All I want for christmas....

Before I start my annual christmas list to santy, if you are interested in accessing the most recent organic steering committee report, it's available here

(Pic is from young greens site of a green santy on grafton street)

for the previous wish list, click here

Now for the serious stuff:

Dear Santy
Wow. What a year eh? A real 'may you live in interesting times' of a year. I'm writing this to you from a state of mild confusion. Hopefully you'll understand what I mean, and I'll get some of these organic gifts from you.

I'm confused santy, because I thought that organic and conventional were different. Apparently you can even be sent to jail for claiming to be organic if you are not. There are people employed to go around inspecting operators to make sure they actually are organic to the letter of the law. And yet, when it came time for the Arnold Schwarzenegger-like Total Recall of pork products, they also recalled organic pork too Santy.

So this coming year, for Christmas, I'd love for differentiation between organic and conventional to actually mean something. I think the consumer has actually been more confused by organic pork's sudden disappearance, as they must surely have thought all along that that organic pigs eat different food to conventional ones. What must they think now?

Along with this Santy, I'd love some organic cosmetics. Or health and beauty products as they are usually called. For herself of course � I prefer the more rugged look myself.

Both certification bodies in Ireland now have the right to certify for organic cosmetics, making themselves and the Soil Association in the UK world leaders it seems. All the Irish ones need now are products!

I'd also love for the gift of continued organic growth of organics, if you know what I mean. So hopefully once the farmers can start converting again on New Year's Day � as one of their new year's resolutions - there will be a flood of them Santy. Queues out the door of the IOFGA and Organic Trust offices longer than the Dole queues � that's what we want.

Also, if you could give Minister Sargent the gift of a ring fence around the money he's managed to keep for organic farmers, that would be absolutely great Santy. In fact, make it an electric ring fence, and give him a few high voltage cattle prods. He's going to need them. That would cover a lot. I know I'm giving away a present there, Santy, but giving is a gift in itself.

It seems there is nothing but negative talk and thinking these days Santy. Everyone seems to think that food with ethical values will be the first thing to go. They keep saying 'in the current economic climate' or in these 'recessionary times' as if that means � �stop thinking about frilly little exotic irrelevancies like the planet � we have an economy to protect�.

But Santy, organic is the food of the future - the oil won't last forever. Even Teagasc research points out that organic makes sense for both the planet and the farmer. I know cos I was at their recent conference, and organic farmers are making just as much money as their conventional counterparts. In fact, organic cattle farmers are making up to 56% more. And most still do this while doing a better job environmentally.

I'm sure someone out there was asking for a reduction in the price of feeds, fertilizers and fuels, but there are environmental costs in all of these Santy. I'm not so sure that that's all good news. Your reindeer's don't seem to need any of these to keep themselves going � a bit like those mountain sheep and cattle. I'd love to see more of them going organic Mr Claus � they might as well be. Organic would suit both their farming restrictions and their terrain. They'd get a great mark up if they converted, so they would.

And what about that EU pesticide review? I think you can guess what I want on that one. That might even things up between conventional and organic Mr. Claus. Organic might not seem so expensive then, eh?

Overall Santy, I suppose I might as well ask for a lot, as you do seem to give me want I want when I ask. In other years, I was very suprised at how generous you were. Please keep up the good work.

Yours in expectation more than hope

Ollie

TAKE ACTION: Say NO to Vilsack

Stop Vilsack's Confirmation as Secretary of Agriculture

Despite a massive public outcry, including more than 20,000 emails from the Organic Consumers Association, President-Elect Obama has chosen former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack to be the next Secretary of Agriculture.

While Vilsack has promoted respectable policies with respect to restraining livestock monopolies, his overall record is one of aiding and abetting Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) or factory farms and promoting genetically engineered crops and animal cloning. Equally troubling is Vilsack's support for unsustainable industrial ethanol production, which has already caused global corn and grain prices to skyrocket, literally taking food off the table for a billion people in the developing world.

The Organic Consumers Association is calling on all concerned citizens to join a call to action and block Vilsack's confirmation as the next Secretary of Agriculture. Please help us reach the goal of 100,000 petition signatures against Vilsack' nomination. Sign today! Your email will be sent to your Senators and the President-Elect's office. To sign the petition click here.

