Supervalu & Organic Growers: partnering up

Is this, finally, a little bit of the farmers' market spirit right in the centre of the supermarket? Is this some sort of a solution to the imponderable of supermarket dominance and a lack of significantly penetrating alternatives, especially in the UK or Ireland (well, really the whole English speaking world, where supermarkets have a hegemony when compared to mainland Europe)

And does SuperValu's franchise structure actively allow for such a thing to develop?

begins

Organic vegetable sales up 150% for the retailer and twice the area planted for the grower. That, in straightforward terms, is what has happened in Glanmire thanks to the new arrangement SuperValu have with organic growers.

Walking into the Glanmire Supervalu, you cannot fail to be impressed by what is Ireland's largest Supervalu store. What's more impressive, from an organic perspective, is the dedicated island one organic vegetable grower, Colum O Regan, has all to himself.

Supervalu's fresh fruit and veg people have a direct, one-to-one relationship with organic growers all over Ireland, and it is, if you will, a growing phenomenon.

(Pic: Una Ni Broin of Beechlawn house, one of the Enterprises that initiated the SuperValu organic growers initiative)

Rather than centralised distribution and anonymous placement within the rows and rows of various vegetables, Colum O Regan's veg has its own display area out on its own, with dedicated blackboards, Specially commissioned photographs, and even regular appearances by the man himself at stacking time.

These islands act as a little organic oasis amid rows and rows of self-same produce.

I asked Emma Rochford of Musgraves about this recent departure for their SuperValu stores. �To allow us to differentiate from other multiplies in the market, we have decided to work with local organic growers, bringing them into our stores and giving their product treatment in a different way.�

�We treat the local organic growers differently in that we guarantee them a particular space in the store in which to merchandise their product. This area or section will be dedicated to them. We then support them by providing the growers with complementary bespoke point of sale materials � blackboards on which to write their name and key offer, and personalised communications � so we have their image on the posters or shelf talkers, allowing locals to really identify the growers�

She continues �SuperValu recruits growers to come on board and helps to get them retail ready. The arrangements however are made solely between the individual stores and growers in question. We issue a number of guidelines or recommendations but between them the retailers and growers come to their own agreements on price, delivery dates, range of products supplied and so on. There is no fee or charge to the growers for supplying the stores.�

�They do really know what they are doing� according to Colum. �When they give you advice on how to sell more of this or that, through better use of your display area, it works�. He cites highlighting a round figure value offer on the blackboard as an example: �when you put the beetroot at a 2E deal, and put this on the blackboard, the customer really goes for it.�

It all began with Padraig Fahy and Una Ni Bhroin in east Galway in early 2009, who supplied 6 SuperValu stores in the region. Receiving various supports (e.g. grants for packaging and chilled delivery) and training, the couple initially road tested just two varieties. Now, they stock 15 seasonal lines.

According to Emma �Last year in 2010 we worked with 8 growers who supplied 20 of our stores. Our aim would be to have growers supplying 50 stores this summer. We currently expect to work with 14 growers over this summer season but are actively seeking more growers. Our aim would be to continue to grow the project year on year and to be in a position to have this initiative in 100 stores by 2013.�

According to Colum O 'Regan, the growers who supply Supervalu have started to �get together to swap knowledge informally�: �its very precise, even down to the pure agronomy of the whole thing. How do you supply a tonne of carrots every week? Two tonnes, ten tonnes, what ever it is. And at a good quality.�

Nevertheless, the numbers Supervalu are aiming for are ambitious. Already they are talking to growers who are in conversion about future opportunities.

�There are Supervalus in many towns in Ireland, and there might not be the grower there, yet, to supply to the required volume�. �But� he adds, �this sort of set-up might give them the confidence to start�.

Kilskyre National School & its (certified) organic garden

10 years ago, most Irish gardens were for looking at or relaxing in. Now, gardening is back and new hubs are emerging, places where people are getting their hands dirty in the name of fresh food.

These include allotments, GIY (Grow It Yourself) gatherings, and, increasingly, school gardens.

Thousands of schools have done some growing in the last three years, thanks to the Meet the Spuds and Incredible Edibles initiatives. These yearly Agri-Aware schemes provided full growing kits to over 2000 schools.

One school growing with a difference is the Kilskyre National School, between Kells and Oldcastle in Co. Meath. This is one of the few schools to have gone and achieved full organic certification.

