New SA standards proposed for organic greenhouse crops

New standards for growing organic crops in greenhouses and polytunnels are being proposed, following feedback from an open public consultation. Changes put forward include a recommendation to progress toward renewable sources of energy, a requirement to record energy used in heating and standards addressing key issues around fertility, crop rotation, soil, and water use. Stakeholders have until Monday 2nd May (extended from April 6th) to comment on the proposed standards before they are finalised. [1]

Proposals include:

■Energy - If fossil fuel is used to heat protected cropping structures using more than 100kWh per metre2 per year for heating, an energy plan should be drawn up outlining how progress will be made towards renewable energy or combined heat and power over the next five years.

■Crop rotations - producers who do not rotate their crops would have to demonstrate that they have a robust plan for delivering soil and crop health and dealing with potential issues such as pest control.

■Fertility – a fertility management plan must be produced which demonstrates that the system maximises the efficient use of nutrients, builds soil health and fertility, and maximises sustainability of fertility inputs. The plan must also outline options for movement towards more sustainable fertility sources over time such as on-site composting and local suppliers.
Kathleen Hewlett, Soil Association standards coordinator, said:
“Growing crops in a glasshouse or polytunnel helps to increase productivity and extend the UK growing season but if these ‘protected cropping’ systems are to make a contribution to the resilience of our food supply it is important to ensure that they are managed as sustainably as possible.”

A number of UK organic growers produce crops under cover ranging from small individual polytunnels up to large specialised heated glasshouses. However, current organic standards applied in the UK and in Europe were designed primarily for growing outside and are not always suitable for the very different growing environment within a protected structure. [2]

Notes:

[1] The Soil Association aims to develop robust, practical standards for organic protected cropping. We held a public consultation in summer 2010 over 60 days to provide a platform for an open discussion as the first step in this process. We invited discussion on how best to address the key issues around fertility, crop rotation, soil, water and energy use, and the responses guided the development of the standards proposals presented in this document. The first consultation paper outlined the areas of contention in organic protected cropping and invited comments from all stakeholders to propose a way forward. For more information, you can view the paper here: http://www.soilassociation.org/consultation.aspx

[2] Next steps:
At the end of this round of consultation, the Soil Association Horticulture Standards Committee will consider the responses and make a recommendation for final standards on protected cropping. The Standards Board will consider and refine the standards where necessary for the Soil Association’s Board of Trustees to approve for publication.
The publication date of the Soil Association’s new protected cropping standards will depend to a certain extent on the progress made in the EU Organic Regulation, to ensure that the two are sufficiently compatible. The European Commission has been planning to draft implementing rules for protected cropping for the last few years and it has been suggested that this will happen in 2011. The Soil Association is giving input into this process through the IFOAM EU Group and our new standards will provide clear steps forward for the Commission on this issue.