To listen to a National Public Radio (NPR) show featuring author Michael Pollen on the appointment of Tom Vilsack as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture click here.

Teagasc on organic farming and the environment

Sandwiched in between two bitterly cold and frosty mornings, the recent Teagasc organic farming conference in Tullamore still managed to attract a very sizable crowd.

This event brought together all of the organic-related research Teagasc are doing at present. In attendance were many farmers and others involved in organic farming, from DAFF and Bord Bia to media, organic certification bodies, advisors, planners and more.

The large attendance of farmers was perhaps unusual for a conference of what might have appeared to be academic papers. However, the papers were quite targeted and thus useful for the farming community.

It was also noteworthy that a sizable number of those in attendance were farmers already converted to organic who wanted to up their game. The mood was workmanlike, and quite positive.

This was reflected in the presentations, all of which were by Teagasc staff.

The four themed sections were environmental performance of organic, farm management and animal health; milk, beef and lamb production; crop rotation and nutrient replacement and finally analysis and attitudes.

In the opening section, considering Teagasc have to work for both the conventional and organic sectors, it was perhaps suprising to hear such waxing lyrical about the environmental superiority of organics.

In a paper presented by Dan Clavin, the areas organic scored best in were biodiversity, lower pesticide use (related to some extent to point one) and soil conservation. In fact, of 15 subsections, only two revealed some negative results for organic farming and its environmental performance. Even then, (nitrous oxide and nitrate leaching) the positive outweighed the negative.

An inevitable limitation in this research, and acknowledged by the author and presenter himself, is the lack of comparative studies of organic and conventional in Ireland. His research was based on dozens of international papers.

This limitation is a clarion call for further research specific to the Irish situation. In particular, the extensive nature of much conventional farming in Ireland would no doubt make for an interesting comparative environmental dynamic between organic and conventional.

Another perhaps unavoidable limitation is the reductive nature of the scientific process itself. There is, in science, a place for everything and everything is in its place.

Consider this: the sectors where organic scored worst environmentally were poultry and egg production. This is essentially because the birds live for twice the length of time as their cooped up conventional counterparts.

In this case, certainly animal welfare and perhaps taste inhibit environmental performance. And that�s one of the reasons why they call it organic - that is, holistic farming: it is difficult to compartmentalise as its benefits are spread throughout the agri-food system.

Again, the lack of Irish research makes even this area fraught: many Irish organic poultry and egg systems are on a small scale and considerably more environmentally benign than comparative organic systems abroad.

Space will not permit each paper presented to be given a full review. Suffice it to say that the second paper in this section, Rachel Creamer�s presentation on soil, also pointed to the superiority of organic farming. Soil development is an integral part of the organic approach, so this comes as no surprise.

Pat Barry and Brendan Swan presented on converting to organic. They emphasised planning, and focused in particular on high quality forage, maintaining animal welfare and soil fertility. Clover emerged as the mainstay of forage, while various preventative health strategies and nutrient management techniques were presented.

A detailed and comprehensive presentation on animal health performance, with particular reference to the dairy sector concluded this session. This is too detailed to summarize. However, the low fertility of the Holstein type diary cow, notwithstanding other merits, did emerge as a concern.

While a snapshot of the research presented might not be otherwise useful to the reader, this event differed from many in terms of the availability of the research presented.

Attendees received a weighty booklet with almost all presentations upon arrival. This booklet is available by post from Teagasc or to download. the presentations will also be downloadable from the site. So if you have an interest in some above outlined area, get in touch with Teagasc.

See here or ring 059 917 0200

Action Alert � San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant

The nuclear industry is at it again! In these tough economic times, the industry is requesting millions of dollars from California electricity customers in order to fund a license renewal study for the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant (officially known as the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station) twelve years BEFORE the study is needed.

Send a postcard to the Governor and the Public Utilities Commission saying "NO" to spending any money on outdated and non-sustainable energy production.

Here's a sample text that you can use:

Dear ___________,

I am joining thousands of Californians who are saying "No" to the premature license renewal feasibility study for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. We are looking to you for leadership in developing safe, sustainable, clean and renewable energy for California like solar, wind, and conservation initiatives.