Gerard Ruane has been principal of the school since 2007.

(picture: Daryll, Katie Conor supervised by organic gardener Lill Coyne)

The beginnings were modest: � I hoped to plant a few rows of vegetables and hoped that I would be able to get a parent to give me a hand with this so I started the Green School Initiative in Kilskyre when I was began here�

Ruane was informed that the parent of a girl in 5th class would be a great help � Lill Coyne. Coyne has been an organic grower and member of IOFGA since the 1980s.

�We took the children to see the garden in St. Patrick's National School Slane, my old school. Mary Meade, the Deputy Principal there, created a fantastic garden - I was anxious for the children to see it as Mary created this garden with the children�.

�We then visited another school, Rathkenny, who have a fantastic garden that the children were also fully involved in. We went back to Kilskyre and Lill got all the children to design the garden they wanted. Lill collected these and merged them into one design combining all the elements the children had suggested. We started from there.�

�We started out by creating a fedge - the older children dug out sods and the children created a sod bank in which we planted willows�.

He continues: �Every Thursday the children I teach bring in wellies and old clothes. The Parent's Council bought the children tools - wheelbarrow, spades, forks and so on�.

�There is a summer/winter/autumn/spring garden. We have bug hotel, pond, wormery, composting pig, green cone, composting area for grass, wild garden, seating area. The main focus initially was feeding the soil and companion planting for pest control, as well as managing nutrients in the soil�.

There has been great parental and wider community involvement, exemplified by equipment donations, meitheals three times a year, and a burgeoning range of amenities, including bird viewing boxes and benches.

�As we are organic, Lill decided to apply for the license. We have been inspected and the inspector was amazed at the children's knowledge and full involvement in the garden�.

I spoke to Lill Coyne about their organic certification: �I'm an organic grower myself - I feel very strongly about it, and I thought it would be great for the children to have the chance to grow organically. They have access to clean, cheaper food that's healthier. They also get exercise, learn about heritage varieties and traditional methods, and about biodiversity and the balance of nature through things like the use of natural predators�.

�The work in the garden comes under Environmental Awareness and Care in the Geography and Science Curriculum�according to Gerard Ruane. �We also use it for Science nature trails, plant study and so on. There is a diary kept where the children write in what they do each day after they come in from the garden.�

Not only have the pupils grown food, they have learned the practical skills of packing, certification, labelling, and also selling. The produce has been sold, by the pupils, at local farmers' markets and at the school gate. This in itself imparts array of practical life skills, from doing calculations to running a business that relies on good customer relations.

Great stuff indeed, it surely begs the question: why isn't all education a little more like this?

The Organic Farming Scheme 2010:who will join, and why will they do it?

Perhaps the most stark thing about the article below is the fact that 2/3 of certified organic sheep meat gets sold as conventional. What a waste!

There is a solution to this, for at least some farmers willing to grasp the nettle: direct selling 100% grass fed extra mature organic lamb (extra mature means about 15-18 months) .

My other blog, here, is all about this (as well as other hill farmed organic products)

See, I don't just write about food, I try to change it too!

For now, here's the state of play for the new crop of organic potentials, 2010........

The May 15th deadline for signing up to the Organic Farming Scheme is fast approaching and the last of the compulsory Teagasc Organic training courses are finishing up.

With these in mind, I spoke to Teagasc organic advisor Pat Barry about this years crop of organic hopefuls.

�I don't think all of the 400 or so who have done the course will sign up for the Organic Farming Scheme this year�, he tell me. �Some will take their time - its a big decision to convert a holding, and those who have done the course this year now see what's involved. They can make a more informed decision for next year, which is probably better for the longer term sustainability of the organic sector�.

In organic tillage, while there has been some interest due to the green manure payment, poor returns in conventional, and the availability of conventional slurry to organic farmers, nonetheless take up of stockless tillage remains weak.

In the main �farmers are bringing balance into their own organic units: tillage is being incorporated into livestock farms�.

Numbers converting are strong for sheep and beef. The diet of organic cattle has to be 60% grass, so the variable price of feeds is not as much an issue fas it is for conventional beef farmers.

That said, �the price of organic concentrates is back significantly, but then again, so is the price of beef� according to Pat Barry.

As has been the case, finding markets for organic lamb remains difficult: �2/3 of raw lamb in organic goes into the conventional sector: For every 20,000 ewes only 8,000 lambs are sold as organic. That's a conservative estimate�.

