Natural England - Organic Conversion Information Service (OCIS)

Organic Conversion Information Service (OCIS)

Natural England provides a free advice service to help farmers and land managers in England consider the practical implications of converting their business to organic production.

Offering clear, accurate and targeted information and advice on converting to organic farming, the service also provides advice and information on the organic strand of Environmental Stewardship, Organic Entry Level Stewardship (OELS).

Find out more about:

The aims of the service

The Organic Conversion Information Service (OCIS) aims to:

  • Tackle uncertainty over technical issues and misconceptions about what organic farming standards require.
  • Provide advice on conversion and its implications in relation to individual farm business.
  • Raise awareness of the principles of organic farming and demonstrate the benefits to society of managing the land organically and in an environmentally beneficial way.
  • Encourage and facilitate more viable and better quality conversions.
  • Reduce the numbers of inappropriate conversions.
  • Increase the area of land in England being farmed organically.
  • Raise awareness of OELS and the funds that are available under that scheme to encourage conversion.

How the service operates

Natural England has appointed the Organic Research Centre (ORC), based at Elm Farm, with support from the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC), to deliver the new service. The ORC service offers:

  • a telephone helpline
  • an information pack
  • on-farm visits.

Free helpline

If you are interested in using OCIS, you should first ring the free helpline. Advice is offered on a strictly first-come, first-served basis and you will be asked to provide details confirming your eligibility to receive the service. These details and basic information about you, such as your contact details and an indication of the nature of your business, will be recorded. ORC will then post you an information pack.

The helpline number is 0800 980 0048. Lines are open from 8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (an answer phone is available outside office hours and during busy periods). When calling you will need to have to hand your:

  • contact details and CHP number
  • details of the agricultural enterprises you are engaged in and the number of people they employ
  • details of any conversion advice you may have received since May 2005.

Information pack

OCIS provides a comprehensive and detailed information pack, which includes a questionnaire covering your holding and businesses. The completion and return of the questionnaire to ORC will be used to register your interest in receiving on-farm advice, and determine your eligibility for receiving a free on-farm visit.

All the documents in the information pack are available electronically and can be emailed direct to ORC.

Not all customers who contact the helpdesk and complete and return a questionnaire will necessarily receive a free on-farm visit. Indeed you may find that the information contained in the pack is sufficient for your needs.

On-farm visits

There are two types of on-farm visit:

  • a half-day visit (about three and a half hours)
  • a full-day vist (about seven hours)

Free of charge, and offered on a strictly first-come, first-served basis, the visits are delivered by suitably qualified organic farm consultants with a track record in advice delivery. They will focus on the mechanics of conversion and whether holdings are capable of being run to organic production standards.

The consultant will:

  • Provide detailed and comprehensive advice that helps you to understand the issues about converting to an organic system.
  • Identify the effect conversion could have on your farm business and encourage you to think about options such as business planning, the marketing of organic produce, possible restructuring, diversification, and co-operation with others.
  • Challenge you to consider whether organic conversion is actually appropriate for your business operation.
  • Direct you to other sources of appropriate advice on business planning, information on the marketing of organic produce and on conservation and environmental management practices.
  • Provide you with information on funding, for example OELS.

Ongoing and post-conversion advice will not be provided by the service.

Who can receive an on-farm visit?

You will need to meet all of the following eligibility criteria to qualify for an on-farm visit:

  1. You must be a farmer (owner or tenant) or land manager in England.
  2. Your farm must have a CPH number.
  3. You must manage the core farming business of the holding for which conversion aid is being considered.
  4. Your agricultural holding must be greater than 10 ha or you must derive at least 50 per cent of your income from the holding you are considering converting.
  5. You must not have previously benefited from conversion advice from OCIS, or its predecessor at any time since May 2005.

Once your eligibility to receive a visit under the service has been determined, you will be offered either a half-day or a full-day visit. If you have a number of enterprises that you are considering converting, you will normally be offered a full-day visit. If you are considering converting only one or two main enterprises, you will most likely be offered a half-day visit.

You will then receive a written report setting out the relevant options and opportunities available to you, to help you to plan your conversion and develop your organic business in a way that will be financially viable, environmentally sound and acceptable with regard to your compliance with organic standards. The report will also identify where other specialists might need to get involved and where other forms of specialist advice can be obtained.

How do I apply for the service?

If you are looking for advice on how to convert your business, please contact the Organic Conversion Information Service, operated by ORC on behalf of Natural England, at:

The Organic Research Centre
Hamstead Marshall
Newbury
Berkshire
RG20 0HR
Website: www.organicresearchcentre.com
Email: info@ocis.org.uk
Telephone: 0800 980 0048

Further information

For general information about the service, please contact Nick Cooper, OCIS Project Manager:

Natural England
Victoria House
London Square
Cross Lanes
Guildford
Surrey
GU1 1UJ
Email: nick.cooper@naturalengland.org.uk

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