Sincerely,

__________________

Mail your postcards to:

Public Utilities Commision

505 Van Ness Ave.

San Francisco, CA 94102

and

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

State Capitol Building

Sacramento, CA 95184

Breaking news: Organic pig meat operators have received clearence to continue operating

Breaking news: Irish organic pig meat operators have received clearence to continue operating, despite the current recall of irish pigmeat products.

This is subject to their adhering to the rules outlined below ,which will be posted on the departmental website tomorrow (Wed)

BEGINS

Please find below the conditions that need to be satisfied by organic pigmeat producers to allow retailing of existing and new product:

Conditions needing to be satisfied by Organic Pigmeat Producers to Allow Retailing of Existing and New Product



An Organic producer must provide documentary evidence to prove to DAFF or Local Authority Veterinary Officers that:

1. No contaminated animal feed material from the Millstream Recycling Plant, Clohamon Mills, Co. Carlow was procured and consumed by animals on the particular farm from September 1st 2008.



2. No pigs which had consumed contaminated material had been introduced onto that particular organic farm. Proof of the herd of origin must be supplied, which shows that no pigs originated from any holding restricted by DAFF.



3. The pigs were not slaughtered and processed in premises which also handle pigs from farms where the contaminated animal feed material was used.

The organic pigmeat producers will need, in consultation with the OCB, to compile the necessary documentation and provide same to DAFF/LA veterinary inspector for clearance of the product(s).

ENDS

Analysis:

We are in the midst of a major agri-food situation. When problems happen to conventional agriculture, certified organic produce can often get lumped into the mix. This is despite the obvious, fully demarked and legally binding differentiation between the two systems.

So when a product recall happens, even organic product gets recalled, even though it is produced under a system that would never have allowed it to come into contact with the contaminated conventional feed.

This is unacceptable to many in the organic sector. However, the above (re)approval of organic pork operators is good news for the organic sector, all things considered.

pesticides and EU regulations part 2: interview with Merf on alternatives

If the EU does indeed limit the use of pesticides in farming in Europe, as is currently being proposed, there will be a number of consequences.

The positives and negatives of these consequences depend upon where you are placed in the agri-food system.

The price differential between organic and conventional may decrease. This would have the effect of leveling the playing field between organic and conventional for the ultimate recipient of food, the consumer.

Consumer confidence in the food system in general may increase, as the consumer currently dislikes pesticides, and at the same time distrusts farmers, supermarkets and food manufacturers.

One consequence that may not begin to happen in Ireland, but which should as a matter of urgency, is the development of alternative approaches to pest and weed management.

This should include not just methods similar to those used in organic farming, but methods from the broader gamut integrated pest and weed management offer.

An expert on these options is UCD�s Dr. Charles Merfield. Merfield, or Merf as he�s more often known, is an organic cropping agronomist. He has helped develop a number of innovative approaches to weed and pest control, and has some interesting ideas on how we should go forward in this area.

�Up to now, the main way to control pests and weeds has been through the use of synthetic biocides, which are more commonly referred to as chemicals. However a more integrated approach is needed. All four sciences of the natural world should be utilized, that is physical, biological, ecological as well as chemical�.

He also points out the fact that �there is an immediate and looming problem for the industry. One set of controls are being taken away, but the replacements are not in place yet.�

He suggests that an integrated approach is more effective than a chemical only approach, while also have the bonus of being more sustainable.

Merf is concerned, however, that enough research into integrated approaches is not being done for the Irish situation. Worryingly he says that well functioning integrated management systems can take between 5 to 15 years to develop (similar to chemicals) �which for poses a major problem for Irish agriculture as chemicals are being lost right now, so integrated solutions are needed now�.

There are many lessons and techniques to be learned from organic farming: �organic weed management mostly uses physical and ecological techniques. Agro-ecological approaches such as cover crops are also viable options.�

Globally, according to Merf, those investigating alternative mechanisms for pest management have made more progress than those investigating weed management.

�Fifteen years ago, weed science journals were focused on chemical solutions. That�s changed in last ten years or so. There has been a rapid increase in herbicide resistance globally, which we haven�t seen as much here in Ireland�

He cites the case of the caterpillar in New Zealand. By simply providing the catterpillar�s parasitoids with extra food in the form of buckwheat flowers, a cheap, effective, safe and certainly image friendly option has been developed for the countries� wine industry.