Out of season lamb production is one way to try to access an organic price premium, according to Barry.

One of the most significant changes in organic horticulture and tillage will be the effect of an Grainan, the operation run by Donegal Creameries.

They will be providing �80 acres of carrots and spuds, and a couple of hundred of wheat.�

320 acres of this massive holding, called an Grainan, went fully organic on 1st March. Currently, it produces arable crops, beef, beetroot, cabbage, carrots, potatoes and milk.

In diary, he points out that five are coming on stream this year, and another 3 to 4 next year. This represents a significant increase: �there will be a 20% increase in cow numbers: it will be important for the sector and the market to be fully in tune�.

However, Donegal Creameries again will exert major influence on dairy dynamics.

According to Ian Ireland, Managing Director, Donegal Creameries, they recently invested a significant amount of money in the building of an organic yogurt production plant at their Killygordon site where the company has been processing milk for over a century.

This has allowed the company to supply ALDI's 74 stores nationwide with an organic yogurt range.

The new Liskeel organic yogurt range in ALDI is made by Donegal Creameries. The 500ml pots retail at E1.39 � considerably cheaper than many competitors.

As LIDL and ALDI try to tempt different shoppers in with more diverse products, consumers are shopping around more than just a few short years ago.

Recent research in Ireland suggests that the number of retail outlets people visit regularly has gone from 2.2 to 2.8.

The race to the bottom in price terms is, in many ways, the conventionalisation of the organic sector.

Barry, like many others, suggests �cutting out the middle man� i.e. direct selling, primarily at farmers' markets, as a way to add to, or at least maintain, a price premium.

Along with this, many producers are finding that organic alone is no longer enough. Adding extra meanings - such as health, taste, locale, breed/variety, environment, production methods - to your product, along with organic, is a way forward.

Soon, we will feature here a beef farmer in conversion to organic who has secured an interesting route to market with an interesting breed of animal.

Teagasc organic plan: baby steps in the right direction

Over the next two postings the two recent organic plans, those of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (DAFF) and Teagasc, will be assessed here. These plans represent important signposts for how organic farming and growing in Ireland may develop over the next few years, so they deserve detailed scrutiny.

The Teagasc plan�s introduction gives an interesting background to the state of the organic sector, which highlights where some of the opportunities are.

It points to increased demand �for organic beef, lamb, pig and especially poultry meat� on the home market; importantly, �most organic pig and poultry meat consumed in Ireland is imported�. Likewise, the Glenisk expansion plans and the importation of 8,000 tonnes of organic feed and feed ingredient point to great opportunities.

While these areas offer undoubted options for innovative producers, there are also constraints. The conventional diary price has been high for a considerable time, and this seems to have induced something of a comfort zone for conventional dairy producers. However, there are signs that this safe stable place is an illusion, with conventional prices now starting to fall. Like many farmers, conventional dairy farmers are at the vagaries of the global commodity market for some of their products. Meanwhile, organic butter and the main organic cheddar cheeses available in the supermarkets are made with UK milk.

As Teagasc rightly point out, however, feed must surely be an opportunity: whatever about relying on export markets for Irish products, the home market for feeds needs to be, well, fed.

An annual budget of �1.1 million is earmarked for organic programmes/activities: is this enough in a multi billion Euro Irish agri-food sector? That said the fact that 11% of the available Teagasc research land is dedicated to organics is an interesting revelation.

The stabilization of the number of organic farm walks at 21 obviously does not represent growth. However, as the other plan � the DAFF plan � points out, there is a need for more comprehensive follow-on services and more detailed analysis of the demonstration farms. The DAFF plan states that an E-profit monitor will be conducted for each farm, which is a step in the right direction. In short, better walks is probably the way forward, rather than more walks.

Teagasc�s plans for technical booklets on various areas of production, the appointment of specialists who will visit 100 farms per year each, and the production of a dedicated newsletter are all worthy developments.

The training initiatives are an up-scaling on what was previously available. However, 25 hour FETAC courses and modules in Agricultural colleges simply do not compare to what is available in places like Scotland and in particular Wales. The Welsh Organic Centre, which is part of the University of Aberystwyth, and their inter-institutional and legislative support levels are commendable. Organics in Wales has risen from 0.3% to 6% since 1998, while our rates have vacillated between embarrassing variations of 0 and 1% in the same period. (For more on organics in Wales, see my article in the current edition of Organic Matters)

Whatever about the limitations, the organic diary research in the plan does seem to be very leading edge, in particular the research being carried out in the Solohead/Moorepark project. This research aims to substantially reduce organic dairy farmers� winter milk costs, which, in the context of a likely growth in the main processor�s winter milk requirements, is welcome.

