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Organic Standards
The production of organic food
is controlled by European Union regulations or standards.
Until recently, the UK Register of Organic Food Standards
(UKROFS) administered the Regulation in the UK .
That body has now been replaced by the Advisory Committee
on Organic Standards (ACOS). ACOS is a non-executive
non departmental public body which advises Ministers
on matters related to organic standards. There are
a number of sector bodies in the UK whose role is
partly to enforce these standards. Full details of
the standards, the certifying bodies, the certifying
process and ACOS can be obtained from (http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/organic)
Globally, organic farming is represented by the International
Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) http://www.ifoam.org
Organic farming in Cornwall
During 2002-03 the Organic Studies Centre completed a survey of all organic producers in the county. The full report and a summary report in our Technical Bulletin 3 describing the results of this study are available
The south-west
of England has the most densely populated number of
organic farms in the country. In Cornwall, we have approximately
120 organic farmers, producing a very wide range of
products. In many respects, the climate of Cornwall
provides an ideal location for organic production. However,
our distance from the main markets can lead to logistical
problems.
Apart from the Organic Studies Centre, there are other organizations involved in organic farming in the region. Organic South West ( www.organicsouthwest.org ) , an Objective 1 project managed by the Soil Association (www.soilassociation.org ), is working to assist all in the organic sector in Cornwall to develop the local market for their produce.
Details of other organizations can be found on the Links page.
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