Along with a business partner in his native New Zealand, Merf has developed a company promoting particular machines for physical weeding. These include direct fired steam weeders, flame weeders, the Four Wheel Hoe (pedestrian hoe), and false seed bed tillers (cultivators).

The business, called PhysicalWeeding, promotes what it calls the false and stale seedbed approach. This is done by creating a planting tilth but then delaying planting. The weeds germinate and/or emerge before the crop, to then be killed either by further tillage, thermal weeding or herbicides.

While there are solutions, problems remain. �even within organic approaches, there are pests and diseases that are difficult to control or the solutions are not so easy - carrot root fly crop covers are a pain. A biological control that could be applied by spraying would be much easier, but we need to look�.

Which prompts the inevitable question: will the agri-food sector in Ireland have the vision to look for this and other solutions, or will it try to continue down the ever more fraught path of business as usual?

(Pictured: Merf flogging a hoe at an organic conference. For more on the irrepressible merf, click here)

Nutty Muffin Recipe

Hey, it�s the first day of December! Brrrrr . . . we may not have snow, but it is a bit on the foggy side this morning. Wouldn�t it be nice to wake up to some warm, sweet smelling, ever-so-good-tasting, Nutty Muffins? We think so, and we�re happy to give you the recipe that we use in the Co-op Deli to make these muffiny wonders. Enjoy!

Nutty Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 cups maple or agave syrup

� cup apple juice

� cup sunflower oil

1 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350�. Mix all of the dry ingredients together except for the nuts. Mix all of the wet ingredients together. Combine dry and wet ingredients and mix well, then fold in nuts. Line a muffin pan with muffin cups and fill with batter. Bake for approximately 24 minutes, rotating muffin pan halfway through. Use a toothpick to check if muffins are done.

pesticides and EU regulations

for a bit of inspiration in the cold dark winter, look at how one of my long time links over there on the left has been doing recently:

georgina downs

and see her site here

This is the first of two articles on pesticides (where I started on this blog waay back)

(I'll add more links regarding the research outlined towards the end of the article v. soon)

The regulation of pesticides are in the news at the moment. The EU is considering changing from what is called a risk to a hazard based system of approval for pesticides. (for a good sum, see here)

Because the food they eat is the end point of farming, it is worth considering what the consumer thinks.

A 2006 Eurobarometer survey found that concern about pesticides ranked highest of all food concerns amongst consumers and citizens � even higher than bird flu.

Remember bird flu? While it hasn�t gone away, it was front page news in 2005 and 2006. For pesticides to rank slightly higher as a concern among consumers, despite no high profile global pandemic moment, speaks volumes about what the consumer really wants.

The same Eurobarometer survey found that consumer groups (32%), physicians or doctors (also 32%) and scientists (30%) are considered as the most trusted information sources regarding serious food risks.

Public authorities (22%) and the media (17%) were next, while food manufacturers (6%), farmers (6%) and supermarkets or shops (3%) scored worst in the consumer�s opinion, when it comes to telling the truth about food.

Unless there is a seismic, high-profile revelation of thalidomide
proportions, the agri-food industry will always default towards business
as usual. Change involves the unknown and thus financial risk.

Our own Department of Agriculture fears �significant agronomic and economic damage� including likely �crop yield reductions� due to the currently proposed changes to pesticide regulations in the EU. It claims that the �the scientific principle of risk assessment (which takes �hazard� and �exposure� into account) is ignored in favour of hazard-based �cut-off
criteria�� in the proposed changes.

But in reality, pesticide exposure happens. Since the 1980s, traces of pesticides have been discovered in the fatty tissue of polar bears, which live far from the source of possible exposure.

And Europe accounts for about a quarter of the world�s consumption of pesticides, despite having just 4% of the world�s agricultural land.

In 2007, Dr Roberto Bertollini, director of the World Health Organisation�s Special Programme on Health and the Environment blamed pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables for contributing to a rising rate of mental and behavioural disorders, especially in children. And the French Institute of Public Health, Epidemiology and Development said farmers and gardeners using pesticides were more likely to suffer brain tumours.

More and more research is suggesting that the developing foetus, children, farm workers and the elderly are vulnerable.