However, the omission of horticulture from the plan is both worrying and disheartening. Horticulture makes something of an entry into the tillage section, through the mention of potato in a seven year rotation: that is literally the sum of the horticultural dimension to the plan. There are a number of reasons why this is a particular failing.

Organic fresh fruits and vegetables are already an import-dominated sector. This carries both import substitution opportunities and food security fears. It is all the more noteworthy in a context where the minister represents horticulturalists in his constituency and has horticulture under his remit. Likewise, we are both consuming ever more, and indeed being told to consumer ever more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Overall, horticulture�s omission is a bit of an elephant in the living room. Otherwise, baby steps in the right direction.

Here is the interview I did with Green Party leader and New minister of State for Food and Horticulture here in Ireland, Trevor Sargent. It was published recently in the Irish Examiner's farming supplement, which comes out every Thursday. Nothing about organics actually, as that was kept over for the organic diary, which was published last thursday.

Oliver Moore: Being from Dublin, and with the Green Party having such an urban base�

Trevor Sargent: Hang on a second, are you labouring under the misapprehension? Aren�t you aware that half of the fresh produce in the country is produced in north county Dublin? There are also a lot of lamb, sheep and dry stock farmers there too. And, for the record, I�m not a city person - where I live is a serious food producing area

OM: So you have an automatic connection to farming�

TS: I do, also through my family in Longford and Meath, I would have been involved with farming during my summer holidays

OM: You also do some gardening, if I�m not mistaken?

TS: I do: I grow as much of my food as possible in a small suburban garden

OM: Tell me about your new role. What�s your remit?

TS: My responsibilities cover the development of the food industry throughout the country. That entails monitoring the food industry headings under the national development plan. The specific aspects include the horticulture sector, including plant health and organic production, though of course organic production goes far beyond horticulture, as the biggest growth in that sector is in livestock.


The early retirement scheme is also in my area. Insuring that farming has a future means encouraging young people to get involved in farming. This scheme can�t be made attractive enough, for somebody to let their farm be farmed by a younger person, when they get to an age when they could enjoy a slightly easier life, given that farming is such a hard life.


I also have responsibility for livestock breeding. A particular interest of mine is in establishing more abattoirs locally. Animal feedstuffs are another important area of mine.

OM: That�s a fairly broad remit. This latter area is an interesting one.

TS: It has an international dimension. Currently, we are relying on imported feedstuffs, even though much of our livestock is produced for export�we have to insure that these imports are of a standard to get the best market opportunities in our exports. So we need a full debate on the growing influence of the biotech industry in the production of GM animal feed, given that our markets are very keen to ensure GM-free produce. Examples include Co-Op Italia, and many others� Carrefour, Auchan, in the UK there�s UK Teascos, M&S, Sainsburys, Budgens stores. They all have high quality labels that require meat and dairy produce to be fed on certified GM-free feed.

OM: But we do sell meat to these countries, and these retailers you�ve mentioned are some of the biggest players in these countries. So is it that we don�t get to sell meat to them or that we are at risk?

TS: I think we�re at risk. Because at the moment, we don�t declare that the food is fed with GM. So it is taken as read that if it�s not declared as GM it must be non-GM. So we are managing to get away without having to certify it as GM free at the moment. But I�m seeing a trend internationally, where consumers are requiring far more upfront certification. In that regard, we need to be prepared for that. We have such a good grass producing climate in this country. We should be taking advantage, and insuring the greatest possible self-reliance in feed from our cereal sector, and making sure the supply of GM-free feed is assured.

OM: What is the current status of availability of GM-free feed?

