Support for the conversion to and maintenance of organic farming

Support for the conversion to and maintenance of o

Introduction/What is this about

Organic farming seeks to work with natural processes using methods which are designed to achieve a sustainable production system with limited use of external inputs. These options provide support to land managers to use organic farming methods and to encourage the expansion of organic production in Scotland in order to deliver environmental benefits.

There are two further Sub-Options under this Option:

Organic conversion Option - land based payments to help farmers to convert to organic farming. There is also assistance towards capital items required for organic conversion
Organic maintenance Option - land based payments to help existing organic farmers to continue farming organically.

You should consider carefully the financial implications for your business of going organic and you may need training if your enterprise is going to succeed. SAC provide training, advice and information regarding organic farming, further information can be obtained from the SAC helpline on 01224 711072 or http://www.sac.ac.uk/consultancy/organic/. Information can also be obtained from Organic Certification Bodies.

What will this achieve

Organic farming plays a valuable role in helping to protect and enhance the environment as well as assisting producers to meet consumer demand for organic products. Evidence has shown that there are significant biodiversity, pollution control, energy efficiency and soil protection benefits associated with organic farming.

What you can do

Support through this Option is available for farmers and crofters.

If applying for the organic conversion Option financial support is also available for a range of capital items.

Land managers must adhere to organic standards for the period of the agreement, which is a minimum of 5 years. Throughout this time you must remain registered with an approved Organic Certification Body. You may also phase land into your agreement.

All land on your farm which has already been converted to organic standards at the date of application, as well as the land which is to be converted through the scheme will have to remain organic for as long as payments are being made under the scheme, and you have responsibility of the agricultural production on that land.

Who can apply

Any eligible land manager in Scotland can apply - there are no geographical restrictions. You are eligible to apply if you have responsibility for and control over agricultural production on the land in question, and can meet the conditions of the agreement. You will be either an owner occupier, tenant or person acting on behalf of common grazings committee. Where the tenancy agreement or management contract has less than 5 years to run, you may still apply so long as you undertake jointly with the owner to assume the obligations of the agreement. These options cannot be taken on seasonal let land, or lets of 364 days or less.

Eligibility criteria

You must enter a viable production unit (as agreed by an Organic Certification Body), manage it according to organic standards and remain registered with a Certification Body throughout the period of the agreement.

Beneficiaries must also comply with additional Organic Production and Care of the Environment Standards as advised in the UK Compendium of Organic Standards.

You should check that the land you propose to enter into the scheme is eligible, further information can be found here. You must submit the required documentation.

Please see the Definitions of Land Types page for more details.

Eligibility for the Conversion Option:

You must undertake to convert a viable production unit to organic farming during the period of your agreement. The proposed organic production unit must be self contained and meet the requirements of an approved Organic Certification Body.
Land that is already registered with a Certification Body and recognised as being in conversion is not eligible for this Option.
You cannot begin conversion of the land included in your proposal before the full proposal is submitted. If your proposal is accepted into RDCs you must have begun conversion by either 6 months from the date of your approval letter or by your contract start date (usually 1 January) - whichever is the later. You will need to submit confirmation to the Scottish Government that you have begun organic certification within the permitted timescales. The 'approval letter' is the letter we send to you acknowledging receipt of the signing page to the contract. The key date here is therefore the date on the letter we send to you acknowledging receipt of the signing page to the contract.
You must be registered with an approved Organic Certification Body for the full length of your contract, so for a minimum of 5 years from the contract start date. If you chose to begin organic conversion before your contract start date this will result in you choosing to be registered for over 5 years.
Land which was registered as fully organic at any time since 1 January 2000 is not eligible.

Eligibility for the Maintenance Option:

Before applying you must already be farming the land organically and be registered as an organic producer with an Organic Certification Body. You must remain registered with a Certification Body for the full duration of your undertaking.
You must undertake to continue to farm organically and maintain your land in an environmentally beneficial way for the period of your agreement.

What costs could be supported

Support is available for the conversion, or maintenance of four different land types. Conversion rates are higher for the first 2 years to recognise the financial impact of converting land.

Support is also available towards capital work required for organic conversion. Capital items must be completed within the first 2 years of the contract (where phased in land is included in the proposal this will be the first 2 years of the relevant parcel of land, where the capital item is situated, entering RDCs).

Rate of support

We will pay you for a period of 5 consecutive years on each eligible hectare of land entered into either the Organic Conversion or Organic Maintenance Option, subject to the maximum hectarage. The rate of payment depends on the category of land involved and the agreement year for which the payment is due.

Organic conversion payment rates

Land Type	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5
Arable	£220	£220	£60	£60	£60
Improved Grassland	£105	£105	£50	£50	£50
Fruit and Vegetable	£300	£300	£60	£60	£60
Unimproved grassland/rough grazing	£5	£5	£5	£5	£5

A minimum payment of £500 per annum per IACS business for conversion applies.

Organic maintenance payment rates

Land Type	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5
Arable	£60	£60	£60	£60	£60
Improved Grassland	£50	£50	£50	£50	£50
Fruit and Vegetable	£60	£60	£60	£60	£60
Unimproved grassland/rough grazing	£5	£5	£5	£5	£5

A minimum payment of £500 per annum per IACS business for maintenance applies.

There are incompatibilities between some options in this measure, and other measures. You are advised to ensure that any other measures you are intending to include in your proposal are compatible.

Capital items

Certain capital items can be included in a proposal for Organic Conversion. The capital work proposed relating to this Option must be required for the conversion to organic production and completed within the first 2 years of the contract, of the relevant parcel of land entering Rural Development Contracts. For a comprehensive list of Capital Items click here. Any cost claimed must be fully justified. The following are examples of what may be claimed:

When completing your Proposal, you can select the appropriate capital item(s) from the dropdown list of standard cost capital items for this Option.

In addition to the above capital items, financial support of up to 100% of eligible actual costs is available in respect of the following:

Renewable energy powered pumps for water troughs

Please note that these capital items will not appear in the dropdown list of Standard Cost capital items for this Option and will need to be entered manually in the box for Actual Cost capital items. Only costs for the types of capital works listed above should be entered in the Actual Cost capital items box for this Option. Any other costs entered cannot be considered for funding.

Inspections/verification

The inspector will check the requirements (as detailed above under 'what you can do') of the Option are being met, by a visual assessment on the day of inspection.

Beneficiaries must comply with the requirements of cross compliance and the minimum requirements for fertiliser and plant protection products (detailed in links below).

The following is a brief overview of the inspection procedures, for a full explanation please see links below:

Inspectors will check:

Compliance with organic farming standards
Copies of Organic Certification Body inspection reports and production schedule
Claimed capital items have been completed to approved amounts and scheme standards (for Conversion only)

The Organic Certification Body will visit your holding at least once a year to check that you are meeting the necessary organic farming standards. The Scottish Government may need to obtain a copy of these inspection reports for administration purposes, and in applying to this measure you authorise the release of these reports to the Scottish Government.

You will be required to submit confirmation from an approved Certification Body that you are in organic conversion or, once you have fully converted, your certificate of registration and production schedule in order to receive your payment for managing the land organically.