What is Organic

Organic systems recognise that our health is directly connected to the food we eat and, ultimately, the health of the soil.

Organic farmers aim to produce good food from a balanced living soil. Strict regulations, known as standards, define what they can and can't do. They place strong emphasis on protecting the environment.

Organic farmers use crop rotations to make the soil more fertile. For example, a farmer might graze sheep on a field one year, making the soil more fertile, then plant wheat the next and so on.

They can't grow genetically modified crops and can only use - as a last resort - seven of the hundreds of pesticides available to farmers (the Soil Association, however, only allow four of these).

Parasite problems in farm animals are controlled through regularly moving the animals to fresh pasture and other preventative methods, rather than routinely dosing the animals with drugs.

Here are some of organic farming's main features:

• Organic farming severely restricts the use of artificial chemical fertilisers and pesticides
• Instead, organic farmers rely on developing a healthy, fertile soil and growing a mixture of crops
• Animals are reared without the routine use of drugs, antibiotics and wormers common in intensive livestock farming

The word organic is defined by law. Any food labelled organic must meet a strict set of standards. Look for the Soil Association symbol for your guarantee of the highest organic standards.