antibiotics and wormers common in intensive livestock farming
The word ‘organic’ is defined by law. Any food labelled organic must meet a strict set of standards. Look for the Soil Association symbol for your guarantee of the highest organic standards.
For more info visit: http://www.whyorganic.org