TS: It is available. There has been a meeting between suppliers and the 3rd largest feed supplier in the world, the Brazilian company Imcopa. They were assuring farming organisations they have sufficient feed for the whole of Europe, should the whole of Europe decide it wanted it .They certainly would supply Ireland

OM: I suppose we then get into a whole set of other arguments, about GM, food miles, regulations in Brazil�

TS: Well this is the crossroads we are at. We need to capitalise on the high quality reputation we have, and that is to be found in guaranteeing that we are GM free. We need to both maintain and enhance our reputation. We need to look at what we stand to loose, not just the costs. We need to make the best, long term decisions. 15 dollars per tonne is the price of guaranteeing GM-free soya, according to Impoca. We need to also work at import substitution, to make sure that the money goes to our own cereal sector, rather than exporting the money. We also need to maintain our extensive production, so that we can rely as much as possible on grass feeding�it�s about playing to our natural advantages.

OM: What about the recent Teagasc report on GM, which pitches the cost of staying GM-free as somewhere between �7 and �42million, depending on the scenario considered?

TS: I want to meet with Teagasc, to see how they arrived at that figure. Because it�s very important that we take decisions based on all the information, and longer term contexts, and what potential we have to avoid costs. I think it�s fair and wise to ask those questions. Previously, let�s remember, we were all advised feeding meat and bone meal was a good cost effective course of action. We found to our cost that it was anything but. I think we should learn lessons from the past.

OM: Maybe it is the case that the scope of research Teagasc can do, while being good in its own scientific area, might not be able to take into account the market, socio-cultural realities and so on.

TS: Well I would say that (is the case), because the previous programme for government, when it came to GM, talked about taking into account both health and environmental criteria. It didn�t talk about taking into account markets. From an agricultural point of view, it�s vital that we take into account the market�. there are GM-free zones all over Europe, including Ireland�.

OM: But what about the legal status of these zones?

TS: There are ways around it. EU rules state that you need to prove that it�s not possible for GM and non GM to co-exist, before you can declare an area GM free. There�s grounds for that in Ireland�.Likewise, you can, if there�s an agreement in an area, where all the growers undertake not to grow GM, you can de facto declare the area GM free. And it would be, I would argue, in the interest of farming in the area to capitalise on their selling point in doing so. The fact that councils have declared their area GM free indicates that there is popular support for declaring an area GM free. There are ways around the WTO rules, (rules) that have been seriously influenced by the biotech industry, but I think people need to be able to determine their futures.

OM: You mentioned at the start that you were from a horticultural region of Dublin. What is the current situation regarding horticulture?

TM: In particular, they are the ones under the most pressure - so many of them are under so much pressure that they are going out of business. This is bad news not only for these farming families, but also for us nationally, because our food security is further diminished. Food and energy are intrinsically linked together. The price of energy is a large part of the food production costs. A grower in my own area, producing parsnips and leeks, has found that his energy costs have more than quadrupled in the last 5 years. And yet, he�s not getting anything more for his produce. He�s under more and more pressure every day to keep going. If we could reduce the food miles, and have more access to his produce rather than just depending on supermarkets, then there would be the option for him to continue beyond what he is currently doing

OM: So is part of your remit also farmers� markets?

TS: Very much so. There needs to be a number of measures in this job, to insure you are making progress, and the number of farmers� markets is one such measure. So I will be meetings county managers, local authorities, public representatives and officials, so that they will recognise that they have a role to play, to insure that their area has as many farmers� markets as possible.

OM: As you are aware, different local authorities have had different attitudes to farmers� markets ranging from positive to negative.

TS: Very much so, both your paper and your strong Munster readership have been leading the country in this regard. You have managed to create the association between say, west cork and gourmet food...

OM: But why is it that in Ennis they�re fined for putting up signs saying the farmers� markets is on, and in Leitrim they are funded for putting up signs saying it�s on?

TS: There is a clear inconsistency�so there should be consistency in how our markets are developed and advertised, notwithstanding regional branding diversity

OM: How will farmers� markets accommodate the very large growers in your part of the country?

TS: (These producers) are in many ways designing their operations around supermarket interests - to the point of just having one or two crops�maybe farmers� market can help these producers, if only in relation to market research. Maybe it�d be a small part of their sales, but it might provide a lot of useful information for them�for example, one thing that went down quite well, though it would be a small part of his overall business, was the selling at farmers� markets of Brussels Sprouts still on the stalk. That�s something of a unique selling point, it keeps the product fresh while people also like the idea...there needs to be some reaching out from the organisers of the farmers� markets; maybe to take delivery of some of the produce for markets from these farmers, and undertaking to sell the produce on a commission basis. There needs to be some way of connecting farmers and farmers� markets, and that requires a bit of lateral thinking