One of the projects will help provide an evidence base for future policy direction of organic agriculture in the UK following EU exit as well as exploring the issues surrounding the potential implications of introducing an independent organic labelling system.
With the UK's imminent exit from the EU, the project provides information from which to review the national organic regulations for England and Wales following EU exit.
The project will review regulatory approaches controlling organic production and provisions for trade in other countries and summarise their strengths and opportunities.
In addition, the project is tasked with exploring the organic labelling used by other countries such as those in USA and Norway.
To undertake this project, the Organic Research Centre leads an international consortium of organisations including Organic Services (based in Germany), EcoS Consultancy (UK) and the Swiss Research Institute for Organic Agriculture FiBL. All the members of the consortium have longstanding and complementary experience with organic regulations and the organic sector in the UK, Europe and globally.
Dr Susanne Padel from the Organic Research Centre said, "We are delighted to be leading these significant research projects, which will help to create an evidence base for future policy development. Many conventional farmers in the UK are doing a fantastic job by providing high quality food and contribute to the environment, but there is always something new to learn or improve to create a robust and profitable agricultural industry in the UK. It is also framed by the strategy of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs to provide a cleaner and healthier environment benefiting the economy."
Further information
Contact
Beate Huber, Head of the Department of International Cooperation, FiBL Switzerland
Links
organicresearchcentre.com: Website of the Organic Research Centre