Exploring the ‘limits to growth’ in UK organics: beyond the statistical image

Following a slow start in the early 1990s, the conversion to, and diffusion of, organic farming across UK agriculture has been impressive even by European standards. Between 1996 and 2000, for example, organic land in the UK showed a nine-fold increase. And correspondingly, the retail value of organic foods grew by a factor of four. From a distance, these impressive growth figures appear to accentuate the popular discourse of a very bright future for organic farming in the UK. But lurking behind this seemingly successful method of combating declining farm-gate prices whilst addressing issues of food safety, animal welfare and environmental quality, is growing evidence that the evolution of organic supply chains in the UK might be entering a phase characterised by the traditional farm-gate price-squeeze, so long an important feature of conventional agriculture. The objective of this paper, therefore, is to illuminate this emerging negative trend in UK organics, and to offer some suggestions for future public policy-making.