AQW 10908/17-22

Mr John Blair
Alliance Party
South Antrim

Tabled Date: 24/11/2020
Answered On Date: 05/01/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for his Department’s assessment on the environmental impacts of organic agriculture in comparison to conventional agriculture.

Answer:

Through crop rotation systems and prohibiting use of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, organic agriculture can have positive environmental impacts in terms of biodiversity, water quality, soil quality and climate change mitigation.

A range of studies indicate that these environmental benefits are delivered on farms operating to certified organic standards. However, conventional farming can also deliver positive environmental impacts through appropriate farm management.

Therefore, I believe that both organic and conventional agriculture can contribute to addressing the range of environmental pressures that we currently face.