§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what recent research her Department has undertaken to investigate whether organic and conventional farms differ in total factor productivity growth and its composition; and if she will place copies in the Library; [54591]
(2) what (a) measures and (b) methodology she uses to assess the relative (i) efficiency and (ii) productivity of (A) organic and (B) conventional dairy and livestock farms; and if she will make a statement; [54593]
(3) what assessment she has made of the (a) efficiency and (b) productivity of (i) organic and (ii) conventional dairy and livestock farms; and if she will make a statement; [54592]
(4) what assessment she has made of the relationship between a farmer's yield and their decision to switch to organic production; and if she will make a statement. [54594]
§ Mr. MorleyOne of the key objectives of the DEFRA organic R & D programme is to obtain and evaluate data on the agronomic performance as well as profitability and costs of the main types of organic farm system during and after conversion. Studies are in place on stockless arable, pigs and poultry, upland sheep and beef, specialist dairy and field vegetables enterprises in which data from conventional systems is taken into account. In addition, the programme has funded the development of organic conversion planning software; a prototype is shortly to be tested with organic advisers. A summary of the Department's organic farming research programme can be found on the DEFRA website:http://www.defra.gov.uk/research/publications/OFR_Research_Project_Summaries.zip
The Department has also funded a study of farmers' attitudes to organic conversion. The report on this study, which was carried out by the Welsh Institute of Rural Studies, can be found on the website of the University of Aberystwyth: http://www.organ.aber.ac.uk/library/Attitude%20survey.pdf