1. Introduction
Current interest in the organic farming option is high. This interest is driven by a range of people, from producers with a growing awareness of the future challenges facing the industry, through to those who see a medium- to long-term commercial opportunity. This is apparent in the livestock and arable sectors, although this interest has not translated into a significant number of conversions to organic production when compared with the horticultural sector.
In the horticultural industry, significant growth has occurred in recent years in kiwifruit and, in the last two years, in the pip fruit sector. The initial growth in the arable industry appears to have stalled, with the exception of the vegetable component of the industry. There has been some recent growth, be it small, in dairying and sheep and beef. In the deer sector, the interest in organic supply is restricted to a very small number of producers. Knowledge about the constraints, and the risks associated with tackling each of these constraints, on the viability of an organic livestock operation be it dairying, sheep and beef, deer or arable, is lacking. With current interest high, it is timely to identify and quantify the barriers to the growth of these sectors.
The project presented in this report had two objectives:
- to identify, prioritise, and quantify the risks and costs associated with the main behind-the-farm-gate constraints to conversion to organic production;
- to collect information on changes in the resource requirements and potential changes in the attributes of the production system, both on- and off-site, as a result of widespread adoption of organic practices.
This study engaged sheep and beef, dairying, deer and arable sector interests to identify and prioritise the constraints to organic production for each of their sectors, and define and quantify the risks associated with tackling the constraints as they influence decision-making behind-the-farm-gate.
Four facilitated workshops (Focus Groups) were held with participants including organic producers, conventional producers with an organic industry interest, and a range of agribusiness service providers. The issues identified by the Focus Groups were used in detailed financial analysis using the MAF Farm Monitoring models as base models.
This report identifies and provides a summary of the constraints in priority order, along with quantitative data and the financial implications of addressing each constraint for each sector. A list of changes in the resource requirements and attributes of the production system, and off-site impacts following conversion to organic production are presented. The report also identifies some of the research gaps. The information in the report will be of use to all sector interests.
Contact for Enquiries
Kay Brown
Sector Performance Policy
MAF Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 0695
Fax: +64 4 4 894 0746
Contact this person
