UK – Strong demand for organic food in the south west of England is expected to double production in the region by 2005, according to a report by the Soil Association and the South West Regional Development Agency.

The report also claims that the rapid increase in the number of organic farms is providing economic opportunity in the region, securing rural jobs, protecting the environment and producing high quality food.

A number of key actions were also identified to enable development of the market and sustain growth. These included the replacement of key organic imports with produce from the south west, in particular dairy products, and the encouragement of retailers to increase the amount of locally and regionally sourced organic food.