ENGLISH FARMERS who convert to organic are receive up to double the previous rates under a new government scheme.

The rate hike for organic conversion is part of Defra's new Countryside Stewardship package, which is now open for applications.

Converting permanent improved grassland and top fruit to organic will receive double the previous payments at a new rate of £150 per hectare. Conversion to organic rotational land, horticulture and unimproved grassland will receive around 50% more than before, with new rates ranging from £76 to £602 per hectare.

For management of organic farmland, payments will rise by around 50% for rotational land and unimproved permanent grassland. Payments are going up by six times for managing enclosed rough grazing organically, with rates doubling for management of organic horticulture and tripling for top fruit.

These rate hikes comes alongside a surge in the organic market, with a 23% increase since 2019 revealed in Soil Association Certification’s latest annual Organic Market Report.

Soil Association organic sector advisor Adrian Steele, said: “The changes to farm policy and payments post-Brexit are causing lots of concern for farmers. But it is clear is that there are big opportunities for nature-friendly farming, and organic is set to receive renewed government support.

“The good things that agroecological and organic farmers are doing, which have long been overlooked, are now set to be rewarded under the new Environmental Land Management Schemes. The longer-term goals that government has set out for agriculture, with a new focus on protecting soils, wildlife and the environment, are in harmony with the principles of organic farming. Alongside continued growth in the organic market, this should give farmers confidence in switching to or maintaining organic practices, despite the short-term uncertainty facing every farm."

Savills' associate director for food and farming, Tom Cackett, commented: “It’s exciting to see this increase in organic payment rates because it’s a commitment to good food production alongside the environmental focus. There are some corners of every farm that never really grow anything that can be given over to nature, but we’ve got to be slightly careful if we are taking large areas out of food production.

"Organic farming can often be a good way of tackling that issue. Instead of marginalising nature, why not integrate it across the whole farm, and then you’ll also be able to get those payments for the whole area instead of just for the corners or edges," he said.

“If you’re doing good things for the environment, it seems almost certain there will be funding to support that for the foreseeable future. With the increase to organic management payments, the organic farming sector is one of the only sectors that isn’t going to see such a dramatic drop in subsidy income when the Basic Payment Scheme payments reduce and eventually disappear.”

British shoppers are now spending almost £60 million on organic products every week, with a particularly strong performance for online and box schemes, which together delivered growth of 13% worth £558m – but the challenge remains for UK farmers and supply chains to step up and meet this rising demand with British produce, rather than imports. The total area of land farmed organically has remained largely the same, increasing by just 0.8% compared to 2019.

The Soil Association hopes the new farm payments and incentives will help to encourage all farmers to shift to more nature-friendly practices, including a bigger increase in those converting to organic.

But the organisation has warned that England's Environmental Land Management Schemes won’t work in isolation, and called for fairer, shorter supply chains that prioritise nutritious food over cheap, ultra-processed food, and which fairly rewards farmers.

The SA also expressed some disappointment at the exception in Defra's organic rates – the management of organic improved permanent grassland, which is due to remain at the same rate in 2022, and then be halved in 2023.