Our response to the Defra public consultation on Genome editing
25th Mar 2021
ORC submitted responses to Defra's Consultation on future of gene editing both as part of the English Organic Forum and as an organisation. As a member of the English Organic Forum (EOF), the Organic Research…
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Mark Measures is retiring from ORC
24th Mar 2021
Mark Measures ponders some wheat 1995 Mark Measures has been at the forefront of organic farming in the UK for nearly 40 years and has been involved with Elm Farm/Organic Research Centre for most of…
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Exploring the potential for videos and podcasts as knowledge exchange tools in the future ELM schemes
23rd Mar 2021
The Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes represent a significant shift in agri-environment scheme delivery in England. Currently, it is envisaged that land managers will construct their own land management plans, possibly with some advisory support…
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Measuring the Economic Performance of Small Ruminant Farms Using Balanced Scorecard and Importance-Performance Analysis: A European Case Study
18th Mar 2021
A new paper arising from the EU Horizon 2020-funded iSAGE project, co-authored by ORC's Stefano Orsini has been published in Sustainability Abstract Given the increasing complexity of the agro-food sector, the analysis of financial performance…
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European Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Red Meat Labelling Attributes
23rd Feb 2021
New paper co-authored by ORC's Stefano Orsini is published in Animals. Given the decrease in red meat consumption in the last decade, it is crucial for red meat producers to understand consumer preferences. This international…
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New ORC podcast to celebrate 40 years of organic research
22nd Feb 2021
For forty years the ORC has been pushing the boundaries of research and development of practical and sustainable organic farming methods in the UK. Last month we announced a dedicated 40th anniversary page had been…
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Farmers and researchers are teaming up in the first ever farmer-led study into the benefits of agroforestry
22nd Feb 2021
Farmers in the UK, for the first time, are getting the chance to co-design research to determine the benefits of integrating more trees on their farms. A farmer-led agroforestry project launching this month will spend…
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Agroforestry in organic horticulture
22nd Feb 2021
Are you interested in incorporating trees into your farm design? Agroforestry presents lots of opportunities for the organic grower: to grow new fruit and nut crops to sell; to produce wood and wood chip to…
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Showcasing farmer-led research
22nd Feb 2021
Are you interested in alternatives to on-farm plastic, drought resilient pastures, or techniques to boost deeper burrowing earthworms? Innovative Farmers has created a series of interactive pages to showcase some of the latest farmer-led research.…
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We call on supermarkets to show leadership on GMOs
10th Feb 2021
A joint letter signed by ORC asks retailers to refuse to stock products made from untested and unregulated genetically engineered plants and animals produced using a new technique called ‘gene editing’. Leaders from food, farming,…
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Why organic – contributing productively to future farming and food policy
10th Feb 2021
New English Organic Forum (EOF) report presents a clear, consolidated and compelling case for organic farming. Produced as an organic industry-wide blueprint, Why organic – contributing productively to future farming and food policy sets out…
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ORC welcomes Colin, Pip and Rowan
25th Jan 2021
We are very pleased to welcome three new members to our team Colin Tosh joins us as Senior Agroforestry Researcher from the Centre for Behaviour and Evolution at Newcastle University where he was a lecturer…
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Growing Beyond Monoculture
25th Jan 2021
Final episode in the DIVERSify web series goes live https://vimeo.com/491073274 As part of the EU Horizon 2020 research project DIVERSify, researchers have been working on investigating the viability of species mixture cropping as an alternative…
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This Good Earth released
21st Jan 2021
Eco-film-maker calls for prosecution of corporate polluters for crimes against humanity. Corporate chiefs whose companies knowingly poison the planet in pursuit of profit should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity says the award-winning director of…
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It's Seed Week!
21st Jan 2021
Celebrate Seed Week with us Einkorn population We’re delighted that throughout this week, from 18th to 22nd of January, we celebrate The Gaia Foundation’s Seed Sovereignty Programme's fourth Seed Week. Through story, articles, videos and podcasts, Seed Week highlights the…
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Veganuary
18th Jan 2021
Our Senior Livestock Researcher Lindsay Whistance wrestles with the arguments for and against Veganuary in this blog On Boxing Day evening, at the slowing down of festive indulgences, I began to speculate about what should…
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DiverIMPACTS Crop diversification, workload and quality of life
18th Jan 2021
A new survey led by ORC hopes that through improving understanding of the impact of crop diversification on workload and quality of life we can provide recommendations for policy makers, training and education providers and…
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ORFC Global highlights
15th Jan 2021
As the dust settles on the huge global phenomenon that was the 12th Oxford Real Farming Conference we highlight on some of the sessions ORC were involved with (directly or indirectly). All sessions were recorded…
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Organisations unite against neonicotinoids decision
12th Jan 2021
On the 8th January a request by British Sugar and the NFU to get an emergency derogation to use neonicotinoids in sugar beet was approved. Given the evidence of unacceptable harm to wildlife (especially bees)…
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HRH Prince Charles launches the Terra Carta (Earth Charter)
12th Jan 2021
ORC welcomes the launch of the Terra Carta from HRH The Prince of Wales’ Sustainable Markets Initiative. The Terra Carta provides a roadmap to 2030 for businesses to move towards an ambitious and sustainable future;…
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What do you think about growing pulses in UK agriculture post-BREXIT??
11th Jan 2021
Is it a realistic option? We are interested in your views If we want to develop more sustainable agricultural systems for the UK then we need to focus on their sustainability, their impact on the…
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‘The Big Farming Survey’ – RABI to deliver insight into impacts on farming people
11th Jan 2021
Today (January 11th 2021), RABI launches the largest ever research project relating to wellbeing of farming people. This wide-ranging survey will consider for the first time the relationship between physical health, mental wellbeing and health…
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Consultation on future of gene editing launched by Environment Secretary at Oxford Farming Conference
7th Jan 2021
Plans to consult on gene editing, which according to Defra 'could unlock substantial benefits to nature, the environment and help farmers with crops resistant to pests, disease or extreme weather and to produce healthier, more…
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Preparing the Evidence Base for Post-Brexit agriculture in Scotland - Case studies on alternative payments
7th Jan 2021
This report led by the Organic Policy, Business and Research Consultancy, with ORC, SRUC and IEEP on the future public good agricultural policy options for Scotland including organic farming, agroforestry and rewilding has now been…
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