2010 hi and lo lights in organics

From an organic farming perspective, what were the big high and low points of 2010? Perhaps surprisingly, its possible to find plenty of highs.

First up, some strong organic brands did especially well. Both big players, Good Herdsman and Glenisk did so. The latter saw significant growth in domestic and export markets. In general, the organic dairy sector saw significant expansion in retail terms, with even ALDI and LIDI now brimming with affordable organic milk and yoghurt.

(Image: Highbank farm's stall at the Kilkenny Christmas Market just gone)

Smaller organic companies also did well. For example, Beal cheese (Kerry) and Dee's Burgers (Cork) both used the platform of the Dragon's Den to grow their business.

And grow their businesses they have. Both companies use social media, especially twitter and facebook, to great effect. Facebook ads are far more targeted than any other adverts: users of facebook list an incredible amount of personal information about themselves, and adverts can be targeted towards this information with striking accuracy.

Beyond ads however, both have used other aspects of facebook to draw potential customers over to their business including running competitions and regular updates.

Earlier this month Highbank farm (Kilkenny) was in the news. This long standing organic company, run by Rod and Julie Calder-Potts, won the top prize in a new Food Innovation awards scheme sponsored by Bord Bia in association with the South-East County and City Enterprise Boards.

Highbank Farm won significant development supports as part of their prize: �15,000 for consumer research and �10,000 for design, branding and packaging, as well as supports from the Enterprise Boards.

Omega Beef Direct (Tipperary) also won an innovation award at the same competition, for their organic Galloway steak burger.

Mossfield cheese's (Offaly) winning of the National Organic Awards was an undoubted highlight too. This year, the Awards made the TV news on RTE at 6 and 9PM, increasing the profile of both the competition and the winner significantly.

Mossfield's mature gouda-style cheese, now available in a vac pac, was the real standout product from the awards. Darren Grant of the Organic Supermarket (another successful company for 2010) had a real ah-ha! moment when he tasted this cheese, and he has tasted many products over the last three years of business.

He reminded me of the Food critic Anton Ego in the kids movie Ratatouille, when he tasted the dish that transported him back in time to a perfect dish of his childhood.

It wasn't all winning either though. The loss of Trevor Sargent as junior minister with responsibility for organic farming earlier on in the year was a major negative for the organic sector. His knowledge and workrate were second to none. While Ciaran Cuffe has done a good job in carrying on the work, his time is spread out over three ministries.

That said, avoiding budget cuts for either the Grant Aid or the overall organic farming budget was a major achievement in what is year three of a major recession .This makes it the third year of no cuts, which is remarkable.

Another loss was market value � down about 10% for Irish sales. While this is in line with other areas, it is nonetheless difficult for farmers and food businesses.

While there have been positive signs of increasing market share for organic meat, there is a major change coming downstream in 2011. The rules with regard to processing organic meat are changing: producer specific abattoirs/butchers will now be subject to inspections from organic certification bodies.

It is also the case that butchers or large scale processors will not be allowed use producer-specific abattoirs: they will only be allowed use certified organic abattoirs.

This represents a significant change for those organic farmers who up until now used local butchers. Primarily, this concerned those who direct sell. To ensure organic standards are maintained, organic animals were killed first thing in the morning.

Now this relationship is set to change. Will it be for better or for worse? Both sides of the argument will be presented over the next two postings here.

In the meantime, have a prosperous, peaceful and pleasant new year!

ORGANIC SUPERMARKET NEWSLETTER

I have a new piece on the femininity of farming, in particular organic farming, in the new newsletter from the Organic Supermarket.

To follow on a bit from it, you could have a look at a piece I'm especially happy with, one that I've had in the read these section for ages (must update, I know!), called nature and class.

This deals with the more theoretical issues behind gender and nature, in an introductory sense.

Its a really interesting newsletter - lots of recipes, info, giveaways etc - well done to Darren and the team for getting it together.

Why eat organic in a recession? In Ireland?

Why eat organic in a recession? In Ireland? Have a look at my reasoning, part one, on the Organic Supermarket's website.