Pesticide exposure in pregnant women has been linked to obesity in their children. According to a study by Frederick vom Saal, professor of biological sciences at the University of Missouri-Colombia: �Certain environmental substances called endocrine-disrupting chemicals can change the functioning of a foetus�s genes, altering a baby�s metabolic system and predisposing him or her to obesity. This individual could eat the same thing and exercise the same amount as someone with a normal metabolic system, but he or she would become obese, while the other person remained thin. This is a serious problem because obesity puts
people at risk for other problems, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension.�

Pesticides are one of the main sources of these endocrine disruptors. Professor vom Saal�s study tested for socio-economic and cultural variables in the mothers, to eliminate these possibilities (such as the mother�s smoking, education, class, weight etc).

Research findings also suggests that women with breast cancer are five to nine times more likely to have pesticide residues in the body (2003); that pesticides have been linked to cancer in farm labourers (2000, 2003); and that high exposure to pesticides increased the risk of
Parkinson�s disease by 41% (2007).

The highest ever levels of pesticide residues were recorded in fruit, vegetables and cereals in the EU recently, with 5% of these above legal limits.

Rather than extreme claims of food price increases, which the consumer will not believe anyway, perhaps those representing farmers� interests should look to the opportunities for more integrated and holistic pest controlling techniques.

Which is what we will do here next when we talk to Dr Charles Merfield of UCD.

Gobble Gobble

One of our favorite websites on green issues and sustainable living, Grist�s environmental living blog is giving thanks to those creative folks who love to play with their food. In the spirit of holiday gratitude, click here to see Grist�s slide show of meat-free masterpieces shaped like turkeys!

Once you�ve enjoyed the masterpiece slide show, click over to this and get a gander of turkeys enjoying the day. Gobble, gobble. People�s wants you each to know that we are thankful for YOU!

organic and the credit crunch part 3: when organic tries harder, the consumer notices

In the face of a real economic downturn and a barrage of simplistic media pronouncements, you could be forgiven for thinking that organic farming is facing death by a thousand daggers.

The objective fact is there � the downturn. The simplistic notion is everywhere � in a downturn, people will stop thinking about how their food is produced. Food will become a basic, fairly meaningless thing again.

In reality, as I�ve suggested over the last two weeks, things are a little more complex. For example, some direct sellers are not only surviving but thriving.

The multiples have less faith in organic, but then, it is not their job to have faith in anything in particular, other than the profit motive.

A farmer who supplies the Christmas market for a particular high end multiple retailer told me that they are taking 25% less of that product from him recently. My local Tesco fruit and veg manager suggested to me that organic sales there are down too.

However, as we saw last week, many direct retailers are experiencing something altogether different.

Is it because they offer something altogether different too? People are perennially surprised to find that organic meat is so affordable at farmers� markets. Declan McCarthy sells organic meat at a range of farmers� markets across the north west at the following prices:

Mince and sausages both 12e per kilo; chicken 1.8-2.5 kg at 16e per bird; roast beef and lamb cutlets both 15e per kilo.

Similar prices are found wherever organic meat is found at farmers� markets. Organic chickens tend to be 5e cheaper than in the supermarkets.

Bulk direct sellers of organic meat, such as Drumeen farm, offer better prices again.

But direct sellers offer more than price. They offer good value, and value is about price and quality. And quality can be complex.

Talk Stella Coffey and Richard Auler, who sell, amongst other things, eggs at farmers� markets in Tipperary.

Seeing stalled organic egg sales last February, they sourced a great egg poacher, brought it to the market, brought the poached eggs to the market for people to sample, and offered a free egg poacher with every 3 boxes of eggs. Necessity bred innovation, sales went up again.

Like their customer service, their eggs are quality: hens fed sprouted grains, hens kept in natural flock sizes.

While taste is an essential part of the whole thing, it is also important to find ways to inform the customer. Farmers� markets are one way to do this.

More generally, quality is about aiming for higher markets � higher than pizza topping and powdered milk, higher than prison food.

We have, after all, the best grass growing conditions in Europe.

In the race towards the LIDLisation of organic, organic may have to add more meanings into its repertoire to survive.

When I worked in ecotourism, we developed a set of mandatory and optional criteria for tourism product providers.

Crucially, businesses needed to draw from both pools to achieve accreditation. For accommodation providers, mandatory was waste, water and energy. Optional included things like providing local or organic food or providing bicycles.

