Characterisation of markets for organic goods
This project characterised the organic market in the UK to provide an in-depth consideration of organic markets and the potential for increasing UK production to meet their needs. The project brought together a review of the literature, the expert knowledge of those working in the sector and selected case studies to investigate the market in the UK. Each sector was characterised in terms of its operation, with opportunities and constraints being identified.
The research, which aimed to characterize the organic market in order to identify the factors that influence its function, was conducted mainly by consultation with producers, manufacturers and retailers through workshops, conversations and interviews and was led by Warwick HRI, University of Warwick in conjunction with organic specialists from ABACUS Associates and the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI). Matt Reed led the CCRI input providing advice on the socio-economic aspects and research methodology.
The report concluded that the organic sector needs additional mechanisms to offer technical and marketing support to its producers to help develop the organic sector. The report further concluded that sharing of knowledge and collaboration should be more effectively utilised, including during transitional phases when producers are converting to organic production systems.
The project considered eight sectors, namely arable, dairy, distribution and retailing, food processing and manufacturing, horticulture, pork, poultry (meat and eggs), and red meat (beef and lamb). Generic supply chain linkage diagrams were developed for each sector. Examination of the markets revealed a number of common issues as well as those more specific to each sector.
The report further concluded the need for more research and development, and a much increased capacity for knowledge and information transfer and exchange. There is a need to explore, with practitioners, the benefits of collaboration, which can create efficiencies in the supply chain, facilitate market penetration and preserve the organic ethos. The summary and the full report can be downloaded from the project web pages at http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/whri/organicmarkets/
