Organic really does help climate

YEOKENS. Unless you eat a lot of yoghurt you’ve probably never heard of them.

This points-based loyalty scheme on packets of Yeo Valley yoghurt, butter, cream and cheese promises a range of rewards including discounts, merchandise and, most prized of all, a free visit to the Yeo Valley organic farm in Somerset.

My daughter Helen has been a dedicated collector for some time and rang me to see if I wanted to come with her on her free trip. Well, I say free but mum was still stung for the cost of her own ticket (not enough Yeokens for two apparently), travel and a nearby hotel the night before. Apart from that, completely free.

“Organic” tends to bring up images of expensive, artisan products bought by the wealthier middle classes. But is it, despite the wholesome image, actually any better for the environment?

Agriculture, as a whole, is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. The Government’s Agri-Climate Report for 2022 finds that UK agriculture is responsible for 11 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions, in particular nitrous oxide and methane.

Nitrous oxide is about 300 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas and its major source is fertilised soils, in particular soils fertilised with synthetic nitrogen fertilisers. Methane emissions are caused by “enteric fermentation”, as the report calls them — sheep and cattle burps to you and me.

The good news is that nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture have come down significantly in recent years as farmers have applied fewer nitrogen fertilisers to their crops. Methane, by contrast, has reduced only slightly due to smaller numbers of sheep and cattle.

So does farming organically make any difference to any of this? Well, yes, it does in some significant ways.

Research undertaken by Professor Andrew Neal at the Rothamsted Agricultural Research Centre and published in the journal Nature Food in January found that adding organic matter like manure to soils reduces the emissions of nitrous oxide from soil very significantly, in comparison with soils which have had only inorganic synthetic fertilisers added. Synthetic fertilisers are banned under organic standards.

Organic farming also promotes “closed loop agriculture” where the farm recycles all nutrients and organic matter back to the soil by composting, for example, making the farm more sustainable.

Closer to home, we have an organic farm in Whitchurch, Tolhurst Organic, managed by Iain Tolhurst, who has been pioneering organic farming techniques for 47 years.

The farm is unusual enough to have a chapter in naturalist George Monbiot’s latest book, Regenesis — Feeding the World Without Devouring the Planet.

Iain says he has seen many benefits of farming organically. Using natural methods of pest control, such as planting native wildflowers between beds of crops, has encouraged beneficial insects which predate on crop pests such as aphids and enhance biodiversity.

He uses no nitrogen fertiliser, either synthetic or organic, such as animal manure, on his land. Instead he grows plants that convert nitrogen in the air into a form that plants can use, a system called “green manure”. This eliminates any leakage of nitrogen from the farm.

It’s undeniable that organic produce tends to cost more but it is a far more environmentally friendly way of producing food.

So can we square this circle? It’s worth remembering that most crops we grow are fed to animals we then eat, even when humans could eat the crops directly. This in turn drives the need for high yields and inputs of synthetic fertilisers which in turn emit nitrous oxide.

The Government’s Climate Change Committee recommends eating less meat and dairy and more plant-based protein foods for health as well as environmental reasons. Buying some of those plants from organic farms such as Iain’s would really make a difference.