Already, the Soil Association in the UK are trying to adapt to ever changing times. They are developing a self-assessed organic-like standard for small producers. They have introduced fair trade into air freighted organic. They are looking at organic conservation grade with lower stocking rates.

In tight economic times, farmers and food businesses with a lot of good stories will fare far better than those with just one. Organic beef farmers whose animals are 100% grass fed, or who stock specific breeds have stories to tell. Stall holders with decent, up-to-date seasonal recipes each week do too.

Farmers� markets that provide a drop off service for regulars who couldn�t make it into the market that day have a great story.

Imagine a farmers� market where a different stallholder each week took their turn to do the following: on their way home, text regulars who didn�t make it in to the market that day. Tell them about the still available and affordable bounty in the van.

Necessity also breeds ingenuity. As credit crunches and recession bites, occasionally those crunchy bites will be tasty too.

Controlling Our Food - Documentary

Check out the documentary, Controlling Our Food, by clicking here.

Controlling Our Food provides a comprehensive overview (the film is almost 2 hours long) of Monsanto's early days as the chemical company that developed Agent Orange. It covers the dangers of Roundup herbicide, the regulatory revolving door between Monsanto and government regulators, the evolution of genetically engineered crops, the impacts on farmers internationally, and much more.

Save the Ocean Beach Library Rally

Save the Ocean Beach Library Rally

On Saturday, November 15, 2008 People�s Co-op closed the market for one hour from noon to 1 p.m. to support a rally protesting San Diego City Mayor, Jerry Sander�s plan to close 9 city libraries. Among the 9 chosen, is the Ocean Beach Branch Library, San Diego�s first and oldest city library.

The rally was well attended, but there is still much to do in order to prevent the closure. For more information you can click here and go directly to the O.B. Rag�s blog site where there are up to the minute news and action alerts; you can also get information on how to contact the mayor and your city council members to let them know that you are against the library closures. Together we can and do, make the difference!

organic and the credit crunch: part 2

Before this one starts, if you get a chance on thursday, have a look at ear to the ground . Its on at 7pm. I'll be on it, as part of a feature on the Organics with Altitude initiative. (it is also repeated on sunday mornings)

For more on organics with altitude, click here

And now, more on organics and the economy:

The organic market in Ireland is now worth 117 million Euros. That�s according to the latest TNS figures, which run from mid June for 12 weeks up to the 5^th October.

12 weeks ago, the market was recorded as being at 104 million by TNS. This 117 million Euro figure is a total growth of almost 40% relative to last year�s sales.

Importantly, this figure includes the credit crunch months of August and in particular September, both of which recorded much the same growth as the mid June and July.

Growth was just over 10% from June to 5^th October, and 7% of this occurred in August and September.

To further understand emergent trends in the market, I�ve also spoken to 16 people involved in the business over the past two weeks, to better gauge what�s happening in the market.

These include 8 farmers, all of whom sell direct to consumers; two organic food businesses; one meat producer group representative; two retailers who stock significant amounts of Irish produced organic produce; one butcher who sell organic meat and finally two distributors/wholesalers.

Some of the above do more than one food or farming activity, as often is the case with organic businesses. However, they are only listed once above. It is worth noting that this is not a full and comprehensive representative sample of all stakeholders.

It seems that, as the TNS figures suggest and despite general media hype, the organic market is still strong.

The majority have reported either growth or consolidation, while two suggested that their figures were back a small amount compared to this time last year. None felt that organic food sales were suffering as much as other areas in the economy.

To some extent, consumers are changing their shopping�s �who, what, where and how much.

Individuals are buying bigger, catering like portions. Retailers have noted a specific turn towards 25kg bags of flour, as well as catering portions of other cooking and baking ingredients, such as nuts and dried fruits.

There are also inevitable seasonal changes, such as a turn towards roasts for the oven.

However the �who, what� and �where� part of the above equation is very interesting. To some extent, sales have not been hit too hard, because some specific people are behaving differently.

While the discounters are doing well, it is also the case that some direct sellers are suggesting that the kinds of people who normally eat out a couple of times per week are now cooking more at home. These consumers are buying high end produce from them, such as organic sirloin and striplion steaks.

It may also be the case that consumers have put off the bigger luxury spends, such as a holiday or a car upgrade, but are to some extent compensating with luxury foods.

