Rossinver - Why Organic?

When you see food marked as organic, it means that it has been produced in a sustainably, environmentally friendly way without damaging the environment.
Organic farming avoids the use of artificial chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
It is based on developing and maintaining a healthy and fertile soil, and rotating crops to prevent a build up of pests and diseases.
It avoids pollution of the environment, by recycling garden and farm wastes and choosing renewable and local resources, ideally trying to work with a closed system where enough manure and compost is produced on a farm to maintain its fertility.
It encourages and protects wildlife, by creating suitable habitats and minimising the impact on the natural environment.
It uses good agricultural and horticultural practices which take into account new scientific as well as proven traditional knowledge.
It recognises that in producing food we must allow space for other creatures to live alongside us. It also recognises that we have a duty to leave the world around us in a healthy state for our children.

Organic systems emphasise the importance of animal welfare. Animals kept on organic farms must be:

Allowed to express their natural patterns of behaviour. This means that too many cannot be kept in a given area. They must have freedom to move around and access to outdoors.
Fed on organic food. Sheep and cattle raised organically are fed mainly on grass.
Given comfortable bedding and spacious housing.
Given medicines only when necessary and not as part of animal husbandry.

Land has to undergo a conversion period, which is normally two years, before the food produced from it can be sold as organic. During that period the land must be managed according to organic standards.

No! The use of GM ingredients is prohibited in organic food and farming. Buying organic food is the only way you can be sure of avoiding GM through legally enforceable standards and independent inspection.

In the case of products derived from animals, lower stocking densities provide better animal welfare, but reduce the yield per acre. Also, organic animal feeds are significantly more expensive.

Some crops such as cereals produce lower yields as artificial fertilisers are not used. Organic systems are more labour intensive in general, because, for example, of the greater amount of weeding required when chemical herbicides are not used.

Some retailers put on an increased mark up on organic produce compared with conventional produce.

Rossinver operates under incredibly tight profit margins. The higher costs of ingredients associated with small-scale artisan production and distribution in rural areas means that whether organic or not, creating a profitable business within this context is challenging. However, we believe that preserving local traditions of production, sustaining local business, and producing food that is of exceptional quality makes it worthwhile, and we will continue to aim to be a self-sustaining business whilst keeping our prices at a level that’s fair to everyone. For the foreseeable future we will be channelling any small profits into continued work developing the organic sector in North West Ireland.

Why not try growing some of your own organic produce? Food from your own garden can’t be beaten for freshness. It will also keep you in touch with the seasons whilst providing you with a great deal of satisfaction and saving you money! It’s even a good source of exercise. Buy direct from your local organic grower or farmer. Food tastes nicer when you know where it has come from. You will also be helping to keep the local rural economy alive and reducing the number of miles your food has travelled to reach your plate.

Organic produce is marked with the ‘symbol’ of the organic certification body with which the producer is registered. Alternatively, packaging will normally give details of the organic certification in words. Organic certification is your guarantee that the food has been produced to EU approved organic standards or higher.

It is illegal to represent non-organic produce as organic. Organic certification bodies audit their members’ farms each year. They also carry out spot checks on members’ farms to ensure they abide by the rules.

All organic food sold in the EU must be produced to an EU regulated standard. Some independent certification bodies may set a higher standard still for produce they certify.

The following symbols are commonly found on the labels of organic food in Ireland.

You’ll sometimes see the Soil Association symbol – especially on organic food in Northern Ireland:

You might also see the EU organic symbol on produce imported from within the EU:

Some organic producers operate box schemes which deliver organic produce to your home on a weekly basis. There is a growing movement for setting up farmers’ markets throughout Ireland. These allow you to buy organic produce direct from the farmer or grower. There are also a number of farm and health food shops selling organic produce. The majority of organic food is sold through major supermarket chains, though very little of this is locally produced at present.

Your bible for sourcing organic food is the Organic & Green Guide to Ireland. You’ll find this stocked at good book shops and many health and speciality food shops too. This contains a directory of organic producers, processors, shops and farms, and a directory of ‘green’ resources too – from eco products to sustainable development organisations. It is also an enjoyable read, with many interesting features and articles about all things organic and green.