Report from the Bichel Committee - Organic Scenarios for Denmark
3. Organic farming today
Organic farming in:
- 1988
- 1998
- and 2003
In recent years, there has been growing interest in organic farming and organic food production. In 1988, there were 219 organic farms in Denmark, corresponding to 0.2% of all agricultural land. Preliminary figures for 1998 show 2,228 organic farms, corresponding to just over 3% of agricultural land. Action Plan II includes a forecast for restructuring up to the year 2003, when there are expected to be just over 5,000 organic farms with a total of just under 300,000 ha, corresponding to more than 10% of agricultural land in Denmark (The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries 1999).
Growing demand
It is important to stress that consumer interest in organic products is a significant driving force behind the above trend. Despite consumers having to pay premiums of 5-90%, there is a constantly growing demand for organic food products. However, the breakthrough relates mainly to the relatively cheap products, whereas there is not as yet any significant market for organic meat.
The Danish authorities’ definition of organic farming was given for the first time in Act on Organic Agricultural Production (No. 363 of 10 June 1987). The latest formulation is quoted below:
Definition and goal
"Organic farming is based on a goal of establishing stable and harmonious operating systems in which the individual types of production can be integrated in a natural biological cycle. Wherever possible, there should be livestock on the farms. Artificial fertilisers, pesticides and growth regulators are not used, and industrially produced additives are not used in feed. The supply of fertiliser is based mainly on organic dressings, manure, green dressings, crop residue, etc. and nitrogen fixation through leguminous plants. Plant diseases, weeds and pests are controlled by well-planned and diversified crop rotations, mechanical soil preparation and a suitable choice of varieties, including mixed varieties." (Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries 1995, p. 51)
The main thing about organic farming is that it is based on an explicit goal of establishing stable and harmonious operating systems in which the various types of production can be integrated in a natural biological cycle. The main objectives are to work for a more closed feed and nutrient cycle, to avoid polluting the environment and to preserve/increase the fertility of the soil. In conventional farming it is only in the last few years that people have begun discussing a common goal that covers more than simply profit maximisation. See, for example "Good Farming Year 2000" (Agricultural Advisory Service 1996).
The perception in organic farming is that it is possible to use a production method that is based on a more varied crop rotation than in conventional farming, using perennial and nitrogen-fixating crops together with organic dressings, which are regarded as fundamental for organic food production. Organic farmers say: "You fertilise the soil – not the crops". The basic values of organic farming are described in greater detail in chapter 9.
In this introductory section we shall focus on the legislation and rules on which a model for 100% organic farming has been based.
Legislation and rules
From the very first law on organic farming in 1987, the main focus has been on the production and environmental aspects of different operating systems. However, in recent years, great attention has also been focused on the welfare and quality aspects of organic farming. (Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries 1999).
To achieve the goals, laws and rules have been issued with a view to more precise regulation of organic farming and organic food products (see, for example, the Danish Plant Directorate’s guide from November 1997, which is based on Executive Order No. 892 of 27 October 1994 on organic farming, as amended by Executive Order No. 832 of 10 November 1997, and Executive Order No. 753 of 2 September 1992 on the conditions for marketing organic food products, as last amended by Executive Order No. 1285 of 23 December 1996). The body of legislation and rules has become quite extensive, but the main rules relating to the feed and nutrient cycle are as follows:
 | the use of artificial fertilisers, pesticides and growth promoters is not permitted; |
| if there is insufficient fertilisation, max. 25% of the crop-specific nitrogen standard may be purchased in the form of conventional manure or a number of other types of organic dressings that are included in the positive list; |
| not more than 15-25% of the feed required for livestock may be of conventional origin. |
The absence of artificial fertiliser and the ceiling on feed imports significantly reduce the supply of nutrients in organic farming and thus also the size of organic livestock production.
Many organic farms are also authorised by the National Organisation for Organic Farming, which means that the amount of fertiliser that may be used must not exceed manure from 1.4 l.u./ha as an average for the whole farm. It should also be noted that the legislation and rules are still being developed. For example, an increased requirement concerning self-sufficiency in feed is anticipated.