By Steve Clarkson, CEO, Organic Farmers & Growers (OF&G)
Organic farming remains a tested, scalable pathway to healthier soils, richer biodiversity and
more resilient farm businesses. As OF&G marks 50 years supporting producers and reflects
on our 50th-anniversary survey, one thing is clear: farmers want to do more for nature and
climate – but policy and market signals must catch up to enable action.
Farmers are ready — policy needs to follow
Our survey of more than 100 UK farmers shows strong intent, with 95% saying
environmental sustainability influences their decisions and two-thirds are confident about
organic’s future.
But farmers also highlighted real barriers to progress, chief among them being government
policy and regulation (53%), climate change (24%) and, worryingly, only 3% feel very
prepared for climate impacts. That mixture of strong motivation but limited support sets the
challenge we must solve together.
Policy is evolving quickly. In a Welsh context that means ‘made in Wales’ support via a
purpose-built Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) to provide a long-term framework for
public goods payments and sustainable food production in Wales. That process is
accompanied by a Multi-Annual Support Plan intended to give Welsh farmers five-year
clarity and transitional measures (interim habitat schemes) to bridge existing Glastir and
legacy agreements.
For organic farmers, this is an important window as SFS design choices can explicitly reward
the soil-health, biodiversity and local-supply outcomes organic systems deliver – if the sector speaks up now.
Wales’ specific emphasis on food and community alongside farm support makes this policy
particularly relevant for organic farming. There is a clear opportunity to advocate for a food
strategy that ties together organic production, community resilience and local supply chains.
This broader, interconnected approach is already embedded in Welsh Government’s ‘Food
Matters: Wales’ work and aligns with the Wales Real Food and Farming Conference’s theme
of communities, food and farming working together
Practical levers to scale organic across Wales and the UK
If Wales – and the UK more widely – want more farms delivering public goods for climate,
nature and communities, three practical levers stand out:
- Policy that recognises conversion costs and rewards outcomes. Conversion isn’t
free – it needs transition support, technical assistance and time. Future schemes must
reward measured environmental outcomes (soil health, biodiversity, reduced pollution) as
well as activity. OF&G will keep pressing for organic to be recognised in mainstream agri-
environment payments and public-goods schemes. - Knowledge exchange and on-farm demonstration. Farmers scale what they see
working. Peer networks, farm walks and clear case studies showing the business
performance of converted farms reduce perceived risk. OF&G’s technical resources,
events and certification support aim to make the pathway from interest to conversion as
straightforward as possible. - Stronger local markets and community partnerships. Local supply chains,
community-supported models and better market signals make conversion a viable
business decision. Conferences like WRFFC – which bring farmers, food partnerships
and communities together – are exactly where those connections are built.
Why organic matters for Wales
Wales already has a long tradition of farming that values landscape, community and multi-functional land use. Organic farming amplifies those strengths: it links farm profitability to stewardship, supports farm-diversification and improves resilience to extreme weather through healthier soils.
Join the conversation at WRFFC 2025
The future of organic is not a return to the past, it’s a modern, productive system attuned to our climate and community needs. Our recent survey findings show farmers are ready for change, but they need clearer incentives, better technical support and stronger market connections to scale organic across the landscape. OF&G is committed to making that happen.
The Wales Real Food and Farming Conference is where ideas become action. As
longstanding sponsors, the OF&G team will be there to listen, learn and share information with delegates. Be sure to come and find us or visit About Organic Farmers & Growers Organic Certification | OF&G for more information.
CGFFfC - WRFFC 