Wednesday 03 November 2004

An organic food box scheme created with help from Defra’s Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES) has reached a rate of 100% locally-grown fruit and vegetables, in a positive boost for UK organics.

Abbey Farm Organics, at Flitcham near Kings Lynn, was set up just over two years ago. Owners applied for funding under the new RES "fast track" application process, to help improve the business's marketing and distribution systems. As a result the business has expanded, the production of fruit and vegetables has increased and so has its number of customers.

"My customers like to know that they are buying fresh vegetables grown on the farm,” said farm owner Edward Cross. “RES funding has enabled me to build up the business so that we are now supplying 140 customers per week in north and west Norfolk. At this time of the year about 90% of the vegetables we supply are grown at Flitcham including potatoes, carrots, sweet corn, courgettes, tomatoes, red peppers, spinach and much more.”

Nicola Franks, an adviser at Defra's Rural Development Service in the East of England, added; "This project benefits local consumers by providing an easily accessible source of locally grown fruit and vegetables. The expansion of the box scheme has created new jobs and increased the area of land that is managed organically.”

Source: greenconsumerguide.com