Annex 1
INTRINSIC BENEFITS OF ORGANIC FARMING—A
BRIEF EXPLANATION
1. The following is a brief summary of some of
the hypothetical benefits for biodiversity conservation from organic
farming.
1.1 The majority of organic land, especially
in middle England, is mixed farming; providing a close physical
association between arable fields, pasture and livestock. There
are a few exceptions: stockless arable systems being pioneered
in East Anglia, the conservation implications of which have not
yet been studied; upland systems where there is no scope for arable
production; holdings which consist of SSSI or similar grassland
where an arable phase is not wanted for conservation reasons;
and small scale horticulture. The conservation benefits of mixed
farming were recently reviewed by Self (in press)[25].
1.2 The use of synthetic fertilisers and
pesticides is prohibited, thereby removing the direct and indirect
problems for wildlife arising from agro-chemical use. The evidence
for effects of pesticides on birds was reviewed by Campbell et
al (1997)[26]
and Ewald and Aebischer (1999)[27].
1.3 One of the ways in which organic farmers
control weeds is to use a variety of both crops and cultivation
times during the rotation. Consequently, organic farms tend to
have more variety of crop structure at any one time than an equivalent
conventional farm and, where the soils are suitable, are more
likely to use spring sown crops. The importance of this temporal
diversity of crop structure was clearly demonstrated by Wilson
et al (1997)[28]
for skylarks.
1.4 Soil Association organic standards (which
cover the majority of organic production) now require the sympathetic
management of wildlife rich infrastructure features such as hedges,
and ditches. The Soil Association are currently reviewing this
section of their standards with a view to making further improvements.
25 Self, M. In Press. Mixed Farming and Biodiversity
in the English Countryside: A Review. English Nature Research
Report. Back
26
Campbell, L H et al, 1997. A Review of the Indirect Effects of
Pesticides on Birds. JNCC Report No. 227. Back
27
Ewald, J A & Aebischer N .J, 1999. Pesticide Use, Avian Food
Resources and Bird Densities in Sussec. JNCC Report No. 296. Back
28
Wilson, J D, et al. 1997. Territory distribution and breeding
success of skylarks. Alauda arvensis on organic and intensive
farmland in southern England. Journal of Applied Ecology, 34 1462-1478. Back
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