IN 1997, we started farming our land at Spaunton, using organic standards. Many factors influenced this change of direction and, yes, they included the funding offered by DEFRA, alongside poor returns from conventional farming.

More important than either of these, though, was the example of farming demonstrated by our friend Howard Wass (Newfields Organics, Fadmoor).

Here was organic agriculture succeeding in producing lots of food and employing far more people per acre than any other farmer in the district. Hard work, skilled rotational use of the land and attention to detail were combining to produce excellent results. I was also finding other persuasive examples of organic farming, nationwide, and on an increasingly large scale.

People are often unclear how society benefits from organic farming. Here's a summary:

No artificial nitrogen/phosphate fertiliser is ever used.

No chemically-dressed seed is ever sown.

No 'pesticides' (ie insecticides, herbicides, molluscicides (slug pellets), growth regulators, synthetic fungicides, sulphuric acid desiccants, etc) are ever permitted.

All these potentially lethal concoctions are still used liberally in conventional farming, so that 96pc of our cereals are (on average) sprayed four to five times with herbicides, growth regulators, or pesticides (see report 171 on pesticide usage). Masses of this chemistry ends up in our surface and subterranean water supplies (let alone some of the food itself) and it is costing tax-payers billions to remove it.

There are many other costs born by society, which never appear on the price labels such as:

Terrible long-term losses to our agricultural/land-based labour force (50pc in last few years).

Despicable costs to our wild bird population (75pc of skylarks, plovers, etc).

Large payments to conventional farmers to compensate for over-production.

Environmental costs of transporting vast amounts of chemical fertilisers.

Isn't it worth remembering these costs, when we do our weekly shopping ?

Organic food may cost us more, but by buying it, we are contributing to really important changes of direction in farming that will make overall savings for society. Our brilliant technological inventiveness is gradually being applied to those sustainable farming principles and methods that we know are better for our land, our society, our wildlife. Consumers can help this process by searching out and paying more for certified organic produce.

PHILIP TREVELYAN,

Hill Top Farm, Spaunton

Updated: 11:00 Wednesday, November 12, 2003