WHY CHOOSE ORGANIC?
We’ve been farming organically for over 40 years and have been proudly organic certified for just as long. This means we work in harmony with nature and not against it, to produce flours and foods that care for the planet, for wildlife and for you. You can discover more about the many benefits of choosing organic below.
Organic is the only sustainable farming standard defined by law
NO ARTIFICIAL PESTICIDES AND FERTILISERS
PROMOTES
SOIL HEALTH
INCREASES BIODIVERSITY & PROTECTS WILDLIFE
NO GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS
PROTECTS OUR
WATERWAYS
HELPS SLOW DOWN CLIMATE CHANGE
Organic is the only sustainable farming standard defined by law
ORGANIC IS ALWAYS REGENERATIVE
The best way to support restorative, regenerative and sustainable farming is to choose food labelled organic. Organic is always truly regenerative: it is a whole farm approach and incorporates multiple restorative practices like building soil and working in harmony with nature.
Organic is not a new thing (indeed, at Doves Farm we’ve been farming organically for nearly five decades) and has a clear definition with a strict set of UK and international standards which are legally defined and have to be met by organic farmers through rigorous annual inspections. This comes with accreditation – such as the Soil Association certification in the UK – which is a symbol of trust and integrity and guarantees the highest standards of environmental welfare and protects against greenwashing.
IT’S EITHER ORGANIC OR IT ISN’T
When you purchase an organic labelled product, you can rest assured all ingredients come from organic certified sustainably-grown crops. For a food to be labelled organic every organisation in the supply chain – from farmer to packer – has to meet a high set of organic standards and also be annually audited by a certification body (like the Soil Association) to ensure they are meeting those standards.
Some un-coordinated, ‘kinder to nature’ practices may be used on foods labelled regenerative. There are no controls and sometimes food described as regenerative may only contain as little as 15-20% of that food. Choose organic to ensure the whole food has been sustainably grown, and has come from trusted sources.
ORGANIC FARMING WORKS TO RESTORE OUR SOILS
Healthy soils help retain water, support biodiversity, sequester carbon and produce our food crops. Organic farming practices focus on nurturing soil health and building soil fertility naturally through methods like crop rotation and composting. As a result, organic farms have a more diverse range of microbes living in the soil and this helps crops grow without spreading artificial fertiliser on the land. Soil health is crucial to a sustainable food system and our planet’s health, and it has never been more important to farm in a way that restores and refreshes our soil after each crop is produced.
ORGANIC ALWAYS MEANS NO HARMFUL CHEMICALS
Organic food is always grown without the use of artificial pesticides, fertilisers and herbicides. In fact, organic farmers are able to use a very limited number of naturally derived pesticides – like citronella and clove oil – which are only permitted under very restricted circumstances. This means when you bake with organic flour or choose organic foods you reduce your exposure to a cocktail of harmful chemicals that can make their way into the food chain. It is also a positive step for the environment because artificial agricultural inputs and chemicals can pollute our soils and water ways, harm our wildlife and sometimes leave an unwanted residue on crops.
BETTER FOR WILDLIFE
41% of Britain’s wildlife species have declined since 1970 and more than one in ten are currently facing extinction. Intensive farming practices, especially the wide spread use of chemical pesticides, have been identified as the primary drivers of these declines*. As organic farms work in harmony with nature, they have higher levels of biodiversity and are havens for wildlife, providing homes for bees, birds and butterflies.
100% TRACEABLE SUPPLY CHAIN
Organic farming is a rigorously controlled system. Every part of the farming and production chain is measured, inspected and documented so you can be confident it is food you can trust.
A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION TO HELPING SLOW CLIMATE CHANGE
Organic farms do not use synthetic fertilisers which come from burning fossil fuels, and, on average, organic farms use less energy than non-organic farms, due to their avoidance of these fertilisers. Organic farmland also stores more carbon than non-organic farmland – on average 3.5 tonnes extra for every hectare. (a saving equivalent to driving your car around the world almost one and a half times! ). Adopting nature-friendly organic farming along with other key changes to our food system could help keep global warming below 2°C.
PROVEN BENEFITS FOR
PEOPLE AND PLANET
Organic farming has been proven after more than 50 years of research to have quantifiable benefits for both the health of people and the planet. For instance, organic farms have been proven to be up to 50% more abundant in wildlife than non-organic farmland (and home to around 75% more wild bees) and more effective at storing carbon. By prohibiting the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides and artificial fertilisers, your exposure to potentially harmful substances can be greatly reduced.
Please note all statistics are from soilassociation.co.uk, the UK’s leading organic farming charity and accreditor.
If you are interested in finding out more about organic this is a fantastic resource
