Organic Milk and the Environment

Organic farming practices, like the use of farm manures and natural methods of disease and pest control, have been shown to produce considerable environmental benefits over non-organic farming. Even though they are regulated, the vast range of artificial chemicals that are used on non-organic farms can be harmful to wildlife and the environment generally. The Soil Association has recently compiled evidence to show that organic milk production is a low user of energy compared to other livestock products and that it is 38% more energy efficient per tonne than non-organic milk.

Encouraging Wildlife

Recent years have seen a dramatic decline in farmland wildlife. Almost half of the 44 species of butterflies breeding in lowland grassland are in decline and farmland birds have declined by 30% since 1970. In 2004, Birdlife International produced a report stating that over half of all European bird species were under threat due to intensive farming practices and the use of pesticides. Later that year, English Nature reported that there are more birds, butterflies, beetles, bats and wild flowers on organic farms than conventional farms. The extra care of hedgerows on organic farms helps to create ‘wildlife corridors’ providing cover for small mammals such as dormice as the travel from place to place.

Peter Melchett, the Soil Association’s Policy Director says: "The scientific case for the wildlife benefits of organic farming is now settled and beyond doubt. People feel powerless in the face of environmental disasters like the loss of wildlife from the British countryside over the last 30 years. Everyone assumes that reversing such destruction will be painful and unpleasant. Not any more. Anyone can enjoy fresh, tasty organic food from Britain, knowing that they are also helping British birds, bees, bats, beetles and butterflies.”

“The results confirm what organic farmers have seen on their farms for decades: conversion to organic means more wildlife, a greater variety of wildlife, and more of the wildlife species that have declined on non-organic farms over the last 50 years.”

A Healthy Soil

Non-organic farms intensively farm a limited number of crops which means that the soil has no chance to recover and is quickly stripped of nutrients. To replace these non-organic farmers rely on synthetic chemical fertilisers. Over time the soil is depleted of vital organic materials and nutrients and can take many years to recover.

In contrast, organic farmers aim to create a healthy, balanced soil rich in natural nutrients and well 'managed' by beneficial insects and earthworms. They use an age-old system which includes crop rotation and leaving fields fallow to rest and recover. Crops are under-planted by beneficial plants like clover which put essential nutrients such as nitrates back into the soil.

Helping our Water Courses - the nitrates issue

Non-organic farming relies on the use of synthetic nitrates to enhance the nitrate content of the soil. About 20% of these nitrates are washed away with rainwater and into the country's watercourses. Excessive nitrates over-stimulate the growth of algae and poison the water and, in turn, the fish and the animals that feed on them. It has been estimated that UK water companies spend around £16 million a year to ensure that nitrogen in our drinking water is within acceptable levels.

By using natural farmyard manure and planting clover to fix nitrogen, organic farmers ensure that nitrates are released slowly, naturally and not in excess.