(See the current edition of organic matters for a couple of features by me too: one of social media and organic food businesses, the other a farm and food business profile of Clanwood farm in Offaly)

Read all about it!

Super quick one: I've started contributing to the organic supermarket's site, today, and you can read it here

It's called: in defence of the 16E organic chicken

New Organic Column

I'll be starting a new column for the organic supermarket's website next week: I'll be writing more generally about organics, starting with "in defence of the 16E chicken".

Their website is here

Drop over next week if you get a chance

Fire walking through it all: organic farming's cool wet grass

Sometimes it must seem as if organic farming is blessed. It is almost as if organic farming is fire walking, thinking all the time of cool wet grass while bounding across the burning agri-food embers.

All around, casualties nurse their smoldering, singed, smoky feet. And yet, in its own small but significant way, organic continues to thrive.

Economists, commentators and other apparent experts have euligised the new fashion for frugality in food: the consumer now only wants cheap cheap cheap, and the consumer is getting it.

In this new world, organic supposedly doesn't stand a chance. How and why would anyone spend, wait for it, more than they have to, on something so basic as food? Its like taxing yourself on top of all the imposed cuts and taxes.

The same commentators then morn for farmers' falling income, as though cheap food and falling farmer incomes are not connected.

All the while, organic farming calmly and collectively presents itself as a viable and sustainable alternative.

Despite its image as expensive, organic continues to defy expectations. Despite all the presumptions, predictions and hype, organic sales figures are still growing in Ireland.

The most recent TNS figures for organic food sales put the figure at E124 million. Organic broke the 100 million mark in July 2008, and has been on the rise ever since. 73% have purchased an organic product in the last month.

Indeed the growth rate is actually hastening. Perhaps the consumer is sharpening her focus on value: the balance between price and quality.

It seems as if a new breed of quality organic products are emerging. There once was a place for uber convenience, for what now seems to be gimmicky value added products, or for ever smaller portions designed for ever more convenience again.

The new breed is an altogether leaner, cleaner, greener, machine. Consider the winners at this year's Bord Bia national organic awards.

Happy Heart organic rapeseed oil from Drumeen farm is grown, pressed and bottled on the Colchesters' farm in Kilkenny. It tastes great and is good value too, clocking in at under E6 for a half litre.

St Tola's organic goats cheese 1 kg log, which wins awards across many competitions at home and abroad, is now an export product.

The non-homogenised Moon Shine 2 litre organic milk, overall winner from the Kelly's in Westmeath, is another great taste great value product.

All three were category winners, decent sized portions, and all are produced on a farm.

Looking at the winners and highly commended's from these awards, its clear that simple, good quality foods are emerging as the foodie's choice.

This years organic award winners were meats, bread, milk, oil, cheese, porridge and yogurt: Simple honest foods.

The Good Herdsman's organic steakhouse beef, a highly commended product in the awards, proves that organic is able to compete with any retail product. The Good Herdsman recently achieved a E500,000 contract on the continent with their Organic Steakhouse, which is produced, processed and packaged in Ireland.

That the driving forces of the company, John Purcell and Josef Finkle can speak fluently in French and German no doubt helped with achieving contracts at this year's Biofach organic trade show in Germany.

Fellow judge Darren Grant from the Organic Supermarket in Blackrock, Dublin was very impressed by the fact that this new organic product has an extra 10 days shelflife.

St Tola's, Drumeen and Moonshine products, all farm produced, surely suggest to farmers that there are realistic options out there, both in organic and in on farm processing.

And for those very farmers, the dates and locations for the new Teagasc Organic Farming Courses have been announced.

These FETAC accredited courses start the week of the 20th October, and run for 25 hours in total one day per week for five weeks. The cost is �200 per participant.

Accredited courses are now compulsory to qualify for the new organic farming scheme, which reopens on the 1st January 2010.

And while the grass is greener on the organic side, in flaming world of farming, it's cooler and wetter too.

(photo by chaosinjune )