Because reports from the UK pointed out a drop in the sales of organic eggs, I was especially interested in this.

However, the direct selling egg producer I spoke to claimed to still sell out, and not to notice any decline in turnover.

I specifically was interested in finding out whether people were turning from exotics to staples and from sweets to savoury.

This does not seem to be the case to a significant extent. It may be that some consumers have stopped with exotics, but others have taken up the slack.

While some organic fresh fruit and vegetable stalls have reported a softening in the sales of what could be classed as exotic or higher end fruits and vegetables, this is not at all clear and definitive.

One wholesaler suggested that, to the organic consumer, certain products are less exotic anyway, and that there is more price competition amongst producers because of this.

So all types of salad leaves, peppers, pumpkins and sweet potato sales were up for the sample week he showed me, which was the 40^th week of the year (mid October). At the same time, apples, carrots and potato sales were down. It is noteworthy that these latter three were all Irish produced, whereas the �exotics� were both Irish and imported.

All told, it seems to be the case that the Irish organic market remains robust.

It's a Video!

organic and the credit crunch: part 1

I'm currently doing a three parter on the economy and organic in the examiner. For the bang up to date stuff on this ever changing dynamic, you'll have to get it in the examiner each thursday! (See today's examiner for the most recent figures on the organic market)

My next posting will focus on producers and others in the organic agri-food system. Here's a version of what was there last week:

The current economic situation, which is likely to hold for the foreseeable future, is a new economic climate for organic food producers and consumers alike.

Undoubtedly, consumers are a lot more careful about what they buy now. Consumers are now more likely to try a bit harder to get better value.

Recent research by Bord Bia pointed to growth all through 2008, with slower though still real growth more recently.

�Our research in other areas would suggest that consumers are moving back to standard brands, and away from premium brands.� According to Lorcan Bourke of Bord Bia.

�Having said that, I wouldn�t loose the overall impression of growth. Some organic products has made it into the mainstream shopping basket as part of the weekly shop�

Lorcan points to recent research, which suggests some positive trends:

�In terms of the total potential market, 61% are now open to organic food�.

The research suggests that there are three broad categories within this 61%.

There is a total adult grocery shopping population of 2 million people.

Within this, believers, or a hard core of committed consumers, account for 17% of the market. This is 350,000 people.

Those who seek organic for a specific reason (�health managers and status seekers are the categories used in this research) are 28% or 550,000 people.

While the last group, defined as �aspirational improvers� in this research are 7% or 140,000. This group is made up of people who would like to buy more organic but think they can�t afford it. Often, this is young people with large families on a tight budget.

Another 9%, or 170,000, who don�t yet purchase organic, are considered �evolving considers�.

Lorcan points to the fact that the incidence of buying organic in the last 6 months, (i.e. up to end of August 2008) was 52%. In 2003, that was just 41%. Also, 45% of all shoppers purchased something organic in last month � the equivalent figure in 2003 was just 20%.

UK research also paints a positive picture in the early part of 2008, but suggests significant tailing off more recently.

UK organic fresh fruit and vegetables box schemes are holding steady, but involve more imports as people grow a slightly greater proportion of their own food and use the box scheme for, ironically, more exotic imports.

The organic egg market seems to have been particularly hit in the UK. Many UK consumers have changed over to free range for at least the present. The production differences and thus eventual mark up is quite significant in organic as compared to either conventional or free range eggs.

However, experts in the UK suggest that rising farmer costs, inter supermarket competition and a poor summer are all blamed for contributing to a confused climate for shopping, where all higher end produce is in limbo at present.

In the current economic climate, consumers may start to buy less convenience and value added foods, and may eat out less. Also back garden growing, cooking at home more from scratch with primary products, more affordable cuts, portions and brands are all re-emerging.

This is not necessarily all bad news for organic producers, though it is a different dynamic.

Consumer moves from one retailer to another is also noteworthy. One effect is that LIDI now carry many organic lines. However, with the exception of Irish organic minced beef and milk from northern Irish organic farmers, many of the organic products in the German discounter are imported.

Harvest time comes around yet LIDI still stock an array of imported organic fresh fruits and vegetables, as though season was irrelevant.

(I'll post more about the egg thing in Ireland next posting!)

Halloween

Healthy Halloween Carnival 2008