1 August 2008

2 minute read

Europe

Even though there are not as many organic as traditional farmers, their products have brought them 12 per cent more profit over the period, according to a report in teh Copenhagen Post.

Organic milk production can provide a farmer with up to 150,000 kroner more than traditional dairy farming will. This translates to an organic cow being worth 350 kroner more a year.

While the profit is evident, getting traditional dairy farmers to change over to organic methods is proving difficult Dansk Landbrugsrådgivning told the Copenhagen Post.

"The farming industry has always said: 'Tell us what you want and you'll get what you pay for'. The consumers say that they want to buy organic and the producers say that we need organic milk. So the level of inertia seems surprising," said Poul Pedersen of Thise organic dairy to P1 radio station.

Thise dairy has sufficient organic producers, but the world's largest dairy, Arla, is still lacking a great many, reports DR.

The chairperson of the Agriculture Council, Peter Gæmelke, said it is very difficult to get a large group of farmers to all change their methods.

'One has to want to use new methods of production. It is, in reality, plant production that will have to have the biggest change, because it would have to continue production without the use of fertilizers and chemical processing aids.'

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